They Plotted Revenge Against America by Abe F. March

Written mainly in a narrative style with sparse dialogue, Abe F. March's second book describes the journey of a group of young people to commit terrorist acts in a very believable way. The book even comes across as being non-fiction for the first couple of chapters.

Following two boys who have lost their families due to American actions in the Middle East, this book follows those boys as they strike out to take revenge for their families. They become part of a conspiracy along with other men and women who have been similarly affected by the military actions of America. These boys and two others are paired up with girls who have lost their families as well. The pairs are put through combat, survival, language, and socialization/assimilation training before being sent to America.

It is difficult for the reader to get a sense of the characters involved in the conspiracy. The dialogue was often formal, and none of the characters displayed the emotion that would be associated with the loss that they all suffered.

While the characters are not as sympathetic as they could be, the process they follow is terrifyingly believable. All of the young adults come to America on tourist visas, and there is not a whisper of any suspicion on the part of the people in America that they encounter until they have been in the country for quite some time and are in the final stages of planning for their terroristic plot. It seems inevitable that the group will be successful until the end of the book when it begins to appear that people in America and in Israel are catching on to the plot.

March also does a good job of bringing up issues about Americans, Muslims, and terrorism. At one point, he has characters draw a parallel between what President Bush said about terrorism, saying "those who harbor terrorists would themselves be considered terrorists...I supose with that logic, Bush is a terrorist and America a terrorist country." The characters in the book try to open dialogue about Muslims and the things happening in the Middle East with the Americans that they meet. This aspect of the book would make it a good choice for book clubs.

If you are a fan of conspiracy theories, are looking for a book that will spark a good conversation, or just like a good action novel, this is the book for you. They Plotted Revenge Against America is available on Amazon.com in both print and Kindle download format.