Be sure to pre-order copies for yourself, as well as for family and friends — click here for options
One more thing: With Israel celebrating the 75th anniversary since our miraculous and prophetic rebirth in 1948, I’m jazzed to announce that Lynn and I will be leading The Joshua Fund’s next Prayer & Vision Tour to Israel this Fall. The dates are November 28 through December 8th. Click here for more information and prices and be sure to sign up right away!
“New York Times bestselling author Joel C. Rosenberg, one of the best headline-beating novelist in fiction today, is back with his most thrilling and shocking novel to date.”
“After taking a year off between releases, Rosenberg is back and better than ever. After penning numerous trilogies and smaller series previously in his career, Rosenberg finally has his true series guy in Markus Ryker, who has quickly established himself as the man to call in a bad situation. A hero on par with Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath, Ryker anchors what might just be Rosenberg’s best work so far….”
“One thing that’s indisputable is that The Libyan Diversion is Rosenberg’s most timely novel to date.”
“Rosenberg hits on several relevant issues, including the speed at which the media can spin a story and how public opinion can drive a narrative, dominating airwaves and talk shows as public outcry rages on….What Rosenberg does so well, though, is take you into the room with those characters who, for better or worse, are at the center of such unjust outcry.”
“[T]here are few people better at plotting than Rosenberg, who puts on a masterclass here, weaving his way through various adrenalin-pumping action sequences and moments of nerve-wracking suspense while still taking time to flesh out Ryker and the rest of his cast.”
“Perfect for fans of Brad Thor and Daniel Silva, Joel C. Rosenberg’s The Libyan Diversion is just the kind of blistering, unflinching, ripped-straight-from-tomorrow’s-headlines thriller that his readers have come to expect.”
From New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author Joel C. Rosenberg comes the fifth military and international political thriller in the Marcus Ryker series.
The world’s most wanted terrorist is dead.Marcus Ryker recommended the drone strike himself.The intelligence was rock-solid.But what if it was wrong?
Abu Nakba―the man responsible for lethal attacks in Washington, D.C., London, and Jerusalem―is finally dead. Marcus Ryker has been tasked with hunting down and destroying what’s left of the terror group Kairos.
But before Ryker can mobilize his team of CIA operatives with their new assignment, a disturbing report from Libya suggests all may not be as it seems. The U.S. bombing that should have taken out Nakba’s headquarters now appears to have been a disastrous mistake―and Ryker himself may be responsible.
With Kairos gearing up for a major retaliatory strike against the U.S., time is short, and terror cells may already be inside American borders. But Ryker won’t be able to stop this threat until he clears his own name, and his closest ally inside the White House can no longer help him.
The Libyan diversion threatens to leave Ryker on the sidelines just when his country needs him most.
On September 18, I’m excited to speak via video about my new book, ENEMIES AND ALLIES, as part of a virtual fundraiser for the ministry founded and led by my parents. Please register today and join us! https://www.ministryarchitecture.com
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — Here’s the latest interview I did as part of the book tour. It was published on April 5th by BookTrib, “the leading source for book news and reviews.” Enjoy!
THE REALITY BEHIND FICTION THRILLERS
“The top priority of a thriller writer is to thrill — to make your heart rate spike.”
So says author Joel C. Rosenberg, and when it comes to his latest work, The Beirut Protocol, mission accomplished. “I want you to be able to look over the shoulders of bad guys plotting their next moves.”
In the fourth installment of Rosenberg’s gripping new series with plenty of political intrigue, agent Marcus Ryker finds himself in the most dangerous situation he has ever faced; he is captured, brutalized and dragged deep behind enemy lines. (Learn more about the novel in our review.)
Rosenberg’s background and ties to political leaders around the world add a layer of unique credibility to his writing. He recently discussed The Beirut Protocol with BookTrib, going into detail on how and why it came about.
Q: In your novels, The Beirut Protocol included, you take people to places they may not want to go and advance real-life theories they may not want to hear. Is that part of being a thriller writer?
A: Absolutely. I need to draw you into a fictional world that fascinates and frightens you. I love to take my readers into places I’ve always wanted to go: the Oval Office, the White House Situation Room, the Kremlin, the palaces of Arab kings and crown princes, the inner sanctum of the Supreme Leader of Iran, the underground bunkers of radical Islamist terror masters, and so forth. And I want to put you inside the world of one of the CIA’s top operatives, Marcus Ryker, as he tries to decipher and defuse the plots against the U.S. and our allies.
Q: Are you trying to send any subtle or not-so-subtle messages to your readers, or is this just an entertaining ride?
A: Above all, I’m trying to entertain my readers. But I do have other objectives, one of which is to warn of threats I believe could blindside America and our allies if our leaders misunderstand or ignore them. Americans have been fighting the forces of radical Islamism for two decades, and I’m concerned that they are tired of the fight. They feel they have invested enough blood, toil, tears and sweat to protect their country and way of life. That’s understandable — indeed, I completely sympathize — but the problem is that the forces of radical Islamism are angrier and more dangerous than ever before, and there are other threats rising, too, in Russia, in North Korea and in Communist China. I’m trying to educate and warn my readers about these threats and why we must not let down our guard, even for a moment.
Q: You have had the chance to meet world leaders at the very highest levels. What kind of influence or impact has that had on your writing?
A: One of the most unexpected developments in recent years has been the wide range of world leaders who have read my novels and invited me to meet with them. Among them have been Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State (and former CIA Director) Mike Pompeo, back when they were both serving in Congress. Jordan’s King Abdullah II read The First Hostage, which was about ISIS trying to assassinate him, and rather than banning me from Jordan, the king invited my wife and me to visit him in Amman. President George W. Bush has become a reader of my novels, and the king and crown prince of Saudi Arabia, and the prime minister of Canada. Leaders in Europe and here in my home country of Israel have as well. I have been very fortunate, and I think these meetings and relationships have made my novels much richer and more interesting.
