What would happen if the US-led coalition doesn't remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq? What if the UN weapons inspectors conclude their drawn-out inspection with no definitive findings? What if something then were to happen to prod the emboldened Hussein into a preemptive strike against US interests?
This is the premise of The Last Jihad, a book by Joel Rosenburg. The book opens with a coordinated attack by unknown terrorists agains several world leaders including the President of the United States. The protagonist of the story, a Wall Street investment consultant and close friend of the president becomes embroiled in the events while setting up a secret Arab-Israeli oil deal involving a huge oil repository found just off the coast of Israel.
The novel is also unusual for a political thriller in that it is written by a conservative Christian, and thus the viewpoints vary somewhat from the typical novel of this genre. The discerning shopper would probably guess that a novel with jacket endorsements from Rush Limbaugh and other well-known conservatives might not be your typical mass market book. Despite the somewhat different viewpoint, however, this is a well-done and solidly-written novel, enjoyable in its own right. It moves briskly, and doesn't bog down in the Clancyish fog of details many other novels suffer from.
This piece of speculative fiction would make a great movie, and is highly recommended to those who enjoy political thrillers.