Lion of Babylon

Novelist Bunn (To the Ends of the Earth) does for readers what keeps them coming back: he offers the expected and the totally unexpected. An unlikely American operative has to infiltrate the inner circles of Iraqi politics and culture to save the life of a friend and three companions who have gone mysteriously missing. Marc Royce is surprised to be taken in by an Iraqi family that thinks the disappearances may be connected to the kidnapping of dozens of children. Description is so vivid you can smell the food and choke on the desert sand. With many complex Iraqi characters, the story is broad, eschewing melodramatic focus on a few American characters pitted against Iraqi enemies. Bunn also breaks the mold of Christian fiction that views conversion as following a formula of simplistic prayers and belief statements. Says an underground pastor, "We look only to befriend. To illuminate and represent Jesus." Bunn's fans will leap for this precise and intricate tale of cross-cultural friendship and loyalty in the heart of the Red Zone. 60,000 first printing. (July)