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Soldiers of Babylon: A Crime Novel of Religious Fanaticism and the Infiltration of a Doomsday Cult
A rising movement of hate. A community on the brink. A man who must rise to the challenge.In 1989, when a prominent family is targeted by a shadowy extremist group, private detective Peter O’Keefe is hired not only to uncover the threat—but to stand between that family and the danger closing in around them.
What O’Keefe learns leads him to a remote fundamentalist enclave—isolated, disciplined, and preparing for something its leaders refuse to name. To discover their intentions, O’Keefe and his partner Sara Slade must infiltrate the compound as husband and wife, risking their lives with every false smile and borrowed prayer. Sara’s steady insight and sharp instincts become essential as the pair navigate a world ruled by obedience, secrecy, and a leader whose revelations carry the weight of law.
Inside the group’s gates, O’Keefe finds echoes of his past he hoped never to face charismatic men drunk on prophecy, followers willing to die for a twisted cause, and innocent children caught in the crossfire. As the militants move toward a violent reckoning, O’Keefe is pushed to his limits—forced to walk the razor’s edge between stopping fanatical men and preventing innocent bloodshed.
In a battle where truth is dangerous and fear is a weapon, one man’s determination may be the only thing standing between restraint and catastrophe.
Peter O’Keefe—scarred, relentless, and a hero for our times.
Continue the Peter O’Keefe Crime Series with Soldiers of Babylon.
What O’Keefe learns leads him to a remote fundamentalist enclave—isolated, disciplined, and preparing for something its leaders refuse to name. To discover their intentions, O’Keefe and his partner Sara Slade must infiltrate the compound as husband and wife, risking their lives with every false smile and borrowed prayer. Sara’s steady insight and sharp instincts become essential as the pair navigate a world ruled by obedience, secrecy, and a leader whose revelations carry the weight of law.
Inside the group’s gates, O’Keefe finds echoes of his past he hoped never to face charismatic men drunk on prophecy, followers willing to die for a twisted cause, and innocent children caught in the crossfire. As the militants move toward a violent reckoning, O’Keefe is pushed to his limits—forced to walk the razor’s edge between stopping fanatical men and preventing innocent bloodshed.
In a battle where truth is dangerous and fear is a weapon, one man’s determination may be the only thing standing between restraint and catastrophe.
Peter O’Keefe—scarred, relentless, and a hero for our times.
Continue the Peter O’Keefe Crime Series with Soldiers of Babylon.
362 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 31, 2025
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Dan Flanigan
13 books45 followersDan Flanigan is a novelist, playwright, poet, and practicing lawyer. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Rice University and J.D. from the University of Houston. He taught Jurisprudence at the University of Houston and American Legal History at the University of Virginia. His first published book was his Ph.D. dissertation, The Criminal Law of Slavery and Freedom, 1800-1868.
He moved on from academia to serve the civil rights cause as a school desegregation lawyer, followed by a long career as a finance attorney in private law practice. He became a name partner in the Polsinelli law firm in Kansas City, created its Financial Services practice, chaired its Real Estate & Financial Services Department for two decades, and established the firm’s New York City office and served as its managing partner until October 2022. View his legal bio at https://www.polsinelli.com/profession....
Taking a break from the law practice for two years in 1983-1985, he and his wife, Candy, founded Sierra Tucson, a prominent alcohol and drug treatment center located in Tucson, Arizona.
Recently, he has been able to turn his attention to his lifelong ambition—creative writing. In 2019 he released a literary trifecta including "Mink Eyes," the first in the Peter O’Keefe series, "Dewdrops," a collection of shorter fiction, and "Tenebrae: A Memoir of Love and Death."
"Tenebrae" is a bracelet of verse and prose poems dedicated to his wife, Candy, to honor her last illness and death and their 40-plus years together, a work that has been described as “celebratory” and “heartbreaking and exquisite.” It was a Finalist for both the 2022 IAN Book of the Year in Poetry and in the 2022 American Book Fest “Best Book” Award in the Legacy: Autobiography/Memoir category. The audiobook version will be released in 2026.
