The newest thriller from Robert Ferrigno (The Wake Up, Dead Man’s Dance) has a mix of timely political outrageousness (a.k.a. conspiracy theories), police procedural, and a sort of love story all wrapped into Prayers For The Assassin. The premise behind this thriller is that Zionist agents set off nuclear weapons (dirty bombs) in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Mecca in the year 2015 as a way to cause division between the Western and Islamic worlds. The plan works; those cities are reduced to rubble, and the ensuing chaos results in the Islamic States of America. The Blue states -- due to the atrocities of the nuclear attacks -- convert to Islam, and the Southern states have broken free and become a Christian republic.

Fast forward to the year 2040. The table is now set for a bizarre Orwellian future where the Super Bowl is interrupted by afternoon prayer, the USS Ronald Reagan and LAX now have the Bin Laden name attached to them, and Mt. Rushmore is gone. The three major parties of this Republic are fighting for power in the Islamic Republic: the black robes, under the control of Red Beard; the moderate state; and the Assassins, under the order of the Old One. Enter into the story a brave Muslim woman, Sarah Dougan, a respected historian and niece of Red Beard who uncovers some chilling evidence while researching a new book on the attacks of 2015. The Old One has set his best assassin, Darwin, after Sarah when she suddenly takes off. But not to fear; Sarah has some out to protect her as well. Former fedayeen soldier and ex-lover Rakkim Epps sets out to find and save Sarah from the evildoers.

There is much to debate on the premise of this novel. The swift (you could say implausible) conversion of Islam in America probably helped give Prayers For The Assassins some buzz, but I don’t think it’s even remotely possible for any event to make that happen. Though the future is dystopian and absurd, there is still an enjoyable story there if one throws all caution to the wind and enjoys it as is. Narrator Armand Schultz puts in a bold and enjoyable performance that fits Prayers For The Assassins nicely.