Review: Sharia Law in the United States
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 9, 2012
What a chilling and realistic portrait of our country this is.  As the book opens, the President and the next seven people in the line of succession are assassinated.  The country is thrown into turmoil as the ninth in line, a Texan named Bass Whitfield, who happens to be the Secretary of Agriculture, is sworn in to be President.A political party called CM for Christian Militants is on the ascendant, and the chaos at the top gives the CM leaders the catalyst they need to seek support from the people.  An unholy cabal of a megachurch pastor, a dirty Senator and a religious Secret Service agent seize the moment and convince several U.S. states to secede from the Union and form a new country called New Israel.What I liked about Next Best Hope is that there is far more to the book than its plot, gripping as it is.  The characters are living, breathing human beings with strong feelings and the occasional philosophical brainwave. They are leaders of one kind or another, and the advisors of leaders, and they compare their own crisis with the Civil War.  One important scene takes place on the battlefield at Shiloh. This gives the story gravitas.The courts set up by the new government of New Israel, and the punishments carried out against thieves, drunk drivers and others make you think of Sharia Law and punishments we do not normally associate with the American Midwest.  Yet there it is in Next Best Hope, summary executions and chopping off people's hands for stealing.  I found this totally believable in the context of the story, and the story made me imagine these things really happening in our country, and how it could come to pass.Next Best Hope is a first class thriller with all the elements of a great read -- good writing, a fantastic plot, and a very cool ending that completely surprised me.  I'd definitely recommend this book if you like thrillers.