It is always difficult to put a Joel C. Rosenberg book down, and The Beirut Protocol is no exception. Lots of action and suspense, the story of Marcus Ryker continues. Rosenberg has a gift for weaving in teaching about Middle Eastern culture and politics, helping the reader better understand the real-world, complicated dynamics of the region into each novel.

I felt this novel lacked the usual depth of character development that Rosenberg’s novels typically have—I didn’t feel quite as emotionally connected to the characters. However, the storyline is good and The Beirut Protocol is worth the read.

This fourth installment of the Marcus Ryker series has Ryker and his team on an advance security detail at the Israeli-Lebanese border ahead of the Secretary of State's trip to sign a historic treaty between Israel and the Saudis. He and his team find themselves taken by Hezbollah forces. This story has a different feel than the first three books in the series. It's focus is on Ryker and his team's captivity. How will the U.S. get them back? Will they survive? Will they break? It's an interesting look at the complicated and volatile relationships among both the Middle-eastern countries and their various factions' quest for power. Rosenberg always has well-developed characters and this holds true with our protagonist, Kairos, in this book. It has some interesting twists that serve to highlight how volatile the geo-political environment of the Middle East. Some of the plot elements left open in the earlier books are resolved in The Beirut Protocol. It will be interesting to see if the focus of the series, or at least of Ryker, shifts a bit given the teaser at the end.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tyndale House Publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

The Beirut Protocol was written by Joel C. Rosenberg and is book four in the Marcus Ryker series. It is not necessary to have read the previous books in order to enjoy this one, but I would highly recommend reading them because they are just that good.

Summary: Marcus and his team are on a routine scouting trip to Israel in advance of a visit from the Secretary of State.

But when they are ambushed by Hezbollah forces, Marcus and his team are tortured mercilessly for information. If one hint of Marcus’ true identity is discovered, execution is guaranteed.

Can he hold it together long enough to be rescued? Or are they on their own in the most hostile environment they have faced yet?

My Thoughts: This series is one where it just isn’t good enough to have a digital copy. It’s one where you buy every book, read them multiple times, and display them proudly.

I have been anxiously awaiting the release of book four, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I loved it. I honestly can’t say enough good things about it. The action is non-stop, adrenaline-inducing, and completely entertaining.

There are plenty of twists and turns, tons of bad guys vying for the top seat of power, great good guys to root for, spies, fight scenes, espionage, explosions, and the list goes on and on.

It is true candy for any action-loving reader, and very hard to put down.

I highly recommend it, and would buy it. That is the highest (and rarest) compliment I give any book, and this one definitely deserves it.

I would like to thank Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

The physical and psychological danger in THE BEIRUT PROTOCOL is constant and readers know that in the eventually... everyone breaks. The question is how long can Marcus Ryker hold out and what will he give up in the end?

JOEL ROSENBERG is a master at intertwining multiple complicated plotlines and has an unquestionable level of expertise regarding the Middle Eastern. Though a slight departure from the previous books in the Marcus Ryker series, THE BEIRUT PROTOCOL is a well constructed story of capture and survival. When Ryker, Kailea Curtis, and their Israeli chaperone are abducted in an unexpected and daring raid, the recent gains in Arab-Israeli relations are put to the test. Combined with a dramatic shift in the power dynamics of Tehran, the entire region is hurtled towards the precipice of war.

The usual high octane action scenes and shootouts against enemy actors are replaced by perilous psychological situations that hostages must endure and overcome. The physical abuse and likelihood of death has never been higher for Ryker, but as a man accustomed to dodging bullets... how will he fair when he is at the mercy of his captors?

This book takes us deeper into Ryker's mind under extreme duress as he is forced to rely heavily on his training and his faith. I personally believe the exploration of Marcus as a character bodes well for the long term success of the series and gives readers a firmer understanding of the driving forces behind Ryker's decision making paradigm.

I did feel there were some general areas left wanting. A missed opportunity for me was the failure to include more on the true identity of the third hostage and the dramatic issue that would have caused. While I also enjoyed the finale, I felt ROSENBERG had done such a great job consistently turning the screws and heightening the tension and suspense, but then all of a sudden Ryker seems not to be phased by his ordeal and the old Ryker comes out. This seemed a bit rushed to me and took slightly away from what was an otherwise enjoyable read.

I have read every Joel Rosenberg book to date and Marcus Ryker is one of my favorite characters. While The Beirut Protocol is excellent, it is not nearly as fast paced - nail biting from the beginning plot as the others in this series. As Ryker and 2 others are captured by a rouge faction Hezbollah group, there are multiple events at play that not all the players are aware of. And if/when the captors realize who they have captured things will change on a dime. I did very much enjoy the book and I do believe that Marcus Ryker has more life as a main character for Rosenberg, so I am anxious for the next book in the series. Rosenberg's insight into the political atmosphere worldwide as well as end times eschatology, adds so much to his books, coupled with the faith of Marcus Ryker; have produced another story his fans will love. Thank you NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for the ARC copy!

