The Twelfth Imam

A Novel (The Twelfth Imam, Book 1)

By: Joel C. Rosenberg

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Tensions are rising in the Middle East. Iran’s president vows to annihilate the United States and Israel. Israel’s prime minister says someone must hit Iran’s nuclear sites “before it’s too late.” The American president warns against a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities and says negotiations are the key to finding peace.

And amid it all, rumors are swirling throughout the region of a mysterious religious cleric claiming to be the Islamic messiah known as the Mahdi or the Twelfth Imam. Word of his miracles, healings, signs, and wonders is spreading like wildfire.

CIA operative David Shirazi was born for this moment. He is recruited and sent into Tehran with one objective: use all means necessary to disrupt Iran’s nuclear weapons program, without leaving American fingerprints and without triggering an apocalyptic new war.

But time is running out.

©2010 Joel C. Rosenberg (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Ripped from the headlines — next year’s headlines.” ( Washington Times)

Captivating, Provoking, an IPod Turner

I'm biased entering the download. Former missionary in a Muslim country. I get what few "get" in a PC environment about Islam's sense of world order. Also an author with a critical eye for others' works, the kind I wish I had for mine. Ten-hour trip to see the grandkids. We started the story and the trip. Both entwined, along with our personal history...and our fears about the little-known agenda of virtually all Muslim clerics. Potty breaks and meal stops shortened indicate how Rosenberg AND Lane captured us in the story.

OK, to substance. Mostly realistic dialog. Leaps necessary in the half-length version left moments of impractical tracking in realism in the CIA side of the story. Excellent, sometimes surprising, sub-plots with a nice weave together at the end. Knowledge of Koran, Islam, and the miopic focus of many of their followers is thoughtfully, accurately developed. All told, however, this listen would not have been the IPod page-turner without Lane's amazing crew of voices (surely those were not the inflections, tones, voices and genders of one man!). Josephson and Lane have us looking for the sequel in time for the trip home.

GREAT-YOU MUST READ PART 2 "THE TEHRAN INITIATIVE!

This is a great book. HOWEVER, AND THIS IS VITAL TO GETTING FULL SATISFACTION!
When this book ended, I thought the narrator was retarded because the ending simply wasn't there. I was extremely discouraged. THAT WAS UNTIL I REALIZED THE ENDING IS IN THE NEXT BOOK BY THE AUTHOR CALLED "THE TEHRAN INITIATIVE.

You must buy both books or none. They go together. This is a point that Audible needs to make clearer to prospective readers because I only bought the "Tehran Initiative" because it was on sale or I've read everything else. It was by luck at best that I stumbled into it. It would be very dissapointing to any reader to simply buy the first book and not the second. In my opinion, the two books should have been made into one book. Perhaps the author could not meet the publisher's deadline and that's why the reader is left hanging after book one- "THE TWELFTH IMAM. Once you get into "THE TEHRAN INITIATIVE" the author picks up right where he left off. The narrator also did a great job. The accent is more Indian than Persian, but most readers do not know the difference anyway.

Drawn into the story

This was a great story that had me wanting more. literally wanting more, it kind of dropped off of a cliff and felt like a story not finished. unfortunately there isn't a way of telling (as far as I can tell) if it is part of a series and if so what the title of book 2 is.

Wow! Can't believe we just found this great story!

This was a gripping storyline that we have come to expect from Rosenberg. The characters, storyline and performance kept us riveted to this book. We can't wait to start the next one in the series!

Many plot twists keeps you riveted

Quick-hitting story with intrigue and twists on the plot continuing throughout keeping you thinking and routing for the good guys