The DMZ a novel by Jeanette Windle

Book Description: More than a decade after the end of the cold war has chilled the Marxist rebel movements around the world, one hot spot remains: Colombia. Why a democratic country with a growing economy should still feel the brushfires of a civil war is a mystery to U.S. analysts, but not to certain parties on the other side of the world.

The inexplicable loss of three major U.S. assets draws the attention of the world to the Colombian demilitarized zone. Are the local Colombian rebels responsible? Or is a deadly Middle Eastern secret cloaked by the jungle canopy of the DMZ?

Among the contingent of politicians and media headed for the DMZ seeking answers is reporter Julie Baker, whose parents had been missionaries in Colombia. Old hurts and terrors surge as she revisits the place of her birth... and her parents' deaths. When Julie's own abduction by guerrillas triggers a time bomb that has been ticking under the feet of the U.S. for a decade, she is left with more questions than answers.

My Review:   My review of this incredible book,  The DMZ a novel by Jeanette Windle  needs to begin with the definition of DMZ: "demilitarized zone: a zone from which military forces or operations or installations are prohibited."  This is not only the title of this novel but an important aspect of the read itself.

Julie Baker is a journalist who, against her publisher uncle’s wishes, accepts a job covering the turmoil in Columbia. She returns to the country she vowed she’d never enter, after her missionary parents were murdered when she was sixteen. Now Julie finds herself in the DMZ!  Not a place most of want to find ourselves but for Julie this is where the road of life has led her.  Now, "The guerrilla commander’s glance was indifferent, and with it, Julie’s shoulders slumped with relief. Then this nightmare was all over, and they were all about to be released. But with his next words, his tone chilled to solid ice, and Julie’s stomach with it." 

This action packed adventure is also laced with some romance between Julie and her Special Forces officer, Captain Rick Martini.  If you enjoy politics and suspense then this thriller read is for you! 

This book was completed on September 11, 2001, and is somewhat prophetic in light of the events of the past decade.

This is a very thick read but worth the time. One of those reads that makes one pause to ponder.

*This book was provided for review by Litfuse Publicity Group*