Book Review: The Natanz Directive

The Natanz Directive is an international espionage thriller written by Wayne Simmons and Mark Graham.  It follows Jake Conlan around the world in his attempt to confirm reports of Iran's nuclear program and, if possible, disrupt those programs before it's too late.  It's been a while since I've read a thriller as timely as this one.  While reading it I turned on the news and found the stories on TV eerily similar to what was happening in the novel.  I found Wayne Simmons' experience in the intelligence community helped make the novel believable down to the smallest details.

The writing style was really the only downside of this novel.  The main character was likeable enough, but the sentences were written awkwardly and there were many out-of-place references to songs that disrupted the flow of the story.  Ultimately I was glad I slogged through the first two thirds of the novel so I could reach the climax, which was exciting, though I feel it wrapped things up too quickly and too nicely.  This was perhaps the only deviation from the realm of possibility in the novel.  Real covert missions seldom wrap up that nicely with a little bow on top.  I would expect there to be political consequences, inquiries, a change in international ties, or something as a result of this mission.  None of those consequences were mentioned and it felt as though the author said, "And they lived happily ever after.  The end."  Give me a break.

Bookophile Rating: Average (For a decent story that failed mostly in the subtle underpinnings and performed about average in everything else).