The First Hostage: A J. B. Collins Novel

PRAISE FOR JOEL C. ROSENBERG

“His penetrating knowledge of all things Mideastern
 
—coupled with his intuitive knack for high-stakes intrigue
 
—demand attention.”

Former director of the Central Intelligence Agency

“If there were a Forbes 400 list of great current novelists, Joel Rosenberg would be among the top ten. . . . One of the most entertaining and intriguing authors of international political thrillers in the country. . . . His novels are un-put-downable.”

Editor in chief,
Forbes
magazine

“One of my favorite things: An incredible thriller
 
—it’s called
The Third Target
by Joel C. Rosenberg. . . . He’s amazing. . . . He writes the greatest thrillers set in the Middle East, with so much knowledge of that part of the world. . . . Fabulous! I’ve read every book he’s ever written!”

NBC’s
Today Show

“Fascinating and compelling . . . way too close to reality for a novel.”

Governor of Arkansas

“[Joel Rosenberg] understands the grave dangers posed by Iran and Syria, and he’s been a bold and courageous voice for true peace and security in the Middle East.”

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister

“Joel has a particularly clear understanding of what is going on in today’s Iran and Syria and the grave threat these two countries pose to the rest of the world.”

Former CIA operative in Iran and bestselling author of
A Time to Betray: The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent Inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran

“Joel Rosenberg is unsurpassed as the writer of fiction thrillers! Sometimes I have to remind myself to breathe as I read one of his novels because I find myself holding my breath in suspense as I turn the pages.”

Author and speaker

“Joel paints an eerie, terrifying, page-turning picture of a worst-case scenario coming to pass. You have to read [
Damascus Countdown
], and then pray it never happens.”

Former U.S. senator

Visit Tyndale online at
www.tyndale.com
.

Visit Joel C. Rosenberg’s website at
www.joelrosenberg.com
.

TYNDALE
and Tyndale’s quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

The First Hostage: A J. B. Collins Novel

Copyright © 2015 by Joel C. Rosenberg. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph of seal copyright © Ironman Stabler Imagery/Getty Images. All rights reserved.

Designed by Dean H. Renninger

Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible,
®
copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The First Hostage
is a work of fiction. Where real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales appear, they are used fictitiously. All other elements of the novel are drawn from the author’s imagination.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rosenberg, Joel C., date.

  The first hostage : a J. B. Collins novel / Joel C. Rosenberg.

    pages ; cm

  ISBN 978-1-4964-0615-6 (hc)

I. Title.

  PS3618.O832F57 2015

  813'.6
 
—dc23 2015029997

ISBN 978-1-4964-0628-6 (International Trade Paper Edition)

To our son Jacob, a brave and steady soul in dark and troubled times.

“Blessed is the man who fears the
L
ORD
, who greatly delights in His commandments. . . . He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is steadfast.”

PSALM 112:1, 7

CONTENTS

CAST OF CHARACTERS

JOURNALISTS

J. B. Collins
 
—foreign correspondent for the
New York Times

Allen MacDonald
 
—foreign editor for the
New York Times

AMERICANS

Harrison Taylor
 
—president of the United States

Martin Holbrooke
 
—vice president of the United States

Marco Ramirez
 
—lieutenant general, commander of Delta Force

Jack Vaughn
 
—director of the Central Intelligence Agency

Robert Khachigian
 
—former director of the CIA

Arthur Harris
 
—special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Matthew Collins
 
—J. B.’s older brother

JORDANIANS

King Abdullah II
 
—the monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Prince Marwan Talal
 
—uncle of the king of Jordan and a senior advisor

Prince Feisal bin al-Hussein
 
—brother of the king of Jordan and deputy supreme commander of the Jordanian armed forces

Abdul Jum’a
 
—lieutenant general, head of the army

Ibrahim al-Mufti
 
—major general, head of the air force

Yusef Sharif
 
—colonel and senior advisor to and chief spokesman for the king

Mohammed Hammami
 
—the king’s personal physician

Ali Sa’id
 
—chief of security for the Royal Court

TERRORISTS

Abu Khalif
 
—leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)

Jamal Ramzy
 
—commander of ISIS rebel forces in Syria and cousin of Abu Khalif

ISRAELIS

Daniel Lavi
 
—Israeli prime minister

Ari Shalit
 
—deputy director of the Mossad

Yael Katzir
 
—Mossad agent

PALESTINIANS

Salim Mansour
 
—president of the Palestinian Authority

Youssef Kuttab
 
—senior aide to President Mansour

EGYPTIANS

Amr El-Badawy
 
—general, commander of Egyptian special forces