Covenant Book

"The Covenant is Naomi Ragen at her finest hour."

—Faye Kellerman, author of Straight into Darkness

"A scrupulously fair-minded and riveting tale of current Israel. A deft mix of past and present, the story's as much political thriller as conventional tale about the ties of family and friendship." -Kirkus

"Ragen's skill at storytelling has been proven time and again. In The Covenant she not only manages to keep up the exciting momentum, but it is probably her strongest book to date." -Ruth Eglash, The Jerusalem Post

"An emotionally charged and engrossing book, The Covenant is a tribute to the power of friendship and the strength of love in the face of evil." -India Edghill, author of Wisdom's Daughter: A Novel of Solomon and Sheba

"The Covenant…brings the headlines heartbreakingly home and redefines the unlimited boundaries of lifelong friendship."—Gay Courter, author of The Midwife and Code Ezra

Publishers Weekly

Ragen, an American writer who's lived in Israel for more than 30 years, blends tragedies of the past with headline news of today in her gripping, emotionally charged sixth novel. It's 2002, and the Margulies family-oncologist Jonathan; his pregnant, American-born wife, Elise; and their daughter, Ilana-are contentedly living in a Jerusalem settlement, until one day, on their way home, Jonathan and Ilana are kidnapped by Hamas. Elise's frantic call to her Bubbee Leah in Brooklyn reunites four women-now grandmas and great-grandmas-who, as girls, made the titular covenant: if they survived Auschwitz, they would become "one person, risking everything, giving everything, to help each other live in happiness all the days of our lives." Leah gathers up fellow New Yorker Esther, now a cosmetics millionaire; Paris nightclub owner Ariana; and Polish political activist Maria to help find the kidnap victims. It's a race against time, as the women wield their considerable influence and the Israeli army desperately tries to intercede with the kidnappers before the captives are killed. Ragen weaves in deeper, more serious undertones than the thriller plot suggests, touching on the stubborn pride and the serious purpose that keeps Israelis fighting (or, in some cases, not fighting) for their fragile country, "the land that God promised to the Jewish people in his Covenant to Abraham." Agent, Lisa Bankoff. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.