Book Details:
Book Title: Appointment with ISIL: An Anthony Provati Thriller
Authors: Joe Giordano
Category: Adult Fiction, 299 pages
Genre: Literary Thriller
Publisher: Harvard Square Editions
Release date: June 2017
Book Description:
This time, Anthony's libido threatens his life. He flirts with Russian mob boss, Gorgon Malakhov's mistress. The Russian deals in death. ISIL, the Islamic State in the Levant, wants the product. Russian Intelligence supplies the means, and an art theft funds the scheme. ISIL's targets are chilling. The chase across the Mediterranean is on. Can Anthony thwart ISIL? Will he survive?
Review
Only very few books have the power to capture the readers' attention in the first few pages. Either the story or the narration or the events described would hook the reader to the book, making it impossible to put down. Appointments with ISIL is one such book. I did not have much of an opinion on it when I read the summary which was short and to the point. But the moment I read the first chapter (which was riveting) I realised this was one book to reckon.
In the current slew of 'heroes' who are not adorned with larger than life personas, Anthony is flawed, trying to escape the quagmire he had unwittingly got into and ends up breaking bad people's plots to pieces by his chance, wit and will. The first thing I noticed about the protagonist was - he was not the do gooder who wanted to save the world at any cost. This made him relatable and likeable 'despite' his faults. The second thing I noticed was the Bond-esque flirtation, something that knocked off points in my mind and also got him into trouble.
Appointments with ISIL was a book with a tight plot, all the stories and branches fitting together seamlessly. I loved many characters, even those who appeared minimally. The characters stood in my memory, and did not seem forced or fitted in unnecessarily. The story was fast paced, and I did not want to put the book down. The pages were turned effortlessly. I felt the narration reaching out to bridge the story perfectly. The language was never sugar coated and this was a special feature of the book which made sure the horror of the events described stayed in my mind.
The quickly changing scenes, starting from the US to Iraq and then on to the involvement of Russian mob elements, only increased my interest to keep reading. Even the protagonist who let his libido dictate his sense of reasoning (and usually) got into trouble became an interesting character that I would want to read about in more books. Overall, Appointments with ISIL was a book I loved reading for its quick pace and interesting story line.
Praise for Appointment with ISIL:
"A roller-coaster ride to the finish, this book confirms Giordano as a writer to eagerly watch."
"A sexy, all-in-one-breath read, this is a story for those eager to strap on their boots and immerse themselves in a whirlwind adventure that will take them from espresso in New York with the Italian Mafia to walking the Old City of Jerusalem with the chief of Israel’s security service."
“If you like gritty intriguing thrillers involving the FBI, Russian/Italian mobs or Islamic Terrorists you will absolutely love this book…. The characters, the plot and prose come together for an outstanding work of contemporary Americana. PRIMO highly recommends Appointment with ISIL."
Buy the Book:
Meet the Author:
Joe Giordano was born in Brooklyn. He and his wife, Jane, have lived in Greece, Brazil, Belgium and the Netherlands. They now live in Texas.
Joe's stories have appeared in more than ninety magazines including The Monarch Review, The Saturday Evening Post, decomP, The Summerset Review, and Shenandoah. His novel, Birds of Passage, An Italian Immigrant Coming of Age Story, was published by Harvard Square Editions October 2015. His second novel, Appointment with ISIL, an Anthony Provati Thriller will be published by HSE in June 2017.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest
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