Unholy Innocents

People who have read this thriller say they were drawn into a Middle East conflict they knew very little about. It is a mystery that has been called a gripping tale of intrigue, double dealing and romance in war torn Syria. Within the context of the Syrian Arab Spring, "unholy choices" made by both Muslim and Christian characters strike universal chords. Others have raved about the characters, believable yet flawed, who twist in the wind from choices made within and beyond their control. The novel's fast pace grips the reader from the first page, and refuses to let go. The toll of the Syrian conflict on its citizens turned immigrants is heartbreaking. Some have said they didn't really understand the forces that compel leaving one's homeland until they had read this book. The Middle East thriller's unexpected plot twists and turns have earned accolades for this first novel. Some say that they were kept guessing throughout. In the late summer of 2012, six months into Syrian's Arab Spring, a young surgeon, Dr. Danel Ottawa, and his wife Ashara, are expecting their first child, after two still births. As she goes into labor, she is stalked by sniper fire on her solo trek to the hospital, only to be rescued by a courageous nun, Sister Helen, who is working at the Damascus hospital for an NGO. After the child is born in a hospital whose generators have been compromised by fire power, Danel commits an unthinkable atrocity, which is a secret he can share with no one. Ashara and her baby are vulnerable returning home to their deserted complex whose residents have fled the violence in Damascus. Against a regime which frowns on professionals deserting the country, the Ottawa's decide to risk discovery and torture to immigrate to the Za'atari Refugee Camp in Jordan. On the way Sunni thugs are stopping cars searching for Alawite infants and small children to massacre. Fearing for their baby Hamid's safety, Danel and Ashara reluctantly entrust him to Sister Helen traveling with other nuns being evacuated from Syrian in a UN van. Their plan it to be reunited at Za'atari that same night. But the baby, nuns and the UN driver never arrive and disappear without a trace. The baby hunt mobilizes Syrian, Jordan and UN authorities, but as the search proves fruitless, Ashara's desperation intensifies. She alone is convinced that baby Hamid has been kidnapped. When Ashara confronts Danel with her despair, his secret bursts from its containment with disastrous consequences. Can Ashara survive knowing the secret? Can Danel keep it from the authorities? The answers lead back to Damascus ensnaring them in world of forgery, blackmail and romance. Now the Hamid search team has widened to include Bethshari, a beautiful UN worker, a young orphan name Saeed and a mysterious pediatrician with a past, Dr. Abu Majeed, each with a stake in the baby Hamid's future. If you are looking for a gripping thriller with romance set in the Middle East during the Arab Spring, Unholy Innocents is a great choice.