Operation Joktan by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn

Operation Joktan by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn
Series: A Nir Tavor Mossad Thriller (Book 1)
Publisher: Harvest Prophecy (November 16, 2021)

Review by Mae Clair

I first discovered Amir Tsarfati through his non-fiction books, and non-profit ministry, Behold Israel (both of which I highly recommend exploring. I’m an avid follower of each). Operation Joktan is the first book in a fictional series Tsarfati co-wrote with Steve Yohn, a former pastor and the current senior writer and editor of Behold Israel. I don’t normally read novels centered on special ops or spy missions as they tend to be more plot-driven than character driven, but given my respect for Mr. Tsarfati’s other work, I decided to give this novel a try.

Wow—he and Yohn hit a home run! While Operation Joktan is an action thriller, the characters are given equal attention.

The two leads—Nir Tavor, a Jewish operative, and Nicole le Roux, a South African model—are both compelling. The reader experiences their initial meeting during a terrorist attack. Years later, they both end up employed by Israel’s Intelligence Agency, the Mossad. Now a top agent, Nir is put in command of a team tasked with preventing a major terror attack in the United Arab Emirates. Nicole, a skilled computer hacker, becomes a member of his team.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I loved the team! A collection of eccentric oddballs, they add jolts of geeky humor to otherwise tense situations. When secondary characters shine like this, you know the leads will be exceptional.

Tsarfati, a former major in the Israeli Defense Forces, provides first-hand knowledge of the military and the Middle East, including the precarious and tangled political dominos. He and Yohn tell an adrenalin-fueled story, moving from one impossible situation to the next with break-neck speed. Nir’s team undertakes several shorter assignments before the climatic events in the UAE. Short chapters add to the compulsion to read “just one more” late into the night—which I did many times.

Yet for all the tension, and edge-of-the-seat scenarios, the authors carefully flesh out the characters. When Nicole becomes a Christian, Nir lends an ear, but it’s without any true interest. The faith elements are introduced gradually, making it clear God is chasing Nir, but—stubbornly—the Jewish agent is not ready to listen.

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“Nicole, I’m a Jew.”

“Wait, what?”

Nir laughed. “Very funny. What I mean is, as a Jew, I know the God of punishment, vengeance, and wrath. This lovely-dovey, touchy-feely God is a New Testament invention. It’s like he went to an anger management class and has been reformed from his old ways.”

Operation Joktan, Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn

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This is a stand-alone tale (all major plot threads are wrapped up) but there are two other books in the series, both of which I have already purchased, with more planned. I’m interested in seeing how Nir’s conversion to Christianity comes about given Amir Tsarfati’s own conversion as an Israeli Jew. Each successive novel promises pulse-pounding action, wrapped with faith, pointing readers to God.

I’m hooked for the long haul and give Operation Joktan five enthusiastic fish!

I purchased the Kindle and the paperback version of Operation Joktan