Table of Contents
HOLY WAR
Mike Bond
ALSO BY MIKE BOND
The Last Savanna
House of Jaguar
Tibetan Cross
Saving Paradise
CRITICS’ PRAISE FOR MIKE BOND’S NOVELS
Holy War
“Mike Bond does it again – A gripping tale of passion, hostage-taking and war, set against a war-ravaged Beirut.” − Evening News
“A supercharged thriller set in the hell hole that was Beirut…Evokes the human tragedy behind headlines of killing, maiming, terrorism and political chicanery. A story to chill and haunt you.” − Peterborough Evening Telegraph
“A profound tale of war, written with grace and understanding by a novelist who thoroughly knows the subject…Literally impossible to stop reading ...” − British Armed Forces Broadcasting
“A pacy and convincing thriller with a deeper than usual understanding about his subject and a sure feel for his characters.” − Daily Examiner
“A marvelous book – impossible to put down. A sense of being where few people have survived. The type of book that people really want to read, by a very successful and prolific writer.” − London Broadcasting
“A tangled web and an entertaining one. Action-filled thriller.” − Manchester Evening News
“Short sharp sentences that grip from the start ... A tale of fear, hatred, revenge, and desire, flicking between bloody Beirut and the lesser battles of London and Paris.” − Evening Herald
“A novel about the horrors of war ... a very authentic look at the situation which was Beirut.” − South Wales Evening Post
“A stunning novel of love and loss, good and evil, of real people who live in our hearts after the last page is done…Unusual and profound.” − Greater London Radio
Saving Paradise
“Bond is easily one of the 21st Century’s most exciting authors ... An action packed, must read novel ... taking readers behind the alluring façade of Hawaii’s pristine beaches and tourist traps into a festering underworld of murder, intrigue and corruption ... Spellbinding readers with a writing style that pits hard-boiled, force of nature-like characters against politically adept, staccato-paced plots, Saving Paradise is a powerful editorial against the cancerous trends of crony capitalism and corrupt governance.” – Washington Times
“Bond’s lusciously convoluted story provides myriad suspects and motives ... Bond skillfully adds new elements to the mystery, including several energy corporations and no less than three femmes fatales ... In the end, readers may find it nearly impossible to guess the killer, but they’ll enjoy the trip. A complex, entertaining whodunit.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Within the first page, I was hooked ... From start to finish, I never put it down.” – Bucket List Publications
“A wonderful book ... quite powerful ... going to create a lot of discussion.” – KUSA TV, Denver
“A fascinating book.” – KSFO, San Francisco
“Saving Paradise is one heck of a crime novel/thriller and highly recommended!” – Crystal Book Reviews
“You’re going to love the plot of this book.” – KFVE TV
“He’s a tough guy, a cynic who describes the problems of the world as a bottomless pit, but can’t stop trying to solve them. He’s Pono Hawkins, the hero of Mike Bond’s new Hawaii-based thriller, Saving Paradise ... an intersection of fiction and real life.” – Hawaii Public Radio
“A wonderful book that everyone should read.” – Clear Channel Radio
“Mike Bond’s Saving Paradise is a complex murder mystery about political and corporate greed and corruption ... Bond’s vivid descriptions of Hawaii bring Saving Paradise vibrantly to life. The plot is unique and the environmental aspect of the storyline is thought-provoking and informative. The story’s twists and turns will keep you guessing the killer’s identity right up until the very end.” – Book Reviews and More
“A very well written, fast-paced and exciting thriller.” – Mystery Maven Reviews
Bond “incorporate(s) a lot of the reality of wind turbines and wind energy hype and fantasy into Saving Paradise along with a very spectacular character, former Special Forces veteran Pono Hawkins ...” – Chris DeBello, Issues and Ideas, WNNJ-FM
“A fast pace thrill ride that I think a lot of my mystery junkie readers would love ... The descriptions of Hawaii are beautiful and detailed.” – Romancebookworm’s Reviews
“Saving Paradise is an absolutely fabulous book ... a wonderful book.” – Art Zuckerman, WVOX
“An absolute page-turner” – Ecotopia Radio
“Saving Paradise will change you ... It will call into question what little you really know, what people want you to believe you know and then hit you with a deep wave of dangerous truths ... Saving Paradise is a thrill ride to read and pulls you in and out of plots until you don’t know who to trust or what to do any more than the character. You trust no one, you keep going, hoping not to get caught before figuring out what is happening. Mike Bond is not only an acclaimed novelist, but an international energy expert and a war and human rights correspondent that has lived and worked in many war torn areas of our world. His intellect and creativity dance together on the pages, braiding fiction into deeper truths about ourselves, our nature, our government, our history and our future.” – Where Truth Meets Fiction
Saving Paradise is a rousing crime thriller – but it is so much more. Pono Hawkins is a dedicated environmentalist, a native of Hawaii who very much loves the islands but regrets what they have become. Pono is a thinker, a man who sees a bigger picture than most, and Mike Bond deftly (and painlessly) uses the character to instruct the reader in Hawaiian history from an insider’s point-of-view. Saving Paradise is a highly atmospheric thriller focusing on a side of Hawaiian life that tourists seldom see. – Book Chase
Tibetan Cross
“A thriller that everyone should go out and buy right away. The writing is wonderful throughout, and Bond never loses the reader’s attention. This is less a thriller, at times, than essay, with Bond working that fatalistic margin where life and death are one and the existential reality leaves one caring only to survive.” − Sunday Oregonian
“A tautly written study of one man’s descent into living hell ... Strong and forceful, its sharply written prose, combined with a straightforward plot, builds a mood of near claustrophobic intensity.” − Spokane Chronicle
“Grips the reader from the very first chapter until the climactic ending.” − United Press International
“Bond’s deft thriller will reinforce your worst fears about the CIA and the Bomb ... A taut, tense tale of pursuit through exotic and unsavory locales.” − Publishers Weekly
“One