The First Hostage

Written by Joel C. Rosenberg

Narrated by David de Vries

“The president of the United States…is missing.”

Three years before Clinton and Patterson, another New York Times bestselling author of thirteen international thrillers, Joel C. Rosenberg, posed this chilling scenario: What if the Islamic State captured the most valuable hostage in history?

Award-winning journalist J. B. Collins, reporting from the scene of a devastating attack by ISIS terrorists in Amman, Jordan, puts the entire world on high alert—the U.S. president is missing and presumed captured. With Israeli and Palestinian leaders critically injured and Jordan’s king fighting for his life, the allies are reeling and hopes for the peace process are dashed. As the U.S. government faces a constitutional crisis and Jordan battles for its very existence, Collins must do his best to keep the world informed while working to convince the FBI that his stories are not responsible for the terror attack on the Jordanian capital. And ISIS still has chemical weapons.

Struggling to clear his name, Collins works frantically with the Secret Service to locate and rescue the leader of the free world before ISIS’s threats become a catastrophic reality.

“One of the most entertaining and intriguing authors of international political thrillers in the country… His novels are un-put-downable!” —Steve Forbes, editor in chief, Forbes magazine

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 29, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491587577

Joel C. Rosenberg

Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times bestselling author of 16 novels—The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, Dead Heat, The Twelfth Imam, The Tehran Initiative, Damascus Countdown, The Auschwitz Escape, The Third Target, The First Hostage, Without Warning, The Kremlin Conspiracy, The Persian Gamble, The Jerusalem Assassin, and The Beirut Protocol—and five works of nonfiction. Joel's titles have sold nearly 5 million copies. Visit www.joelrosenberg.com.

Reviews for The First Hostage

[Rosa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book never lulled and the narrator did well to keep up with the pace and voices of each character. Another great by Rosenberg.

[Audrey Rempel Green · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great series! hope there will be more books to it.

[Luke Hassen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book. Loved every minute! Couldn't stop listening to it.

[brendaklaassen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Because everyone that returned this book to the library was very excited about the book, I had mixed emotions when I started reading it. In the past I have found that the more people that say, " You have to read this," the less I enjoy the story. Overall, the book proved to be a good read. There were parts of the story that I really found hard to believe, like when Yael told everyone that the only way she would assist in-person at Alqosh was if J.B. was allowed to tag along. I also found the scene where J. B. was shooting at the invading ISIS army to be unbelievable. The author packed a lot of adventure into the 429 pages. Will I read this author again, yes, but not right away. I am still processing this story

[lcjohnson1988_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Title: The First Hostage (A J. B. Collins Novel #2)Author: Joel RosenbergPages: 448Year: 2015Publisher: TyndaleMy rating is 5 stars.What occurs in this novel I learned from Joel Rosenberg’s recent blog post happens six seconds after the close of the first book in the series, The Third Target. Before you begin either book plan on being glued to the action for hours because it is nonstop from start to finish. In some ways the evil that nations were fighting against defied description. The characters who fought to protect the innocent and leaders had actions, thoughts and decisions that were at times surprising.J. B. Collins is living through more experiences of hell than he ever has had on any major news assignments because every time he turns around his life is on the line. Whether it is due to ISIS or other unknown assailants, J. B.’s level of frustration grows as he can’t reconcile faith in Jesus or his access to report the danger he witnesses firsthand. Trying to identify those who are backing ISIS and seeing how far they had infiltrated our government was extremely thought-provoking and added tension to the tale.Israel is trying to help locate those who are guilty of causing mass destruction and those who have captured the President and hidden him. I read this novel in one sitting because I was very engrossed in the nail-biting tension and a possible romance for J. B. Plus the danger and loss of friends that J. B. had suffered was a high cost he never thought would be attached to his journalism career.There is so much to this book and the prior novel that isn’t revealed in the review, but I believe it is worthwhile for people to read and consider the picture though fictional that is being painted on the pages. As in Old Testament times, I see there is major spiritual warfare going on. Some of the various Muslim characters in the book are radical and others are peaceful, bringing the challenge to rightly identify the enemy.I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot along with those who come together regardless of differences to halt the killing some wished to unleash on people. I hope you take time to read both books as Joel Rosenberg is a well-informed Middle East columnist and author. Joel brings his understanding of current events into the world of fiction, which makes the stories more tantalizing and believable. 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.”

[impactwriter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another intense story by Rosenberg.

What would happen if ISIS took advantage of a gathering of Middle Eastern leaders in Jordan that included the President of the United States? This book develops a plot that takes this question to its nth degree of plausibility. There are times in the story win which I thought, "That's unlikely," but overall, this story was chilling. The story takes into consideration vile, documented types of barbarism that ISIS perpetrates on those who are not "true believers" in Islam (the Islamic State caliphate) and on those who are gentile infidels.

Joel Roseberg's knowledge of the Middle East, it's leaders, and ISIS create a mixture of believability that will keep you nervous from the first chapter on.

[pbrehm0201 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Couldn't put it down

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I never read a book by Joel C. Rosenberg before but this will not be my last. He made this type of thriller very intense and understandable. I was able to understand the whole book. I loved the J.B. Collins character. I look forward to the next book in this series. The author did a great job as to what might happen if the president of the United States would be kidnapped. I received a copy of this book from bookfun.org for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own will.

[repb_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book I have read by Rosenberg, but it will not be the last. A riveting story about the capture of the US President by ISIS. Well written and paced. Lots of bloodshed and a little over the top with regard to some of the feats of the characters .. yet still a gripping tale. My first 5-star in a while.

[lschwarzman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was action packed. I received it as an advanced reading copy (thanks LibraryThing), and when I found that the author listed the characters in the front of the book, I almost didn't read it, because the unfamiliarity of the names from another culture I was afraid it would be confusing and hard to keep up with. I am so glad, I gave this a read; it was awesome! The story like was exciting and keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat. I hated to finish it.