New novel, The Identity Factor is one killer of a thriller – a Jason-Bourne-meets-The-DaVinci-Code kind-of mystery inside a puzzle.
Author James Houston Turner writes on his terms, breaking rules of formula and leading you down one blind alley after another while winding the tension tighter and tighter until you almost can’t take it anymore. Although Turner insists he has never been with the CIA, the style of his novel can make you wonder. His previous novel, The Second Thirteen, was based on underground KGB operations. Now, his newest novel, The Identity Factor is a labyrinth of secret identities and covert CIA activities. But with Turner’s history– for years he was a smuggler behind the old Iron Curtain, where he traveled under assumed names; it comes as no surprise that those experiences combined with a Master’s Degree in history inspire this riveting book.
The story begins prophetically with a grand opening line, “Within twenty four hours, Sir Edmund George Clayton would be dead, his murder but another in the dustbin of inconsequential memories were it not for the legacy of his discovery.” Clayton’s legacy– an ancient stone tablet discovered in the Sinai Peninsula in 1919, is then stolen, after which it resurfaces in modern day Cairo, where it becomes the centerpiece in an elaborate change-of-identities scheme by the phantom terrorist, Abu Nazer, who is being doggedly pursued by the CIA. The tablet makes a stunning declaration about the ownership of Palestine, and the CIA fears Abu Nazer will use it to ignite Armageddon.
Written mostly in real time, the book could accurately be described as a “chase” thriller. But who is chasing whom? The answers will surprise you because few people in this story are who they seem. The Identity Factor is full of action and tantalizing suspense, with the settings blending the familiar and exotic, as you are swept from the Sinai Peninsula to Austin, Cairo, Jerusalem, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco in a wild ride to identify and stop Abu Nazer.
However, the book also has a strong romantic streak, with obstinate rookie CIA profiler, Zoë Gustaves, inexorably drawn toward charming Texas journalist, Rutherford Tyler, who is romantically involved with the mysterious Sharifa al Rashid. For those who enjoy lust, the book has an excellent love scene- written artistically rather than descriptively- and Turner gets kudos for not shying away from that style.
As for the book’s strength, its intricate, Ludlumesque style – can also work against it if you read in dribs and drabs, with storyline and characters at risk of getting lost in the story’s structural complexity. The book is not, by Turner’s own admission, a “donut” novel” – all “fluff and air.” It is quite complex. It has heart, provokes thought, and inspires– all while taking you on an unforgettable, high-velocity ride of sheer enjoyment. Most will especially like the “on page” chemistry of Turner’s characters, his wit, and descriptions, especially of Jerusalem.
This book is definitely a “must read,” ironically for the same reason it was rejected back in 2001, after the attack on the Twin Towers: its Middle Eastern theme. With so much hatred and violence infecting that ancient heartland, it is refreshing to read a thriller with strong themes of reason and hope. Maybe that’s because Turner himself – a cancer survivor – is a living example, even when things look dangerous and dark.
