Dad of Divas' Reviews: Book Review - The Mormon Candidate

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Book Review - The Mormon Candidate

About the Book
Compelling and undeniably enthralling, The Mormon Candidate is a new political thriller by Avraham Azrieli.

This excellent mystery begins with an accidental death of a motorcyclist during a Veterans’ ride. But what protagonist Ben Teller uncovers is a conspiracy originating deep within the Mormon Church, aimed at protecting a prominent member who’s running for president. Both political and religious drama makes this intricate novel one you can’t put down.

The plot’s strong religious undercurrents will likely draw some Mormons to defensive protestations reminiscent of stormy Catholic reactions to The Da Vinci’s Code. Fictional at the core, The Mormon Candidate’s characters bring you right in from start to finish. Ben Teller is witty and intractable—you’ll want to stay with him for every flare-up of action and shocking discovery.

Growing up, author Avraham Azrieli attended religious schools, resulting in a lifelong fascination with the power of different faiths over our social discourse, ideological forces, and political processes. Having been trained both as a lawyer and a writer, he developed a keen interest in politics and justice.

In recent years, the rise to national political prominence of men like Harry Reid, Orrin Hatch, and Mitt Romney made many Americans curious about Mormonism – a relatively young faith (born in upstate New York while the Erie Canal was being dug). Mormons, who define themselves unabashedly as “peculiar people,” emphasize male dominance in the family, secretive hierarchical authority, and total obedience to LDS church leaders, elements that conflict with mainstream American values.

As a reader, Azrieli found very few novels that featured Mormonism, and none in the political/thriller genre, which caused him to embark on writing one. He conducted extensive research to make sure that the fictional characters’ story is told against a realistic and accurate background. (A bibliography of selected sources is appended at the end of the novel.)

The result is nothing short of exciting: in writing The Mormon Candidate, he managed to explore Mormonism, politics, and the dramatic way faith drives motivation and dictates action – both for good and for evil. With great attention to detail and the thrill of a suspenseful mystery, The Mormon Candidate is a timely and provocative novel you don’t want to miss.

About the Author
Avraham Azrieli, a graduate of Columbia Law School in New York City, practiced law for two decades before publishing his first novel, The Masada Complex, a best-selling political thriller. Like Ben Teller, the protagonist in The Mormon Candidate, Azrieli loves riding his motorcycle in the hilly woods of western Maryland. Azrieli's previous novels include The Masada Complex, The Jerusalem Inception, The Jerusalem Assassin, and Christmas for Joshua. For more about Azrieli’s books, visit www.AzrieliBooks.com

My Take on the Book
This was a book I could not put down, with many twists and turns that made the book engaging and exciting. The author has done a great job at intertwining fact and fiction and you can tell that he did an amazing job researching the Mormon faith when writing this book. On top of the fact that the book is action-packed, you will also love the characters which simply jump off the page and beg to be noticed. This was a great book for anyone who loves fast paced political thrillers. I highly recommend it!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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