Official Review: Jihadi Hijacking by Eric Auxier

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 06 Oct 2015, 13:07

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Jihadi Hijacking" by Eric Auxier.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Jihadi Hijacking is a young adult spy novel by Eric Auxier. It is the third book in the Code Name: Dodger series.

Before the story begins, the reader is provided with some very interesting background information about Justin Reed. He is a fourteen-year-old orphan whose father was killed by a spy named Pharaoh. Bob Cheney, who used to work for the CIA, took him into custody. Justin was trained in self-defense and other useful espionage skills. Eventually, Bob adopted Justin.

In this story, Justin attends a high school in Langley, VA. He is suspended after getting in a fight with some football players who were bullying a kid with cerebral palsy. The fight is broadcast on the news, meaning that his real identity might be uncovered. Bob brings Justin with him to Israel on a classified assignment for the International Anti-Terrorism Agency. While the plane is crossing the Mediterranean Sea, it is hijacked by a group of terrorists from the World Islamic State Caliphate. It’s up to Bob and Justin to fight against the hijackers, take back control of the plane, and see justice done right.

Told in the first person from Justin’s point of view, the story is a well-executed juggling act. The author offers up the right amount of humor. Justin ponders why spy organizations use the term “intelligence” so frequently: “I mean, if they were so ‘intelligent,’ why did they, like bad stormtroopers, always seem to miss the target?” Technical language does appear, particularly about the logistics of flying an airplane. Impressively, everything is well explained without feeling that one is being spoon-fed exposition. There are some emotionally touching moments, given Justin’s background. Many exciting surprises are thrown into the plot. Unlikely alliances form. There is plenty of action, betrayal, and mistrust.

Justin occasionally reminisces about his past, which adds meaningful depth to his character. There is certainly an interesting dynamic between Bob and Justin as an adopted father/son duo and as a couple of spies. It’s endearing to witness how much they mean to each other. At one point, Bob and Justin have a conversation about Islam as a peaceful religion vs. the horror stories shown on the news. The first-person narrator keeps the story relatable to young readers while the maturity of the story’s content will appeal to adults as well. The tackling of big topics like religion, nationality, and brainwashing manages to stay grounded because of Justin’s fairly innocent point of view. Justin is a crime-fighting super spy with high morals that sometimes land him in trouble. Through sharing his thoughts with the reader, we also see that he is a regular teenager in a lot of ways.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It’s superb on so many levels. The book works perfectly as a standalone read but also sparks plenty of interest for the other books in the series. If stories about airplanes and terrorists don’t tickle your fancy, then this isn’t the book for you. I’d recommend this book to those who are excited by the idea of a highly detailed, entertaining, and character-driven spy thriller.

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Jihadi Hijacking
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Karlene · Post by **Karlene** » 07 Oct 2015, 17:21

I had the opportunity to read this book and it's well worth the read!! Action, adventure and an exciting story that everyone will love, with even a little current event in too.
Karlene

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 07 Oct 2015, 17:24

Nice to see someone else who enjoyed the story as much as I did.

debo9967 · Post by **debo9967** » 08 Oct 2015, 08:07

At first, I thought it would be something controversial (due to the title). Seems like the book is pretty thrilling. Good review!

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 08 Oct 2015, 08:11

Yeah, I can see how you'd get that impression. But the book handles what seems could be controversial in a really tasteful manner. That was actually one of its greatest strengths!