Crescent Veil

Judith Sanders with Dr. Frank J. Malinoski
JAM Cupboard Publishing (2005)
ISBN 1419618806
Reviewed by Cathy Yanda for Reader Views (5/06)

“Crescent Veil” is easily one of the two best books I’ve read in the past year. It deals with what is a possibly an almost-too-realistic situation ~ the knowledge, and then discovery, of a secret cache of biological weapons hidden in Iraq. Ms. Sanders’ obvious knowledge of the culture of Iraq, biological warfare, ancient history and relationships shines in this debut novel.

As General Tariq Saeed says in “Crescent Veil”…”What did Stalin say? One death is a tragedy but thousands are a statistic.” This becomes apparent when two terrorist attacks awaken the world, one in England and one in the United States. The President of the United States refuses to hunt for the terrorist within Iraq’s borders even though there is evidence the answers will be found there. The President is too concerned with his newest oil deal. However, the National Security Advisor Pearl Sugarhill works behind his back calling on biocriminologist Dr. Wayne Swift and Dr. Matthew Rogers to deal with the situation. This gripping story of political intrigue is complicated by the other characters Ms. Sanders creates ~ Dr. Miryam Stollar, an expert on Chemical and Biological Weapons with a link to ancient Assyria and who is also the past lover of Dr. Swift’s; the Dove, codename for a woman whose identity we are not sure of until the very end; Hal Cavemouse, a Native American who had served with the Navy Seals; Major General Tariq Saeed, who had served under Saddam Hussein and whose people find the biological weapons. Major General Saeed is intent on the world understanding that he is not afraid to use the weapons and has plans to show them how serious he is.

“Crescent Veil” is a riveting novel of smoke and mirrors. Just when you believe you may know what is going on, keep reading and you will discover this is not the case. For inquiring minds, Ms. Sanders is currently working on the eagerly awaited continuing adventures of biocriminologist Dr. Wayne Swift.

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