Peace

Nesbit, a former communications director to the vice president at the White House, has written a smart, globe-spanning tale of what could be, based on what already is, in world affairs today. Book one in the series "Principalities and Powers" includes characters and subplots from a secret prison camp in North Korea; a democratic movement in Iran; a fighter squadron from Israel; a soviet communist revival leader in Russia; and the office of the U.S. president, mixed into a fascinating doomsday scenario with fresh, simple twists. When Israel attacks Iran with stealth bombers purchased from the U.S., the world is on the brink, and a small group of people can save the world from destruction with two simple means of communication: a common cell and the bold strategy of talking directly to the enemy. The narration is generally crisp and realistic, though sometimes preachy and repetitive. While well researched, the book goes flat at the climax, where the author chooses summary instead of action. This novel notably and commendably resists the cardboard-cutout religious politics of many Christian fiction thrillers involving the Middle East. (Oct.)