"Strait of Hormuz" by Davis Bunn

The threat of an Iranian blockade of the narrow Strait of Hormuz is escalating global tensions. Sanctions against Tehran have begun to bite, and it seeks to retaliate by cutting off vital shipping routes for crude oil. The specter of a preemptive Israeli strike has US officials on edge as they struggle to keep the world from plunging into the abyss.

Stymied in its efforts to uncover the sources of funding that bolster the Iranian nuclear program, the State Department calls on Marc Royce to investigate. With little to go on, he'll have to rely on an old ally. Kitra Korban has ties to people with the means to get things done, so long as no questions are asked. But Iran is on the brink of nuclear capability, and time is running out.

Bunn has penned a globe-trotting, suspenseful novel that you won't be able to put down.  Marc Royce is a kind, gentle man who just happens to be a US intelligence agent - or is that the other way around?  This story kicks off at a pivotal moment in Royce's life - he's been fired from the agency he works for but called back in to prevent a world war.  Nothing serious, right?  

Kitra Korban is the woman who loves Royce, and she comes across as strong, smart, and capable.  With different life paths keeping Korban and Royce apart, their interactions in this book are full of drama and strife, but that just ups the interest level.  I like the way that Bunn shows how they deal Biblically with their pain and their problems.

I've been reading Bunn's books for years.  I've read serene historical fiction, space fantasy, and suspenseful mysteries, but Strait of Hormuz is different from them all.  Reading more like Joel C. Rosenberg, this book has the same type of intrigue, political suspense, and understanding of Middle Eastern culture.  If you like to read Rosenberg, you'll love Bunn's latest.

I received a free copy of Strait of Hormuz from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.