“Another book review?” you may be thinking.
“And it’s another Davis Bunn book!”
Oh, yes. If there’s anything I love, it’s reading, and talking about the books I’ve read is a close second. There are plans in the works for another blog in the future, and I plan to talk even more about books there.
Another Davis Bunn book? Of course.
He’s one of my favorite authors.
This book, Strait of Hormuz, is the third in the Marc Royce adventures and I can tell you, it does not disappoint. Recently I reviewed Unlimited, a book I really enjoyed. But this one is captivating. I don’t know how Davis has managed to hook me on books whose subjects are not my first love, but he has. My guess is it’s the creation of the protagonist, Marc Royce.
Royce is flawed, but strong. In Rare Earth, his decision to walk away from a young lady, Kitra, was heartbreaking and compelling. And now, in Strait of Hormuz, Royce finds himself knee-deep in a clandestine operation, only to discover that the Mossad has sent someone to keep an eye on him. And (as the book’s back cover says) it’s someone Royce knows…
The tension surrounding Marc and Kitra is engrossing, but as all of Davis Bunn's books, this one displays an even more compelling and thought-provoking theme. I never read a Bunn book without learning something, and this one opened my eyes even more to the missionary church movement.
To understand a little more about the book and its creator, take a peek inside this Davis Bunn Q&A:
Q: The first two books in the Marc Royce series have been bestsellers and also won praise from the critics. Lion of Babylon won the Library Journal’s Best Book of 2011 award, and Rare Earth won the 2013 Christy Award for Suspense Fiction. What do you see is behind this success?
Davis Bunn: The stories have certainly resonated with readers. I have tried to develop a strong sense of unfolding drama, combined with a unique spiritual theme. This moral structure plays out both in the story and the characters. My aim is to create an inspirational challenge that remains with the reader long after the book has been set down.
Q: This story includes two special components from your early life. Tell us about them.
DB: My mother worked as an antiques dealer. In truth, ‘work’ was not really the correct term, because this was a passion she inherited from her mother. They bonded while my mom was still a child, going to small eastern Carolina towns and hunting around junk stores for the sort of bargains that don’t exist anymore. Their first love was early Americana, a type of colonial furniture known as Jacobean that predated America’s nationhood. I never really shared this passion, but in two previous books I came to respect and admire those who do. And so I knew a great delight in re-entering this world in Strait of Hormuz, only this time at the very highest end. Strait takes place in the rarified world of multi-million dollar art, where the richest of collectors vie with museums and galleries for items that are no longer classed as antiques, but rather as treasures. The second special component was the location. I lived in Switzerland for almost five years, and many of the venues were places where I worked, and walked, and came to discover myself as an author.
Q: In what way is the setting important to this book?
DB: The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical waterways. Stretching between Iran and the Gulf States, the strait us home to two US fleets. More than a third of all the oil consumed worldwide pass through these waters. But the story actually begins in Switzerland, before traveling to the Sinai and then into the hotly-contested Strait of Hormuz.
Q: What spiritual theme is the focus of this story?
DB: One growing area of the missionary church movement is with displaced persons. More than five million Iranians have been expelled from their homeland, or been forced to flee the current regime. This includes virtually the entire Christian population. The missionary church movement has made enormous strides in bringing peace to these families and introducing Christ into the world of Muslims fleeing a Muslim government.
Q: What drew you to the missionary church movement as a theme?
DB: I came to faith in a missionary church. I was working as a consultant based in Germany. The year I accepted Christ, the Southern Baptist Mission Board founded a missionary church in Dusseldorf. I attended the church, I grew in the church, I studied under two amazing pastors, and one of them returned to Europe to marry us. It was also where I learned to write. Two weeks after coming to faith, I felt called to writing. I wrote for nine years and completed seven books before my first was accepted for publication. The church, its members, and the elders all played a critical role in bringing me to where I am now. I am living testimony to the vital role played by the missionary church.
Q: All three of the books in this series have given significant insight into the Muslim world, something critics have picked up on. What experience do you have with this region?
DB: For the four years prior to moving to Germany, I lived and worked in the Middle East. I was the only non-Muslim in the management structure of a family-owned company. They had three major arms: construction equipment, shipping, and pharmaceuticals. I rose to become Marketing Manager of the pharmaceutical division. One of the requirements of this job was to take instruction in the Koran and Islamic history from an imam who taught at the local university. I think this experience played a major role in my coming to Christ.
Q: How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website and blog are at www.davisbunn.com
Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/davisbunnauthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/davisbunn/ -- check out my “Strait of Hormuz” board at http://www.pinterest.com/davisbunn/strait-of-hormuz/
Twitter: @davisbunn - http://twitter.com/davisbunn
I received a complimentary copy of Strait of Hormuz from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
And honestly, it’s compelling.
Interested? You can read chapters 1-3 of Strait of Hormuz free right here.
And one more thing. You can visit Davis Bunn’s Facebook page to enter an exciting sweepstakes giveaway.
Have you read any of Bunn's books before? Interested in this one?
Read those first three chapters and report back!
Happy reading,
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2 comments:
I don't normally go for the kinds of books he writes, but I do enjoy his books. I've read the first two in this series and look forward to this one.
I've read several of this Davis Bunn's books and have enjoyed them. I'll have to look into this new series!
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