Intrigued by the commanding cleanness of the book cover, I picked up Detained by Don Brown, a military and political thriller in which Hasan and Najib Makari, a father and son from Lebanon, are wrongly accused of terrorism against the United States.

I appreciated the believable humanness in characters like Matt Davis, a Navy JAG officer, and Emily Gardner, a TSA lawyer: flawed individuals still with striking qualities I rooted for. The racist ignorance of some of the agency officers got under my skin, making me all the more anxious to see what would become of the Makaris. And a little ways after I passed the unputdownable point that propelled me through the rest of the novel, the haunting, painfully fitting prayer of a Lieutenant Commander Garcia echoed right into my core--"Lord, if it is possible, take this cup from me."

Now, I did have to get over a number of the exclamation points. It's just a style preference, but in modern adult novels, especially in ones handling serious subject matter, it gives the drama an over-the-top feel when a third-person narrator essentially shouts (!) at the reader, rather than reserving exclamations for the characters' dialogue. Also, there's a lot of phrase repetition that doesn't appear intentional; some of the comments characters make aloud, particularly a few from Secretary Strayhorn, don't really come off as natural, seeming mostly to the purpose of spelling issues out for the reader; and the narrator steps away from storytelling for a few paragraphs early on to explain Navy jets and aircraft carriers in present tense, which consequently pulled me out of the story as well, for a moment.

Still, overall, the author effectively makes a case for truth, justice, and faith in this engaging novel, and I've every intention of picking up the next book in The Navy JAG Series whenever it releases--hopefully sooner than later.
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BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. ( )

Title: Detained (The Navy JAG Series)
Author: Don Brown
Website: http://donbrownbooks.com/
Pages: 416
Year: 2015
Publisher: Zondervan
My rating is 5+ stars out of 5
A couple of months back I began reading novels written by Don Brown with expectations of truly riveting and suspense-filled stories. The reason for the high expectations was that I knew Don Brown served in the military and as a JAG officer. While casually perusing an online bookstore, I saw that Detained was coming out in 2015.
Now that 2015 has arrived and having read the novel, I am utterly amazed at the contents and depth of the story. Two characters, Matt Davis and Amy Debenedetto are from the original JAG series though they are older and have new ranks in the Navy. Now the stakes are higher than ever before as the two JAG officers are assigned to the same case at GITMO, however as opposing players in a high stakes trial of supposed terrorists.
While the case at GITMO is being forced to fast track the trial of two assumed terrorists, a serious threat resides within the halls of Homeland Security. The director of Homeland Security is quietly attempting to shred or bypass the Constitution, which would place all the freedoms Americans enjoy into an abyss. Director Strayhorn is attempting a coup that would place many powers under his leadership, and he will use whatever means necessary to attain the powerful leadership of America.
There is romance budding between the Jag officers, choosing to exercise faith while facing death in the face while the fictional President puts measures in place to protect the future of America’s Constitution along with the Bill of Rights. Unlike fairy tales, not everything ends all nice and neat. There is a reality of lives that are innocently taken and evil being successful, even if temporary.
As I read the novel, I kept reading and turning the pages until the “wee” hours of the morning because I knew that until I saw how the author wrapped up the tale I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I came away with a great appreciation for those who are seeking to preserve the Constitution of the United States of America. I also felt the emotion of fear when reading about characters placing their lives on the line so others might not be able to commandeer our precious nation.
Grab a copy and be ready to read for hours as the suspense is so palpable that when turning the last page you find yourself releasing a big breath of air because you were holding it throughout the whole story! Like the various men and women in the fictional story we must never let down our guard to keep America standing on the constitutional foundation so many have given their lives and more to protect for ourselves and future generations!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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