Book: Chairman X

Could an Israeli infiltrate the PLO and become its chairman?

What would happen if he actually did it

When my friend, Rami Loya, wrote in response to a recent FOJ mailing that he had just published Chairman-X and he'd like me to review it, I was a bit surprised.

Rami's previous book was Incentive compensation strategies for the new millenium.

This one, a Middle East thriller, was a complete 180...

and it is a page turner.

The story is only plausible because it is so ridiculously far-fetched, but Rami did a great job on many, many fronts.

First off, he touches on so many aspects of modern Middle East history, the Israeli war of Independene, the expulsion of Jews from Arab countries, the peace movement within Israel.

Next, he gives some "behind the scenes" explanations for geo-political events which you may have taken for granted.

The intricacies of the Israeli political scene, the obvious challenges that an Israeli would face in organizing terrorist attacks against his brethren, and a true, "NO WAY!!!" moment at the end kept me turning the pages. 

The byline says "suspenseful to the last word" and I've got to say, it's pretty accurate.

You know you are reading a great book when, as you come close to the end and you feel the pages thinning, your heart is beating faster, as you know the climax is near. 

If I had to be critical in any way, I'd say there were times when I felt the prose was a bit stiff and some of the dialogue a bit too cursory.

But, the strength of the plot and the energy kept me riveted. 

Rami-I'm impressed and I hope that the book sells a lot.

And here's a bonus...I'll send (lend, that is, since I have a signed one) my copy of the book to the first person who posts a comment on this post.