Dan’s novella, "Dewdrops," was originally written for the stage and enjoyed a successful full-cast staged reading at the Theatre of the Open Eye in New York. Its then well-known and regarded director John Cappellatti described the play as a “powerful” work about “addiction in America—addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, danger, power, and to finding the Answer,” with characters that are “well drawn, real, and actors love to portray them.” The short story collection comprised of "Dewdrops," "On the Last Frontier" and "Some Cold War Blues" was a Finalist in the 2022 Independent Author Network Book of the Year for Short Story Collection and a 2022 American Book Fest “Best Book” Award Finalist in Fiction-Short Story.
In 2025, Dan published a second edition of "Dewdrops" to include a new story, "Dude." As an Editor’s Pick, Book Life called it “a short story collection that’s as heartbreaking, raw, and real as it is beautiful and tender” and said “Flanigan’s prose is melodic and hypnotizing, jarring and chaotic, exploring the human condition through a series of tense, often melancholic tales that still capture the imagination with their reality, sweetness, and sadness.” Writer's Digest said it more simply, "The writing is truly flawless." "Dewdrops" was a 2025 Global Book Awards Gold Medalist.
"The Big Tilt," the second book in the Peter O’Keefe series, was published in 2020 and has been described as “deft, hard-boiled, but literary prose that’s reminiscent of Raymond Chandler’s best work.” "The Big Tilt" won the 2022 National Indie Excellence Award for Crime Fiction and was a Finalist for the 2022 Independent Author Network’s Book of the Year in Thriller/Suspense. In 2023, "The Big Tilt" was a Legacy Fiction finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Award as well as making the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Short List.
"On Lonesome Roads," published in 2022, is the third book in the series and was a Notable 100 Book in the 2022 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition and 2023 IPPY Silver Medalist in the Best Mystery/Thriller eBook category. Most notably, "On Lonesome Roads" followed up "The Big Tilt’s" 2022 NIEA Cri
He moved on from academia to serve the civil rights cause as a school desegregation lawyer, followed by a long career as a finance attorney in private law practice. He became a name partner in the Polsinelli law firm in Kansas City, created its Financial Services practice, chaired its Real Estate & Financial Services Department for two decades, and established the firm’s New York City office and served as its managing partner until October 2022. View his legal bio at https://www.polsinelli.com/profession....
Taking a break from the law practice for two years in 1983-1985, he and his wife, Candy, founded Sierra Tucson, a prominent alcohol and drug treatment center located in Tucson, Arizona.
Recently, he has been able to turn his attention to his lifelong ambition—creative writing. In 2019 he released a literary trifecta including "Mink Eyes," the first in the Peter O’Keefe series, "Dewdrops," a collection of shorter fiction, and "Tenebrae: A Memoir of Love and Death."
"Tenebrae" is a bracelet of verse and prose poems dedicated to his wife, Candy, to honor her last illness and death and their 40-plus years together, a work that has been described as “celebratory” and “heartbreaking and exquisite.” It was a Finalist for both the 2022 IAN Book of the Year in Poetry and in the 2022 American Book Fest “Best Book” Award in the Legacy: Autobiography/Memoir category. The audiobook version will be released in 2026.
Dan’s novella, "Dewdrops," was originally written for the stage and enjoyed a successful full-cast staged reading at the Theatre of the Open Eye in New York. Its then well-known and regarded director John Cappellatti described the play as a “powerful” work about “addiction in America—addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, danger, power, and to finding the Answer,” with characters that are “well drawn, real, and actors love to portray them.” The short story collection comprised of "Dewdrops," "On the Last Frontier" and "Some Cold War Blues" was a Finalist in the 2022 Independent Author Network Book of the Year for Short Story Collection and a 2022 American Book Fest “Best Book” Award Finalist in Fiction-Short Story.
In 2025, Dan published a second edition of "Dewdrops" to include a new story, "Dude." As an Editor’s Pick, Book Life called it “a short story collection that’s as heartbreaking, raw, and real as it is beautiful and tender” and said “Flanigan’s prose is melodic and hypnotizing, jarring and chaotic, exploring the human condition through a series of tense, often melancholic tales that still capture the imagination with their reality, sweetness, and sadness.” Writer's Digest said it more simply, "The writing is truly flawless." "Dewdrops" was a 2025 Global Book Awards Gold Medalist.
