The Beirut Protocol is the 4th book in the Marcus Ryker series by Joel C. Rosenberg, which is noteworthy since he’s known for writing several trilogies in the past. Departing from this successful formula represents a risk, but one in which we need to give Mr. Rosenberg the benefit of the doubt given his tremendous track record for churning out hit after hit.
The Beirut Protocol kicks off with a massive firefight on the Israeli border with Lebanon, resulting in US State Department Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Agents Marcus Ryker and Kailea Curtis, along with Yigal Mizrachi of IDF Intelligence, being taken hostage by an elite unit of Hezbollah militants. The story then revolves around the trio’s harsh captivity and fight for survival, the US and Israel’s desperate attempt to rescue them, and a global terrorism organization’s plot to destabilize the Middle Eastern peace process. It’s violent, raw and brutal, but all in the name of advancing the plot and in no way gratuitous. All of this adds to a story that’s about Marcus trying to save himself and his colleagues more so than about saving the world, although there’s a healthy dose of that as well. But the focus on Marcus is the compelling part of this book, giving the reader a deeper look into Marcus’ character and spirituality which adds to the overall development of this series.
I’m a big fan of Joel C. Rosenberg’s work. He’s a fantastic writer and master storyteller. His deep expertise of Middle Eastern politics leads to incredibly realistic and frightening storylines that we all hope and pray don’t come true. However, in all honesty The Beirut Protocol isn’t one of his best books. It’s an entertaining and worthy thriller, but it had potential to be more and didn’t quite get there for two reasons. First, while we see Ryker’s vulnerability throughout his hostage situation, he seems to bounce back rather quickly once he’s rescued. While I’m all for the bad-assery of agents and operators, I didn’t buy that he would recover that quickly physically or emotionally. I’d rather see his continued vulnerability and letting others finish the fight against the bad guys. Second, while Ryker’s progression as a character is well done, it’s almost the singular focus of character development in the novel. I would have loved to go deeper into Kailea Curtis’s mentality throughout the ordeal to build a stronger emotional connection with her. I also wanted to learn more about Yigal Mizrachi. He’s a pivotal person in the plot, but we don’t learn that much about him. Not exploring these characters more represents missed opportunities that would have enhanced the story and taken it to the next level.
Despite my concerns and possible unrealistically high expectations for every Joel C. Rosenberg book, The Beirut Protocol is still a solid entry into the Marcus Ryker series. I’ll be interested to see if the series continues or if the author goes back to writing trilogies. The ending of this book was clean and events were nicely wrapped up, offering up unlimited possibilities going forward. Which is exciting as a thriller fan. No matter what, count me in for the next book by Mr. Rosenberg. He’s a tremendous writer that I will automatically read whenever he releases a new book.
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