The Devil's Light: A Novel
In his latet thriller, best-selling Patterson tackles the possibility of a nuclear threat from al-Qaeda. Set just prior to the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the novel opens with shadowy al-Qaeda operative Amer Al Zaroor outlining a plan to steal a nuclear weapon from Pakistan. Young CIA agent Brooke Chandler, who was stationed in Lebanon before his cover was blown, begins to suspect that an attack is coming. He alerts his superiors, who are somewhat skeptical about Brooke�s certainties that the bomb is actually intended for Israel, not America, and that al Qaeda will be deploying it from the heart of Hizbullah territory in Lebanon. Patterson does an excellent job of delineating the very complex politics in the Middle East from all sides, but the result is that the book is more informative than it is pulse-pounding. There is far more talking than action. But the threat Patterson imagines is frighteningly realistic, and the result is a thoroughly engrossing look at a complex and volatile region.      HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The timeliness and alarming intensity of the topic will make this an especially hot book from the author of eight respected international bestsellers. --Kristine Huntley