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About the Book

Kidnapped in Gaza is a fast-paced, action-filled thriller about an American journalist, Richard Ireton, kidnapped while on assignment in Gaza. He is under threat of execution but may be rescued just in time by Israeli special forces who have identified where he is being held through a GPS tracking device installed in his belt.


There is a strong undertone of romance in the novel because Ireton meets a beautiful female Israeli intelligence officer who is drawn to Ireton and wants to help him get to the bottom of the story he is investigating. Ireton is in a dilemmas because his long-time girlfriend, a beautiful Filipina, happens also to be visiting Israel as a tourist when the kidnapping takes place.


The story draws on author David Aikman’s long experience as a foreign correspondent (especially in Jerusalem) and his first-hand knowledge of Israel, Gaza and the Middle East tensions in general. Enthralling, drenched with both intrigue and an understated romantic backdrop, Kidnapped in Gaza is sure to keep you turning the pages until the very final moment.

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David Aikman

David Aikman is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist, a best-selling author, and a foreign affairs commentator based in the Washington, D.C.-area. His wide-ranging professional achievements include a 23-year career at TIME Magazine with reporting spanning the globe of nearly all the major historical events of the time. Since leaving TIME, he has authored ten books. His latest, The Mirage of Peace: Understanding the Never-Ending Conflict in the Middle East (Regal 2009), released in September 2009, is a comprehensive overview of the nations and societies of the strife-torn region and the historical roots of the intransigent conflicts that have defied attempts to bring a lasting peace.


Dr. Aikman has two books due for publication this year: a novel set in the Middle East called Kidnapped in Gaza, and a non-fiction work entitled One Nation Without God: The Battle for Christianity in an Age of Unbelief. His other recent books include The Delusion of Disbelief: Why the New Atheism is a Threat to Your Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness (Tyndale, 2008), a response to the spate of atheistic best-sellers, an analytical biography of the great evangelist Billy Graham (Billy Graham: His Life and Influence, Thomas Nelson 2006), and the ground-breaking Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power (Regnery, 2003). A revised and updated paperback edition was released in October 2006.


With special expertise in China, Russia, the Middle East, Mongolia and religious freedom issues worldwide, Dr. Aikman is frequently invited to deliver expert testimony at Congressional hearings and is a popular speaker at conferences, seminars, panels and to academic, church and professional groups at events all over the world.

Reviews

“Riveting. Packed-full of jaw-dropping action and spellbinding information. Award-winning author David Aikman, really knows the Middle East and takes you behind-the-scenes. A magnificent tour de force for readers of all backgrounds and ages.”

Donna Rosenthal, author of The Israelis.


“From the first line of the book, David Aikman takes us on a suspense-filled journey through the frontlines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A journalist’s pursuit of truth unfolds in a riveting plot, with an insider’s perspective on the real people caught up in one of the world’s most compelling stories.”

Robert Berger, Jerusalem Correspondent, CBS Radio News


“Armed with his great writing skills and his first-hand knowledge of how foreign correspondents cope in violence-prone Israel and the Palestine territories, David Aikman has woven a fascinating tale in Kidnapped in Gaza. Spelled out slowly at first, the intriguing plot – centering on a single Israeli-Palestinian incident – picks up steam as the book’s hero foreign correspondent Richard Ireton seeks the “truth” in a region that never has less than two versions of any incident. Ireton reveals the main theme of the book when he says wisely: “Well, to be honest, you can‘t be absolutely sure of anything in this part of the world. “ The reader will find the hero’s search for the “truth” absorbing.”

Robert Slater, Reporter for the Time Magazine Jerusalem Bureau (1976-1996) and biographer of Israeli leaders Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir, and Moshe Dayan


“Aikman draws on his experiences as a foreign correspondent in Jerusalem to create an absorbing tale of love, intrigue, faith and terror, played out against the beguiling backdrop of the Holy Land and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. True to its setting, Kidnapped in Gaza is filled with shifting alliances, colorful characters and double crosses. It’s equal parts murder mystery and white-knuckle thriller, laid out in gripping detail by an acknowledged master of his craft.”

Erick Stakelbeck, Host, CBN’s Stakelbeck on Terror


“Aikman knows the Arab-Israeli conflict and how to spin a yarn. The result is a page-turner that educates. How can one do better than that?”

Daniel Pipes, Director, Center for Middle East Studies


"Few could be better positioned than David Aikman to write so sensitively, honestly and courageously about life in the Middle East... A riveting tale from a fascinating mind!"

Rev. Dr. Robert Stearns, Executive Director, Eagles' Wings NY


“International journalist Richard Ireton is back. After escaping a coup attempt in China, he finds himself dodging bombs, bullets, and bad guys in the turbulent Middle East. Ireton is brought to life vividly in this novel by former TIME Magazine Beijing and Jerusalem Bureau Chief David Aikman – an eyewitness to the Tianenmen Square massacre of 1989. At a time when it’s critical for people to understand how an ethical journalist operates, Aikman delivers in this can’t-put-down page-turner."

John DeDakis, CNN Senior Copy Editor – “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” and Author, “Fast Track” and “Bluff”
David Aikman

David Aikman is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist, a best-selling author, and a foreign affairs commentator based in the Washington, D.C.-area. His wide-ranging professional achievements include a 23-year career at TIME Magazine with reporting spanning the globe of nearly all the major historical events of the time. Since leaving TIME, he has authored ten books. His latest, The Mirage of Peace: Understanding the Never-Ending Conflict in the Middle East (Regal 2009), released in September 2009, is a comprehensive overview of the nations and societies of the strife-torn region and the historical roots of the intransigent conflicts that have defied attempts to bring a lasting peace.


Dr. Aikman has two books due for publication this year: a novel set in the Middle East called Kidnapped in Gaza, and a non-fiction work entitled One Nation Without God: The Battle for Christianity in an Age of Unbelief. His other recent books include The Delusion of Disbelief: Why the New Atheism is a Threat to Your Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness (Tyndale, 2008), a response to the spate of atheistic best-sellers, an analytical biography of the great evangelist Billy Graham (Billy Graham: His Life and Influence, Thomas Nelson 2006), and the ground-breaking Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power (Regnery, 2003). A revised and updated paperback edition was released in October 2006.


With special expertise in China, Russia, the Middle East, Mongolia and religious freedom issues worldwide, Dr. Aikman is frequently invited to deliver expert testimony at Congressional hearings and is a popular speaker at conferences, seminars, panels and to academic, church and professional groups at events all over the world.

“Panic rose up, almost choking me; I knew
      more certainly than anything else that
            I was about to die. . .”
Join Bestselling Author David Aikman on his newest journey into the gripping world of modern Middle Eastern espionage.

Eyewitnesses report that American journalist, Richard Ireton was last seen driving through the Gaza Strip and experts say that he is likely being held hostage by enemies of the Israeli government. His captors demand the release of Hamas prisoners in Israel. If they are not released within days, Western diplomats will start begin dying. . .

"From the first line of the book. . . a riveting plot." - Robert Berger, CBS Radio News
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