"The Big Tilt," the second book in the Peter O’Keefe series, was published in 2020 and has been described as “deft, hard-boiled, but literary prose that’s reminiscent of Raymond Chandler’s best work.” "The Big Tilt" won the 2022 National Indie Excellence Award for Crime Fiction and was a Finalist for the 2022 Independent Author Network’s Book of the Year in Thriller/Suspense. In 2023, "The Big Tilt" was a Legacy Fiction finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Award as well as making the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Short List.
"On Lonesome Roads," published in 2022, is the third book in the series and was a Notable 100 Book in the 2022 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition and 2023 IPPY Silver Medalist in the Best Mystery/Thriller eBook category. Most notably, "On Lonesome Roads" followed up "The Big Tilt’s" 2022 NIEA Cri
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 23, 2026
Thrillers packed with invincible, morally pure heroes usually put me right to sleep. You know the type. They are the guys who dodge bullets without breaking a sweat and deliver perfectly timed quips while saving the world. Fortunately, sometimes a story drops into your lap that drags you through the mud, forces you to confront the ugly wreckage of human trauma, and makes you root for a man who barely wants to root for himself. Dan Flanigan’s Soldiers of Babylon sits firmly in this gritty, uncomfortable, and highly rewarding space.
Peter O’Keefe is a Vietnam veteran turned private detective operating in 1989, running a small but capable agency alongside his ex-cop partner George Novak and the formidable Sara Slade. He reads the newspaper every morning with the resigned displeasure of a man who has seen enough of the world to expect it to disappoint him. The Exxon Valdez has just ravaged Prince William Sound, the S&L Crisis is chewing through the economy, and Oliver North is telling a courtroom he was only following orders. Into this already combustible landscape arrives a new client: Richard Maxwell, a media entrepreneur with a progressive agenda and, apparently, people who want him dead.
The threat comes from a white supremacist survivalist compound called New Ark, a community of armed true believers nestled in the lake country and led by a man his followers call the Prophet. Maxwell wants O'Keefe and Sara to go undercover, infiltrate the compound, and figure out exactly what the group is planning. That setup alone could carry a decent thriller. But Flanigan is after something bigger and stranger than a decent thriller. Soldiers of Babylon is a hard-boiled crime novel wrapped around a social history lesson, a portrait of American rage that is also, somehow, a story about loyalty and the quiet courage of ordinary people.
It is also, at times, genuinely difficult to read, and Flanigan earns that too. The novel opens with a bomber standing outside a destroyed clinic, furious that no one died. It is a cold and controlled opening, rendered without melodrama, and it is meant to disturb. It succeeds. From there, Flanigan builds out the world of New Ark with a patience and specificity that refuses the reader the comfort of dismissal. These are not movie Nazis. They are former addicts, Vietnam veterans, people who were failed by the world in recognizable ways and found in the Prophet’s theology a coherent explanation for their suffering. Norbert, the community’s reluctant informant, describes his time at the Ark with something that sounds unmistakably like longing: “We were a godly group, in a rough but beautiful paradise, our own Eden.” That sentence is not played for irony. It is allowed to land.
What Flanigan understands, and what makes this book more than a genre exercise, is that ideological horror is most frightening when it is humanized. The people of New Ark built their community by hand, raised children there, fed each other through hard winters, and recovered from addiction under the Prophet’s care. That those same people are arming themselves for race war, running illegal weapons, and composing calls to apocalyptic violence is not presented as a contradiction. It is the point.
Readers wary of political themes can relax to some extent. Soldiers of Babylon is not a lecture. It is often wryly funny, full of the dry, deflating wit that defines O’Keefe’s narration. When Maxwell explains the Christian Identity theology that drives the Ark’s beliefs, including a reading of Genesis in which Eve had two lovers in the Garden, one of them the Devil himself, George Novak responds with deadpan sincerity: “Makes all the sense in the world. How could I have missed that?” The novel earns that joke because it has done the work of taking the ideology seriously first. It is also a story that regularly pauses, looks you straight in the eye, and says, with cold precision, that this is happening, that it happened before, and that it will happen again.
