Joel-stradamus

Without Warning: A J B Collins Novel – Joel C. Rosenberg (Tyndale House)

How many times have you heard the phrase “ripped from today’s headlines” uttered about a book, television show or movie? It is with some regularity that writers for all of these mediums have either taken a story directly from the news or have shuffled the facts into their stories.

Now ask yourself how many times have you heard the phrase “ripped from tomorrow's headlines”? Well, readers of Joel C. Rosenberg that he is the often prescient forecaster of things to come, a Joel-stradamus if you will, of the world of Islamo-terrorism. Rosenberg is back with the third installment in the J B Collins series, featuring the New York Times national security writer who all too often finds himself mixed up in terrorist activities.

Without Warning finds Collins freshly recovered from the terrorist attack detailed in Rosenberg’s First Hostage and attending the State of the Union address, delivered by a President who seems to have convinced himself that the Islamic terrorists are on the run; sounding oddly familiar for those who lived through the Obama administration.

Naturally Collins calls it right when he can’t shake the feeling of imminent danger and the U.S. Capitol is attacked during the State of the Union. Here’s hoping the Rosenberg got this one wrong, but it does leave that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach as you work your way through Without Warning.

With Collins character, Rosenberg has created not so much an anti-hero as an unlikely hero. Unlike so many of the heroes that dot thriller fiction, Collins relies on the brawn of his brain more that the brawn of his body. Once again Rosenberg hits all the marks with the pacing of the story; you won’t be left hanging and waiting for the next action twist with this quick read.