Review: Lion of Babylon

Lion of Babylon
by Davis Bunn

About the Author:

Davis Bunn is the author of numerous best sellers, with sales totaling more than six million copies. The winner of three Christy Awards for excellence in fiction, he is a lecturer in creative writing and Writer in Residence at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University. Davis and his wife, Isabella, divide their time between England and Florida.

Brief Book Description:

Marc Royce worked for the State Department on a variety of clandestine assignments until personal issues led to his dismissal. He’s once more called into action when a dear friend, and intelligence agent, goes missing in Baghdad. Neither country (Iraq or the United States) will help find his friend. He’s on his own except for a select few men who offer to help him in his search. Danger and threats permiate the country. There are many who do not want him to succeed. Will he be able to find his friend in time?

Davis Bunn is a gifted writer who is able to bring his story and characters to life.  Throughout the story, the reader really gets to know the main characters in the story.  While this is fiction, Bunn does a good job making the story feel believable as he develops the idea of the modern day, war-torn Iraq.  He presents the challenges of Christians living in a Muslim land as well as the challenges of living in a land torn between many fighting entities.  The story moves at a good pace while holding the reader’s attention.  The attention to detail allows the reader to be drawn into the story.  The vivid descriptions of the locations and characters make readers feel like they are there.

I personally appreciated the fact that, unlike many book traditionally in the suspense category, the story was clean.  While the characters in the story held to their Christian faith, they lived their faith rather than throwing it in the face of others.  It was this quality that made the characters more likable and believable.

Lion of Babylon was the first book that I have read by Davis Bunn.  If this story is any indication of the quality of his books, I look forward to reading more of his works.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House to help facilitate the writing of a frank and honest review. A positive review is not guaranteed, and all opinions are my own. This post contains an amazon affiliate link.