Flanigan writes as if he is working from memory, with the specificity of someone who knows what it actually felt like to be alive in 1989. The gun shows, the militia literature, the CB-radio networks, the early bulletin boards through which these groups communicated, all of it is rendered with a material density that grounds the thriller plot in something that feels less like fiction than like archaeology. There is a scene in which Sara, now embedded at the compound and tasked with helping manage their computer systems, realizes that New Ark’s digital network is more sophisticated than she had expected, and that the communications she is routing amount to a coordinated national movement. It is one of the most quietly alarming passages in the book.
The novel is at its best in its characters. O’Keefe is a worthy heir to the tradition of the morally serious detective, a man who resists most of what he is asked to do and then does it anyway, driven not by heroism but by something closer to reluctant conscience. Sara is the novel’s true center of gravity: disciplined, fearless, and perpetually underestimated by the men around her, including O’Keefe himself, who admits his protectiveness of her is more about his own anxiety than her capability. George Novak, who runs the security operation and never stops being the most pragmatic person in any room, functions as the novel’s comic anchor. Together, the three of them form something that feels real: a partnership built on competence, affection, and the occasional near-death experience.
Soldiers of Babylon pulls together survivalism, political extremism, undercover danger, personal loyalty, and the specific texture of late-1980s America into something coherent and urgent. Flanigan has the craft to hold all of it together without letting any single element collapse under the weight of the others, and the wisdom to know that a story this dark needs the relief of sharp dialogue, genuine wit, and characters whose company you actually want to keep. The result is a thriller that does what the best thrillers do: it entertains you completely while making you think about something you would rather not. That is a difficult thing to pull off, and Flanigan pulls it off.
Peter O’Keefe is a Vietnam veteran turned private detective operating in 1989, running a small but capable agency alongside his ex-cop partner George Novak and the formidable Sara Slade. He reads the newspaper every morning with the resigned displeasure of a man who has seen enough of the world to expect it to disappoint him. The Exxon Valdez has just ravaged Prince William Sound, the S&L Crisis is chewing through the economy, and Oliver North is telling a courtroom he was only following orders. Into this already combustible landscape arrives a new client: Richard Maxwell, a media entrepreneur with a progressive agenda and, apparently, people who want him dead.
The threat comes from a white supremacist survivalist compound called New Ark, a community of armed true believers nestled in the lake country and led by a man his followers call the Prophet. Maxwell wants O'Keefe and Sara to go undercover, infiltrate the compound, and figure out exactly what the group is planning. That setup alone could carry a decent thriller. But Flanigan is after something bigger and stranger than a decent thriller. Soldiers of Babylon is a hard-boiled crime novel wrapped around a social history lesson, a portrait of American rage that is also, somehow, a story about loyalty and the quiet courage of ordinary people.
It is also, at times, genuinely difficult to read, and Flanigan earns that too. The novel opens with a bomber standing outside a destroyed clinic, furious that no one died. It is a cold and controlled opening, rendered without melodrama, and it is meant to disturb. It succeeds. From there, Flanigan builds out the world of New Ark with a patience and specificity that refuses the reader the comfort of dismissal. These are not movie Nazis. They are former addicts, Vietnam veterans, people who were failed by the world in recognizable ways and found in the Prophet’s theology a coherent explanation for their suffering. Norbert, the community’s reluctant informant, describes his time at the Ark with something that sounds unmistakably like longing: “We were a godly group, in a rough but beautiful paradise, our own Eden.” That sentence is not played for irony. It is allowed to land.
What Flanigan understands, and what makes this book more than a genre exercise, is that ideological horror is most frightening when it is humanized. The people of New Ark built their community by hand, raised children there, fed each other through hard winters, and recovered from addiction under the Prophet’s care. That those same people are arming themselves for race war, running illegal weapons, and composing calls to apocalyptic violence is not presented as a contradiction. It is the point.
