Techno-Thriller Pits Islamic Holy Jihad Against Christian Freedom
By the Sword
by Mike Yorkey and Rick Myatt

(AgapePress) - The arresting cover art looks you in the eye and beckons you inside. The jolting murder spree holds you captive through the first chapter. Then it's too late to turn back. You have to read on.

By the Sword (Broadman & Holman, 2006) is the first fiction work by authors Mike Yorkey and Rick Myatt, but they demonstrate a masterful command of what makes a good story. Yorkey and Myatt (Yorkey's pastor) began working on their novel in early 2000, yet the action-packed thriller is eerily reminiscent of headline news beginning with 9/11, 2001.

Protagonist Amber Robbins is an American investigative reporter for the Washington National. She is stationed in Jerusalem, and through her eyes the realities of persecution, murder, jihad and political intrigue evoke the kind of impact more often experienced through the visual arts -- film or a stage drama. Yorkey and Myatt use dialogue extensively and effectively to propel the story and create that sense of live-action drama. The rest