OMAR by Craig O. Thompson

Review by Diane Rapp

OMAR is a Thriller with a capital T.

I love reading exciting books that keep me on the edge of my seat.  This one has it all: a treasure hunt, crazed terrorists, car chases, kidnapping, deep sea diving, and the Titanic!  Craig O. Thompson didn’t miss any bases when writing this thriller and his description of a terrorist attack was almost too real.  The paperback version of the book was originally published a month before the events of 9/11!  In Thompson’s book the terrorists are scary—determined to kill with insane hatred and cruelty.  I frankly had to skip a few of the more grisly scenes but braver souls will appreciate the imagination and research of a talented author.

The novel’s main hero, Cary Parker was a member of the team of scientists who discovered the Titanic and explored the wreck.  Although he pledged never to bring up relics from the Titanic gravesite, the government gets intelligence that terrorists plan to retrieve treasure to finance future attacks.  The Great Omar is a valuable rare book with jewels embedded in the leather binding.  If the book is still intact, the masterpiece could finance heinous terrorist attacks.  Parker reluctantly agrees to retrieve the treasure—and then the terrorists target him!

Readers of this very well-written novel learn about the intricate process of book binding and go back in time to meet the artist who created the masterpiece as well as the passengers who died protecting the book.  Back to modern times, Thompson describes the technical aspects of diving inside a high-tech submersible as Parker dives to the wreck, resting in the black depths of freezing cold water.  Several times I wondered how he knew all these things—the answer is comprehensive research.

If you enjoy reading adventures by Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Jack Higgins or Wilbur Smith, you need to buy this thriller!  Thompson’s insight into terrorism is more relevant in today’s dangerous world, and we’d be lucky to have a man like Cary Parker on our side.