Readers wary of political themes can relax to some extent. Soldiers of Babylon is not a lecture. It is often wryly funny, full of the dry, deflating wit that defines O’Keefe’s narration. When Maxwell explains the Christian Identity theology that drives the Ark’s beliefs, including a reading of Genesis in which Eve had two lovers in the Garden, one of them the Devil himself, George Novak responds with deadpan sincerity: “Makes all the sense in the world. How could I have missed that?” The novel earns that joke because it has done the work of taking the ideology seriously first. It is also a story that regularly pauses, looks you straight in the eye, and says, with cold precision, that this is happening, that it happened before, and that it will happen again.
Flanigan writes as if he is working from memory, with the specificity of someone who knows what it actually felt like to be alive in 1989. The gun shows, the militia literature, the CB-radio networks, the early bulletin boards through which these groups communicated, all of it is rendered with a material density that grounds the thriller plot in something that feels less like fiction than like archaeology. There is a scene in which Sara, now embedded at the compound and tasked with helping manage their computer systems, realizes that New Ark’s digital network is more sophisticated than she had expected, and that the communications she is routing amount to a coordinated national movement. It is one of the most quietly alarming passages in the book.
The novel is at its best in its characters. O’Keefe is a worthy heir to the tradition of the morally serious detective, a man who resists most of what he is asked to do and then does it anyway, driven not by heroism but by something closer to reluctant conscience. Sara is the novel’s true center of gravity: disciplined, fearless, and perpetually underestimated by the men around her, including O’Keefe himself, who admits his protectiveness of her is more about his own anxiety than her capability. George Novak, who runs the security operation and never stops being the most pragmatic person in any room, functions as the novel’s comic anchor. Together, the three of them form something that feels real: a partnership built on competence, affection, and the occasional near-death experience.
Soldiers of Babylon pulls together survivalism, political extremism, undercover danger, personal loyalty, and the specific texture of late-1980s America into something coherent and urgent. Flanigan has the craft to hold all of it together without letting any single element collapse under the weight of the others, and the wisdom to know that a story this dark needs the relief of sharp dialogue, genuine wit, and characters whose company you actually want to keep. The result is a thriller that does what the best thrillers do: it entertains you completely while making you think about something you would rather not. That is a difficult thing to pull off, and Flanigan pulls it off.
February 5, 2026
Awesome Book
I consider myself a person with a unique imagination, but also one that likes to have almost everything figured out. This can be a strength that draws me in and helps me enjoy crime novels and suspense stories in a special way. For me, it is easy to imagine the scenes and everything that happens in them, but at the same time, I enjoy solving the mysteries and trying to predict what will happen next.
I like books in which the author plays with the reader’s mind, making you believe that the outcome will be one thing when it actually turns out to be something completely different. This makes the book very hard to put down and allows the imagination to flow in a unique way.
What I love most about this type of book is the descriptive language used by the author. It makes the novel truly successful. From the beginning to the end, the reader feels constant intrigue and strong emotions.
A great book, highly recommended for anyone who enjoys feeling mentally challenged while reading.
I consider myself a person with a unique imagination, but also one that likes to have almost everything figured out. This can be a strength that draws me in and helps me enjoy crime novels and suspense stories in a special way. For me, it is easy to imagine the scenes and everything that happens in them, but at the same time, I enjoy solving the mysteries and trying to predict what will happen next.
I like books in which the author plays with the reader’s mind, making you believe that the outcome will be one thing when it actually turns out to be something completely different. This makes the book very hard to put down and allows the imagination to flow in a unique way.
What I love most about this type of book is the descriptive language used by the author. It makes the novel truly successful. From the beginning to the end, the reader feels constant intrigue and strong emotions.
A great book, highly recommended for anyone who enjoys feeling mentally challenged while reading.
February 7, 2026
This is part of the powerhouse Peter O’Keefe crime series of novels. It’s 1989, and detective O’Keefe has been hired to help a well-known family that is being threatened. O’Keefe and Sara Slade, his partner, find out that a strange fundamentalist cult seems to be behind it. They must pose as a couple to infiltrate the secretive group, but when they do, it quickly becomes more personal for them than they would like, especially for O’Keefe.
This is a book mainly about the dangers of fanaticism, no matter what form it chooses to take. Those who believe blindly are willing to take any risk, and also to put innocents in the crossfire. Can O’Keefe and Slade get to the bottom of what’s happening and escape with their lives? And can they do so while separating the job from their personal feelings?