This book took me a long time to get into the story with all the different names they were unfamiliar to me. When I got into it I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story. Such twists and unexpected turns that kept the suspense to the.

I’ve been a fan of the Marcus Ryker series from the beginning. It’s one of the best characters that Joel Rosenberg has created and the events—like much of his writing—has been eerily accurate. Joel’s grasp of Middle Eastern socio-politics and ability to turn that into an entertaining story is like no one else. Joel’s taken Ryker through Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Israel, heightening the stakes each time. This has been a hugely entertaining series and this one…I may end up in the minority, but this one falls flat.

The Beirut Protocol just doesn’t seem like the same type of novel as the previous books in the series. While the previous books dealt with end-of-the-world or at least huge-international-incident type of problems, The Beirut Protocol is mostly a straightforward story of capture and escape. Seriously, that’s the plot of the book. Ryker, Kailea, and a relative of the Israeli PM are captured by terrorists. Eventually, through a convoluted and unimpressive means, Ryker escapes. I mean, if I was captured by terrorists, I’d take an uneventful and unimpressive escape as well, but this is fiction and Rosenberg has set certain expectations. The scope and drama of the book just doesn’t hold up.

The result is that while the book is over four hundred pages, nothing really happens. There’s a lot of filler, including a bullet pointed page listing elements of Shiite eschatology. I’m used to Rosenberg pulling together multiple plot threads and perspectives, giving readers a thrill a minute, and having his finger on the pulse of Middle Eastern socio-politics. While the latter hasn’t changed, the first two are lacking. And it makes that latter point rather dry and uninteresting.

Rosenberg is four books into the series. He has a wealth of well-developed characters to draw from to complete his story, but none of them—Ryker included—advance forward in any meaningful way. As the bigger picture storyline begins to rely more on Shiite End Times theology—a subject of Rosenberg’s increasing fascination that he explores to tepid results in the 12th Imam trilogy—Rosenberg shifts to more ham-handed propaganda and outright lecture and exposition to tell his story.

In my review of The Jerusalem Assassin, I wrote that Rosenberg’s portrayal of radical Islam remains his weakest point. It comes across as a caricature—whether Rosenberg believes it to be so or not. It’s even more true in The Beirut Protocol. It comes across as thinly-veiled American/Israeli military propaganda. You can write from a certain viewpoint or conviction without it being propaganda. Rosenberg has made a career of it. But he falls short here with an unconvincing stereotype of Islam, a two-dimensional main character, and a shoestring plot.

It just doesn’t match up with even the other books in the series. The lack of internal cohesiveness in terms of characterization and plot really threw me out of the story. I’m probably being more critical of this book because I’ve had three books and over 1,200 pages to get to know the characters and cadence of the storyline. The Beirut Protocol just doesn’t align stylistically with the previous books in the series. Marcus Ryker deserves better.

Book 4 is the charm. Every negative critical element of my previous reviews of this series have been resolved in The Beirut Protocol. Ryker is developing nicely as a character and is completely believable as is the plot. A number of plot elements are satisfyingly resolved. The annoying rapid fire chapters have been tamed except where appropriate, but the pacing is still fast and engaging. The end of chapter hooks are effective. The prose is well done. As for the story, Ryker and friends get caught by a Hezbollah hostage taking operation, wholly by accident, while reconnoitering the northern border of Israel in advance of a planned visit from his ostensible boss, the Secretary of State. The timing on the world stage could not be worse as multiple triggers are pulled, and the Lebanon explodes sucking in players from Istanbul to Tehran and the Saudi Kingdom. Ryker is in the hands of the foremost terrorist organization in the Middle East. His prospects are diminishing by the minute. At President Clarke's direction, elements of the U.S. government scramble to find Ryker, Curtis, and the nephew of Israel's prime minister before they can be tortured, drained of information, publicly killed, and used for propaganda to further fuel the fire that was lit and the plans of Kairos. But, will it be too little too late?

THE BEIRUT PROTOCOL is the fourth novel in the Marcus Ryker series by JOEL C. ROSENBERG, but it can easily stand alone. It is a political thriller par excellence and one I cannot recommend highly enough.
The author has such a way of bringing his stories to life in situations that really could be in tomorrow's newspaper, with the world the way it is today and Last Days' prophecies being fulfilled more and more.
We are taken on a chilling roller coaster ride as CIA operatives Marcus Ryker and Kailea Curtis, together with a young Israeli, are taken hostage by a rogue Hezbollah faction in Lebanon. This could have huge repercussions throughout the Middle East and America. Will the Israeli army or American team be able to save them before it is too late?
I like to see the courage and will to live shown by the prisoners and Marcus' faith in God.
That is all I am going to tell you as I do not want to spoil the read for you.
I was given an ARC copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Truly another excellent thriller from Joel. Marcus Ryker is to be compared with all the great characters created in the last 50 years!!