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Olivia Rodan Jacobs grew up in California with a view of the Pacific Ocean.
As college valedictorian, Olivia received a scholarship for graduate studies in Israel from the U.S. State Department. She then pursued further studies in Middle East History at the University of California Los Angeles as a Soroptimist scholar.
Marriage, teaching, and babies followed, with a move to Israel for a short period. Returning to the United States, Olivia's interests broadened to sustainable construction and habitat restoration.
Olivia's connection to Israel, her love of madcap adventure, and the intrigue of the "backstories" to history all combine in the plot of Jerusalem 3000, THE POISONER'S AGENDA.
Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite
An Israeli agent in Rome knows she has been poisoned and turns to an American, Kate Gottlieb, to deliver a message Shin Bet agent Ari Yannai. After Ari witnesses a contact between the Gottlieb woman and a Palestinian, Ayub Farid, who is a suspected terrorist, she comes under suspicion of being a terrorist herself. When the agency limits Ari's ability to pursue his surveillance of the woman, he enlists the help of another American, his old college roommate Peter Braden.
What does the secret code on the note from the murdered agent mean? What motivates Farid's actions? Is the American woman working for him? What is Kate Gottlieb's connection to the hunt for poison gas in the Middle East? How is computer security involved? As Ari explores old codes and new, Farid continues his own agenda. Will Kate Gottlieb play a pivotal role, or is she a distraction? And will Peter Braden fall victim to his involvement as a volunteer spy?
Jerusalem 3000 is very well written. With a fondness for history I was happy to find it filled with historical data about the Middle East, and the conflicts between Jews and Arabs across the ages, however, I did feel that a smaller amount of history might have been better. I did really like the way the author weaved the mystery plot well within the historical sites of Israel showing how circumstantial evidence may not always be as it appears. It was an enjoyable story that provides just enough mystery and intrigue to keep the reader hooked. Well done.