Q: Here are a few things we’ve heard about Marcus Ryker: He is your favorite character, he does not fit the typical superhero mold, and in The Beirut Protocol, we see him as we’ve never seen him before. Please explain all!
A: There is no question that Marcus Ryker is my favorite character I’ve written. Marcus is one of the most effective agents employed by the CIA. He is highly trained, incredibly smart and brave beyond belief. At the same time, Marcus has been wounded in combat as a Marine and in the line of fire as a Secret Service agent. He has also been wounded by the murder of his wife and son, by failing to protect the two people closest to him. He is free to take enormous risks to keep his country safe, but he struggles to know how to rebuild his private world. Is he wired to lead a quiet life and raise a family? Or is he called to a life of danger for which he should remain single and alone? It’s this tension between his professional skills and calling, and his private desires and questions, that intrigues me.
Q: How do you go about doing the research for your books?
A: I certainly do a great deal of nonfiction reading when I’m not writing novels, mostly autobiographies, biographies and history. I’ve also been very fortunate over the years to have built a wonderful network of current and former spies, CIA directors, special forces operatives, ambassadors, political strategists and others who have become great resources. I carve out time to meet with these sources, asking them questions and getting their advice and suggestions. There’s no question that I do a lot of googling, too. But I find that having coffee and tea and breaking bread with real people who are currently engaged in confronting our worst enemies — or spent their lives doing so, even if they are now retired — is the best form of research.
Q: What did you find to be the most difficult scene in the book to write?
A: My hero is captured by the enemy in the opening chapters of The Beirut Protocol. It’s hard to write about people being tortured. You try to imagine yourself in that situation and it’s stomach-turning. How does your protagonist handle it? At what point does he break? And how in the world is he going to be rescued or escape? I’ve written 15 previous novels, and I’ve never put any of my heroes in a situation quite like this. Plus, while Marcus is being held and tortured, a massive missile war is erupting between Israel and Hezbollah. That was hard to write because my family and I live in Israel and could one day, maybe soon, have to go through Hezbollah firing 4,000 missiles a day at us. That’s terrifying, I have to tell you.
Q: What’s your next project?
A: Even as I work on my next Marcus Ryker novel, I’m finishing up the final edits on a nonfiction book called Enemies & Allies: An Unforgettable Journey Inside the Fast-Moving & Immensely Turbulent Modern Middle East. Twenty years after 9/11, the book looks at where the region is headed, how attitudes toward the U.S. and Israel are changing, and how events in the Middle East will affect our futures. This book gives me an opportunity to take you inside meetings I’ve had with the president of the United States, the vice president, the secretary of state, multiple CIA directors, the prime minister and president of Israel, Arab kings and crown princes, and so many others, about the most important and sensitive issues of our time. This is the first nonfiction book I’ve written in almost a decade, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out.
Novelists are not prophets or psychics, clairvoyants or descendants of Nostradamus.
They are not supposed to be, at least.
But over the years, some have seemed pretty close.
Dean Koontz once wrote a thriller called, The Eyes of Darkness, which predicted a global pandemic started by a lethal virus called the “Wuhan-400,” originating in Wuhan, China.
True, in the original edition published in 1981, the virus was produced in the Soviet Union and it was called the “Gorki-400.” In 1989, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Koontz put out a new edition in which he changed the villain to the Communist Chinese government.
Plenty of naysayers say Koontz didn’t get it exactly right—but….
It’s exciting to see people enjoying the new installment of Marcus Ryker’s adventures. Thanks to all of you who have purchased a copy and encouraged your family and friends to do the same — it’s been fun to read all of your reviews and notes!
The coming week is filled with lots more media interviews, and of course the Israeli elections on Tuesday. For updates, please follow me on Twitter. Please also follow our coverage at ALL ISRAEL NEWS for the latest on the election and their implications.
The Beirut Protocol has debuted in the Top 40 of the USA Today’s list of 150 bestselling books of all kinds in the United States.
Thanks so much to everyone who has purchased a copy — and bought them for family and friends. And thanks to everyone who has enjoyed this one and written good reviews and sent us kind notes and promoted the novel on social media. We really appreciate it!
JERUSALEM — Last week, Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona, hosted me for the best Zoom event I have done on this tour, and one of the most fun book tour events I have done in years!
Barbara also invited Kyle Mills to join us from his home in Wyoming. Kyle is the New York Times bestselling author of his own amazing novels. He was also chosen to continue writing the riveting “Mitch Rapp” novels after the untimely passing of the great Vince Flynn a few years ago. And Kyle is hitting it out of the park!
What I so loved about the conversation was that it was not so much about the geopolitical scenario behind THE BEIRUT PROTOCOL— which is fascinating and which is most interviewers ask me about — but about the craft of writing, about life as a novelist, about how I created Marcus Ryker, about how we develop characters, sources of inspiration, how we do research, and so much more.
Especially interesting was the intriguing connection that few readers know between Vince Flynn, Kyle and me that connects us all in fiction and in real life. I don’t want to give it away, but it’s worth watching the Zoom videos or listening to the podcast of our conversation just for this connection alone.
(Jerusalem, Israel) — It’s been an intense and exciting few days, doing one interview after another about The Beirut Protocol. Here are links to just a few of those conversations, and some early reviews.
If you haven’t gotten your copy, I hope you’ll get it today — and please post your review on my Epicenter Team page on Facebook, and on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, GoodReads, and/or your favorite book website. Thanks so much!
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