Enemy In the Room
Authors: Parker Hudson
Tags: #redemption, #spiritual warfare, #christian fiction, #terrorist attacks, #thriller action suspense, #geo political thriller
“Fasten your seatbelt! Parker Hudson drops
you into just-future scenarios in rapid action sequences that fire
the imagination. Could these things really happen? Are they
happening now? And he weaves into the stories the power of faith in
the midst of the chaos. I could not put it down.”
Shan Gastineau
“Once again Parker Hudson has hit the mark.
Powerful characters with a hint of sensitivity and you feel like
you are there. It’s as if he sees into the future. I recommend this
read to everyone! I look forward to the movie.”
Wilma Hall
“Parker Hudson has crafted a thriller that
delves into the dark side of our high tech culture with its
temptations of money and power, while at the same time espousing
courage and integrity. The result: a page turner you will not be
able to put down!”
Susan and John Yates
“
Enemy in the Room
is full of
realistic characters responding to life with choices that are
sometimes regrettable, occasionally laudable, but always engaging.
Faith is woven into their lives in a way that is genuine and
believable – a far cry from the religious caricatures that are so
often found in modern entertainment. What an enjoyable and
inspiring read!”
Becky Hoover
“Parker Hudson’s
Enemy In The Room
is
a great read at a great pace.”
Bryant Wright
“A page turner with substance and passion. A
thriller with a message which is proving to be prophetic for our
time.
Enemy In The Room
describes an enemy impacting our
country, our homes, our children, and our very lives. Parker writes
with wisdom, concern, and hope. His characters are flesh and blood,
and his many subplots coalesce into an exciting ending and a great
read.”
Caroline and John Dean
“
Enemy In The Room
is truly
entertaining and insightful. I was eagerly turning pages. And not
just entertained—I actually found myself having a better
understanding of the world around me. Parker Hudson is a great
author and teacher. He puts on paper things that I have been deeply
troubled by but have not had the words to express.
“I think Hudson has given Joel Rosenberg a
run for his money with this one.
“I could relate to every element of the
story. I loved the conversations. Hudson had to have had help with
the female relationships. The interactions are so believable and
actually “spot on” to conversations I have had with women when
developing personal friendships with them. I don’t ever remember
reading a male author who had the ability to keep female
relationships authentic.
“The book gets five stars. The ending is
exciting. I recommend the book to everyone, young men and women,
and to anyone struggling (which is everyone). I think this book
could break the ice and open up conversations between moms and
daughters, friends and neighbors, fathers and sons. Let’s just say
that I loved the book.”
Kathy Paparelli
“Parker Hudson is one of my favorite American
novelists, and
Enemy in the Room
is his best so far. As an
Iranian-American who has lived in the US for the past 35 years, I
was drawn to this novel. Not only because its plot involves
Iranian-Americans, but because it is written as a warning. It shows
what could happen to the West because of a small percentage of
Muslims who have decided to follow the violent side of Islam and
promote terrorism. My hope is that
Enemy In The Room
will
further open the eyes of Americans who continue to believe in
politically correct ‘tolerance’, and refuse to face the reality of
the greatest threat of our time.”
Iraj Ghanouni
“Having read Parker’s previous books this one
did not disappoint. What a story!
“Or is it? As you read
Enemy In The
Room
, you will have to remind yourself that this is a work of
fiction. The storyline takes current day events and situations and
weaves a path towards what could be, so you find yourself praying
for yourself, your family, and our nation.
“The plots and characters leave you in
suspense. In addition, the ills of humanity that manifest
themselves through our behavior are captured all too well. But you
are not left there. The book’s story of redemption, captured
through love and grace, leads the reader to a place of redemption
and peace. You must read!”
Carla and Roy Smith
“
Enemy In The Room
is a masterpiece of
intrigue, suspense, the grit of life, redemption and forgiveness.
It delves into who we are and where we live. Family, business,
career, money, entertainment and the forces governing them all. The
story is so real you’ll feel like you are living it.
“This is fiction at its best. Well written,
researched and carrying an eternal lesson. You get to know the
characters so well you’ll want to invite them to the house for
dinner or hope you never see them again. The dialogue just flows
and the story flies. Entertaining and enthralling.”
Charles Paparelli
Enemy in the Room
Parker Hudson
Copyright 2013 Parker Hudson
Published in Atlanta, Georgia by Edge Press,
LLC
Edited by Danelle McCafferty
Cover design by Marshall Hudson
International Standard Book Number 13:
978-0-9666614-9-1
Library of Congress Control Number:
2013948904
All rights reserved.
