Lion of Babylon

By: Davis Bunn

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

Marc Royce works for the State Department on special assignments, most of them rather routine, until two CIA operatives go missing in Iraq--kidnapped by Taliban forces bent on generating chaos in the region. Two others also drop out of sight--a high-placed Iraqi civilian and an American woman providing humanitarian aid. Are the disappearances linked? Rumors circulate in a whirl of misinformation. Marc must unravel the truth in a covert operation requiring utmost secrecy--from both the Americans and the insurgents. But even more secret than the undercover operation is the underground dialogue taking place between sworn enemies. Will the ultimate Reconciler between ancient enemies, current foes, and fanatical religious factions be heard?

©2011 eChristian, Inc. (P)2011 eChristian, Inc.

Pick this up. It will stay with you

Geniune surprise with this fast paced well written and thoughtful thriller. Bought the hard cover as a gift for a Colonel going through a tough procedure. He and my best friend's mother in law read the book and raved about it so I downloaded the audio. I actually rescheduled some of my two days just to listen to the whole book and will probably listen again. The narrator was exceptional and hopefully will be the same for anymore Marc Royce books. Give this a try you won't put it down and when your done. It hangs on to you.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I loved it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It's a great read. Very well researched and timely. I felt that I got to understand the Muslim faith better and my own faith better. Well done!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Optimism Overload

I should have realised when I heard that this had been published by a Christian publishing organisation that this book would be a bit too much for an agnostic. I found the story very one dimensional where all the "good" characters were so "good", it was painful. There was some very interesting background into the history of Iraq and the makeup of the religious populatons. The descriiptions of the Green Zone and life outside it were also informative. The simplistic idea that a group of dedicated Christians could bring peace and unity to the crisis in Iraq was disappointing.
The reader, however, did an excellent job.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great book

Love the author; love the book and love the series. the reader did an excellent job with the plethora of characters.

riveting

This story will keep you on the edge of your seat...and if you are unfamilar teach you a few things about mid-eastern culture when you aren't watching!

Interesting characters; mediocre story

I really liked the characters in the story and I was rooting for them all the way. But the story lacked a little.

Not sure why some people got bent out of shape that Christianity was in the story. It wasn't at all preachy or overbearing.

I was hoping for more action and wanted a little more from the plot but I still enjoyed the story and very much liked the characters.

Rebecca

Excellent! I love CIA intrigue! The reader did an excellent job of giving each person his/her own voice.

Pertinent.

If you could sum up Lion of Babylon in three words, what would they be?

Pertinent for today.

What did you like best about this story?

It has a good storyline and is very pertinent for today. Gave a lot of good information about Iraq. Bunn must have researched well. We really enjoyed it.

Would you be willing to try another one of Paul Boehmer’s performances?

Yes, but not really impressed with his reading style. Would have liked another reader.

Just plain not interesting

What I thought was a CIA spy thriller was anything but thrilling. The main characters weren’t put into any sort of danger until well over half way through the book. There is only one maybe two scenes that I would consider interesting and I wouldn’t consider either of them suspenseful as they lack details and story lines which draw a reader in. The antagonist isn’t really defined until the very end so there no one stirring the pot, no one to root against. In the end everything comes up roses as the author is more interested in pushing faith than telling an interesting story. If you want a feel good story underpinned by religion this is your book. If you’re looking for entertainment you probably want to look elsewhere.

In addition the reader of the book is not right for it. He does a good job diferentiating between characters but it voice is too calm. Even when the author tries to create some drama, it doesn't come through in the reading. I felt it was too calm and even toned.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Disapointing

I should have read the reviews before I bought this one. Obvious, one dimensional characters and a blatent attempt at religious propoganda.
The history and details of Iraq were interesting though.
A most disapointing read.

0 of 3 people found this review helpful