MEN OF CONVICTION

MEN OF CONVICTION

ABOUT Lionel Ross

Lionel Ross
Lionel Ross was born in 1935 and lives in Manchester, England with his wife Luise.  He has two sons and six grandchildren. He originally worked in textiles but is now a full-time author and publisher. His first novel ‘Fine Feathers,’was originally published by PublishAmerica in 2005 a More...

Description

Lionel Ross, in his fourth novel ‘Men of Conviction’ tells the fascinating tale of three desperate and disparate young men, released from prison on the same day.  They are Hussein, the Islamist preacher of Jihad, Wayne the burglar and Dovid the religious Jew and ‘one offence fraudster.’ Men of Conviction is their story over the ensuing ten years.  Hussein, predictably, builds a shadowy Jihadist organisation with the intention, through terrorism, of creating the Caliphate of Britannia under Shari’a law.  Wayne is determined to change his life and almost accidently finds himself the owner of a chain of Massage Parlours. By his previous standards, this is the path to wealth and respectability!   Dovid, on the other hand, with the aid of his wealthy grandfather, becomes a successful property developer. The action takes place in such contrasting locations as 21st century Manchester, Istanbul, Afghanistan, Belfast and a mysterious breakaway Islamic republic.  The contemporary background to the plots ensures the airing of such issues as Islamist and Irish terrorism, religious intolerance and drug trading. The main characters are easily recognised as typical members of today’s British multi-cultural society.   As the cataclysmic ending approaches, the paths of the three main characters are destined to cross again in an epic and amazing ending.

Lionel Ross, in his fourth novel, tells the story of three young men released from prison in Manchester on the same day after serving short sentences. The first man is a burglar who had a terrible upbringing due to the fact that his mother, who was 15 when he was born, hated him and blamed HIM for ruining her life. The second man is a Muslim from a wealthy home but one where the father, who was born in Pakistan, never stopped pontificating about the decadent way of life of this country. The boy grew up with the sole ambition of turning the United Kingdom into the Caliphate of Britannia. The third young man was Jewish and his ultra-orthodox father never let him learn about anything other than how to study the holy books. Married at 20 he eventually committed a fraud when desperate for money to feed his family. The real story starts with their release and charts their activities for the next ten years. During this time their lives almost touch but they are never aware of this. Not until they meet again when the story reaches a terrifying climax!

This review is from: Men of Conviction (Paperback)
From the moment go I couldn't put Men of Conviction down. An Irish Catholic, Radical Moslem and Orthodox Jew leave prison together only to become unwittingly enmeshed in an Islamic plot to turn Britain into an Islamic Caliphate. When the Islamic sect is joined by an Irish nationalist and an Ultra Orthodox Jew to implement the plan, one doesn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of such a concoction or draw conclusions at the underlying frightening potential of all the lunatic fringes of religions. This is not only a thrilling read but it cleverly and humorously presents an informative and realistic picture of the dark side of our reality. The reader finds himself or herself engrossed in a real life scenario. Please write more Mr. Ross!
Frank Shapiro, Israel (author of "God's Elect")