The events, characters, and organizations
depicted in this novel are fictitious. Any similarity to any
person, living or dead, or to any organization, past or present, is
merely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission, except
for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.
For information:
parkerhudson.com
Dedicated to the memory of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer and the many Germans of goodwill who, though they did
not agree on every issue, recognized their true enemy and did all
that they could to try to stop the horrific catastrophe that
followed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 4: WEDNESDAY, APRIL
6TH
CHAPTER 5: WEDNESDAY, APRIL
13TH
CHAPTER 7: SATURDAY, APRIL
16TH
CHAPTER 9: WEDNESDAY, APRIL
20TH
CHAPTER 12: SATURDAY, APRIL
30TH
CHAPTER 17: WEDNESDAY, MAY
18TH
CHAPTER 23: WEDNESDAY, JUNE
1ST
CHAPTER 25: WEDNESDAY, JUNE
8TH
CHAPTER 27: WEDNESDAY, JUNE
22ND
CHAPTER 28: THURSDAY, JUNE
30TH
SUNDAY, MARCH 27TH
Because it was chilly that morning, no one
noticed Ahmad’s oversized sweater as he paused to let a family
enter the church in front of him. Greeters smiled and shook the
college student’s hand, just as they had the previous three weeks,
only this time they added, “Happy Easter.” He smiled and nodded.
“Yes, Happy Easter.”
They filed into the huge building, a
mega-church it was called.
It is large
, Ahmad thought,
about the same as our Mursi Abul Abbas mosque in Alexandria
.
He walked quietly down the center aisle toward the large stage with
the crucifix hanging above it. From all sides rose the cacophony of
chatting women and bleating children.
How can this be a house of
worship
?
He took a seat near the front and began
flipping through the service program. A family with three children
moved in next to him, all dressed in their Easter finest. The
oldest child, a blonde girl of not more than eight, sat next to him
in a white dress. She looked up at him and smiled. He nodded and
smiled back, then returned to the program, although he wasn’t
reading.
My cousin Karim was the third martyr to hit
a Jerusalem bus. It was all my father talked about for weeks. What
will he say about me, today, in America? In this place?
He smiled as the congregation stood and
began singing about Jesus Christ being risen today.
What
blasphemy! Allah has no son
. For the third time that morning,
he put his hand in his pocket and ran his finger along the smooth
metal of the trigger which was connected to the explosives, nails
and metal filings wrapped around his upper body.
Thirty minutes later, as the sermon wound
down about God’s love and sacrifice—
as if Allah the All Powerful
would imagine to sacrifice himself for people
!—his heart
started beating faster. One more hymn, some prayers, and he knew
the communion would begin.
As the ushers moved up the aisles to
indicate each row’s time to go up front, he said a prayer to the
only real Allah, and stood up. He walked to the center of the
serving area, where he would be in the middle of the greatest
number of people. The little girl wound up on his right. As he
fished in his pocket for the trigger, she smiled up at him
again.
The priests—a man and a woman—were coming
around with the bread and wine.
Allah, you cannot be blasphemed
as a wafer! The imams are right—these people are beyond
saving
.
The priest held out a wafer to him. Instead
of taking it, he turned around and shouted, “There is no god but
Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah!” Then he screamed and
pulled the trigger.
From two blocks away a short message was
sent via a handheld. Within five minutes Trevor Knox had read
it.
That evening David Sawyer was sitting alone
at the large mahogany desk in his study, once a spare bedroom on
the first floor of their home. A Persian rug accented the hardwood
floor, and an antique grandfather clock stood by the door. He
looked up from his papers. Almost ten.
All those people killed
and maimed in that church today. How could anyone do that
?
His wife Elizabeth took two steps into the
room with a book in her hand. “David, won’t it keep until tomorrow?
They’ve just confirmed the bomber wasn’t Iranian. He was Egyptian.
His father was beaming on USNet, saying how proud he is. Let’s
watch the news in bed. You’ve done enough tonight.”
He caught her reflection in the oval mirror
between the curtained windows and nodded to her. “Mom called,
worried that it might be an Iranian student this time, particularly
during the Persian New Year. If my father were alive today, he’d
reenlist. So much has changed since they came here. Not sure I want
to go to the Hafezis’ tomorrow night to celebrate the Persian New
Year after all those people were killed.”
She walked around the desk, stood her book
on its edge, and gently shook her still mostly blond hair. “You
know we have to. It’s March. They were your parents’ closest
friends in Tehran, and they’ll be offended if we don’t go.”