This is a book mainly about the dangers of fanaticism, no matter what form it chooses to take. Those who believe blindly are willing to take any risk, and also to put innocents in the crossfire. Can O’Keefe and Slade get to the bottom of what’s happening and escape with their lives? And can they do so while separating the job from their personal feelings?
February 11, 2026
This book pulled me in because it mixes crime with a very dark and uncomfortable topic: religious fanaticism. The story doesn’t feel like a typical crime novel, because the investigation goes deep into a cult and the danger of blind belief something I am scared of because of the impact it can have. What stood out to me is how the story shows manipulation, control, and how people can slowly lose themselves inside an extreme belief system. The investigation feels intense, not only because of the crime, but because of the psychological risks associated to when you enter into a cult. That made the story feel realistic and disturbing at the same time. I was in shock but at the same time I wanted to read even more to understand what was going to happen. While reading, I felt curious but also uneasy, which I think is the point.
February 11, 2026
Danger, hate and community are the keys for tension and a spark of curiosity. This book will bring a strong atmosphere with secrets and fear in 1989. The author will introduce you to your partner, Peter O’Keefe, a powerful and determined character that you will get to know pretty well and understand how his past will be a heavyweight. He will not be alone and one of my favorite characters will be with him, Sara Slade. She is the perfect balance of the story and essential for the mission.
The book goes beyond a normal mission, you will see how they will have to pretend, take care of themselves and dig deep. Fear is transversal in this book and will invite you to reflect on the power of fear within an individual and also in a community. It was a fantastic novel to confront myself with reality, moral dilemmas and psychological tension. I really enjoyed it.
The book goes beyond a normal mission, you will see how they will have to pretend, take care of themselves and dig deep. Fear is transversal in this book and will invite you to reflect on the power of fear within an individual and also in a community. It was a fantastic novel to confront myself with reality, moral dilemmas and psychological tension. I really enjoyed it.
February 3, 2026
A fascinating story
The central theme of this novel is the story of Peter O'Keefe, a private investigator hired to protect a family after an attack by an extremist group. Around this central idea, a series of events unfolds, including the fanaticism and the presence of children within these groups, captivating the reader in a suspenseful narrative where the characters must confront their fears, which are often used as a weapon of control.
The plot will take the reader through various situations that evoke a range of emotions and prompt reflection on faith, ideology, and violence, as well as the necessary limits to avoid negative consequences. The book is full of twists and turns, making it impossible to put down until the very end.
The central theme of this novel is the story of Peter O'Keefe, a private investigator hired to protect a family after an attack by an extremist group. Around this central idea, a series of events unfolds, including the fanaticism and the presence of children within these groups, captivating the reader in a suspenseful narrative where the characters must confront their fears, which are often used as a weapon of control.
The plot will take the reader through various situations that evoke a range of emotions and prompt reflection on faith, ideology, and violence, as well as the necessary limits to avoid negative consequences. The book is full of twists and turns, making it impossible to put down until the very end.
February 4, 2026
highly recommended!
In this book, Detective Peter O'Keefe faces a challenge that transcends police work, delving into the psychological realm. What begins as a standard protection mission quickly escalates into a high-risk infiltration of a secretive fundamentalist compound. Accompanied by his astute colleague, Sara Slade, they must pose as a conventional married couple to evade the surveillance of a community where devotion is mandatory and scrutiny is constant. It's an intelligent piece, one that invites reflection long after you've finished reading. A must-read for fans of the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from beginning to end. I recommend it to anyone who wants to spend a pleasant time reading a great book.
In this book, Detective Peter O'Keefe faces a challenge that transcends police work, delving into the psychological realm. What begins as a standard protection mission quickly escalates into a high-risk infiltration of a secretive fundamentalist compound. Accompanied by his astute colleague, Sara Slade, they must pose as a conventional married couple to evade the surveillance of a community where devotion is mandatory and scrutiny is constant. It's an intelligent piece, one that invites reflection long after you've finished reading. A must-read for fans of the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from beginning to end. I recommend it to anyone who wants to spend a pleasant time reading a great book.
