Wow, where do I start? THE COVENANT has so much depth, with
characters so rich you want to telephone them for an interview and
a story so frightening that it will leave your spine tingling for
days, if not weeks. With its contemporary theme, it brings the
horror that was Auschwitz to the present, and contrasts that
historical inhumanity with today's terrors.

American Elise Margulies lives in the holy land, thrilled to own a
piece of it where she and her husband, Dr. Jon, can raise their
toddler Ilana and unborn child. The one drawback to the house is
its distance from the hospital where Jon gives cancer patients
treatment and hope. In the past few months, it has become
increasingly dangerous to drive through the rural areas so
vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Refusing to live in constant fear,
the Margulies family continues life as usual, in the naïve
belief that something is being done to keep the roads safe. But
then one day the unthinkable happens. The car in which Jon drove
Ilana to her ballet recital is found, empty --- and riddled with
bullets.

With no bodies at the scene, Elise allows herself to hope. But she
has forgotten that death isn't always the worst that can happen. A
videotape arrives, showing her husband and her daughter in the
hands of Muslim extremists, making unmeetable demands in exchange
for their lives. Elise despairs, until she makes a call to her
Grandmother Leah.

A petite Jewish lady, Leah has survived Auschwitz. And she has
friends --- three powerful, determined, loyal old women who formed
the Covenant during their encampment. There is little the world can
throw at them that would hurt them more than they already have
been. Injuring a granddaughter or her family is one of them. The
members of the Covenant join together once again, this time to free
Jon and Ilana. These women do not have government's limitations or
its political paralysis. Favors are called in and the rescue
operation begins. But it's a sticky business, and keeping faith
that Elise's family will return home becomes an almost
insurmountable task. To make matters worse, Elise starts to worry
that she will lose her unborn child from the stress of it all. She
sorely needs Grandmother Leah's strength. Thankfully, Leah has
strength enough for them both.

The author lives in Jerusalem, so despite the fact that this is ---
technically --- a work of fiction, it is very real. Her knowledge
of the tensions between the Palestinians and the Israelis stems
from dealing with it daily. Everything about this story rings with
chilling authenticity.

I came away from my experience --- and, yes, it is an experience
--- reading this book with a far better understanding of who
today's terrorists are and how they choose their course in life.
Ms. Ragen exposes them as bloodthirsty extremists with no real care
about peace or the teachings of true Islam. If peace were to settle
over the land they claim to be fighting for, they would need to
stir up trouble elsewhere, simply to feed their passion for
violence. It is all they know.

It is very rare indeed that I consider a book a must-read, but THE
COVENANT is a definite must-read.