War on any land is a terrifying event for those on the ground; but courage counter balances fear, and a faceless enemy enables the machines of war. But when the war becomes personal, when you see the enemy, speak to the enemy, and become privy to their inner sanctum—invited to hear their plans and their names—you doubt yourself and wonder which one of you is the enemy.
Adam Moss was sent to find the enemy. They found him first. In the ensuing melee, two bullets ended his hunt as he tumbled down an Afghan mountain in the Hindu Kush Range. Moments later, he was savagely beaten and dragged into the very cave his team was searching for. Wounded, broken and unconscious, he would eventually find out why he was not killed—used as a pawn for a much more devious attack on the homeland.
Moss slumps into despair until he is jolted into full consciousness by a live video transmission beamed in from Manassas, Virginia. On the screen: his wife, Kat, and their three-year-old son, TJ, have been captured by a pack of ruthless jihadists. The transmission loops back—for Kat’s sake— to a view of Moss helpless at the hands of his captors. They stare at each other in disbelief, each wearing explosive vest and unable to communicate.
After receiving a perilous gift from her captor, beautifully camouflaged of its true nature and three lives ransomed, Kat must agree to be the lynchpin in a plan of vicious revenge upon a target that would stab at the very heart of America—the President’s family.
Willing to give up her own life to save TJ and Adam, she finds an inner strength and nearly single-handedly faces down a Goliath spilling out her own form of terror upon her captors.
Michael has plotted a very plausible story that’s not hard to suspend belief incorporating many contemporary real-life elements (as someone else wrote in their review) that we read in our daily news feeds. Universal themes such as family and love, honor and comradery, perversion and radicalism balance this story and pulls us in. “Normal” people can and do extraordinary things when called upon, and Michael illustrates this well with our husband and wife main characters. Most definitely worth the read and I recommend it.
– Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2016
The suspense was very intriguing and definitely not predictable. My husband read it first and he never reads novels! He read it after I had ordered the book and he saw the brief description on the cover. He loves politics,and conspiracy so I thought I couldn’t be interested in a book he enjoyed so much. But I was hooked after the first page.
– Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2016
A great read. Filled with suspense and a surprising hero.
– Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2015
Michael Durney has written a spellbinding novel ripped from the pages of current headlines where the lives of our brave military defenders are impacted by social media. It is a page turner that kept this reader up to 2:30AM following all of the plot twists. Michael clearly has a grasp of the subject and those with or without a military background will find this a highly interesting read. Those of us living in Northern Virginia have an added plus in that local color weaves its way throughout the plot. How about turning this in to a movie?
– Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2015
Very realistic and intriguing!
– Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2015
this took you right into the excitement and kept going! enjoyable read and will recommend to others!
– Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2015
If it was possible to award a novel ten stars, I would hands down give Pearls for an Infidel a perfect 10. You do not need a military background to follow this story. Definitely one of the most intriguing novels I have ever read.
– Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2021
“Time and place are quickly and professionally established and characters sharply drawn. Pace and dialogue keep the reader entranced. Nicely done.”
“Congratulations on a great story – fast-paced, action-packed and real. And how refreshing it is that the women in your book are gutsy, capable and can solve their own problems, as well as a few of the men’s, without sacrificing anyone’s testosterone! There is a wonderful humor and respect that comes through as well as enough fire power to satisfy any military fan. Nicely done.”
