Empire of Lies

Plot

The book is a thriller in which the protagonist Jason Harrow, a politically conservative Christian, believes that he has discovered an Islamist terrorist plot being concealed by the left-wing, politically correct media.

Reception

The novel received mixed reviews due to its controversial subject matter, namely an Islamic terrorist threat on the USA.

An Associated Press reviewer stated that "Klavan occupies the portion of the political spectrum commonly known as right-wing crackpot". Author Bruce DeSilva, for Reading Eagle, was similarly critical, stated that he found protagonist Harrow to be a "sanctimonious jerk", finding "several long, tedious passages" the cause for what "finally does this one in"; concluding "crime novel stops being entertaining when the author uses it as a platform for political diatribes".

Kirkus Reviews were somewhat less critical of the novel stating that "Klavan gets a C-minus for plausibility, an A for thrills", referring to they found to be a "series of monumental coincidences" in the formation of the book's story.

Conversely, Washington Times reviewer, James E. Person Jr., stated "Empire of Lies is a can't-put-it-down thriller for the thinking person", and opining that "Klavan embraces (but does not quote) [a] quote attributed to George Orwell: "In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act"." It was also well received by David Forsmark for FrontPage Magazine who said that "The book had me at "hello"", stating "Empire of Lies is at times wickedly funny... but other moments are deeply affecting"; Forsmark concludes that "The tale is marvelously entertaining from start to finish, a stand-up-and-cheer lambasting of a media-driven culture and the absolute wrong-headedness of the default settings of its assumptions. Take it from a right-wing crackpot, 'tis the thriller of the season". Publishers Weekly was also effusive in their praise, finding it to be a "wickedly satiric thriller" which "builds to an explosive climax".