February 12, 2026
If you’re drawn to gritty thrillers that blend suspense with real‑world issues, then Soldiers of Babylon by Dan Flanigan is a good choice for you. Set in 1989, private detective Peter O’Keefe is hired to protect an important family from a shadowy extremist group, leading him into a remote fundamentalist enclave filled with danger, secrecy, and unsettling beliefs. Flanigan builds tension well, and the undercover mission keeps you turning pages as O’Keefe and his partner Sara Slade navigate deception and rising threats. I appreciated how character and plot deepen together, and the moral complexity gives the story extra weight. I also like the fact that the book includes very real present-day issues such as religious extremism and cults. I’m giving five out of five stars.
February 4, 2026
I thought this would be just a simple detective story. It wasn’t. It turned out much more serious than I expected. The part about the religious group was the most disturbing, mainly because it felt real. Not absurd, not impossible just something that could actually happen.
The characters are well thought out and when everything starts getting more dangerous, you can really feel the pressure on them, like it’s too much and they’re just trying to hold it together. That made the story feel more easier to connect with.
Plus, the author writes in a way that makes the tension grow slowly. I think it is not an easy read, but strong and worth it. Highly recommended.
The characters are well thought out and when everything starts getting more dangerous, you can really feel the pressure on them, like it’s too much and they’re just trying to hold it together. That made the story feel more easier to connect with.
Plus, the author writes in a way that makes the tension grow slowly. I think it is not an easy read, but strong and worth it. Highly recommended.
February 5, 2026
This gripping story is set in 1989, when a family is attacked by a shadowy extremist group. Who are they, and what do they want? Private detective Peter O'Keefe and his partner must find this out. Will they manage to stop the attack, or will their efforts be in vain?
Page after page, author Flanigan takes the reader on an unparalleled journey of mystery and justice. With an exquisite plot, he keeps readers glued to their seats. In my opinion, the characters are very well described and developed. The most interesting aspect was witnessing Peter's versatility in infiltrating the cult. Certainly, a book that I recommend to all thriller lovers.
Page after page, author Flanigan takes the reader on an unparalleled journey of mystery and justice. With an exquisite plot, he keeps readers glued to their seats. In my opinion, the characters are very well described and developed. The most interesting aspect was witnessing Peter's versatility in infiltrating the cult. Certainly, a book that I recommend to all thriller lovers.
February 6, 2026
A captivating plot that makes this book a real page turner. ‘’Soldiers of Babylon’’ will involve you in a fight to save the life of a family. But what you might think could be responsible turns dark when Detective Peter O'Keefe and his partner Sara Slade discover that what is behind it is a cult ruled by obedience, secrecy, and a leader with unimaginable power. What this couple is about to discover here could change not only the family's life, but their own lives as well. Every plot twist in this novel is incredible and designed to captivate you. You will not regret reading this novel. I highly recommend it.
February 7, 2026
A very interesting crime story following O’Keefe and his partner going undercover in a very sketchy religious group. It was very entertaining to read about their mission and see what they would encounter while trying to be careful in order to be safe.
I enjoyed the clear writing not overdoing it, all focus on the plot and how disturbing the descriptions of the cult are. Personally, what I enjoyed the most is the dark mood mixing with a great pace. I’ve read more stories following O’Keefe adventures, and it never disappoints. Sara’s character is also strong and adds a lot to the dynamic and the story. I think everyone in crime stories is going to like it.
I enjoyed the clear writing not overdoing it, all focus on the plot and how disturbing the descriptions of the cult are. Personally, what I enjoyed the most is the dark mood mixing with a great pace. I’ve read more stories following O’Keefe adventures, and it never disappoints. Sara’s character is also strong and adds a lot to the dynamic and the story. I think everyone in crime stories is going to like it.
February 10, 2026
Fear disguised as faith
This book left me thinking about how easy it is for people to get carried away when they feel afraid or when they are looking to belong somewhere. Sometimes we believe things like this only happen in stories, but in real life there are also groups that promise simple answers to complicated problems. It made me notice how the need to believe in something can become dangerous if common sense is lost. I also felt that it speaks a lot about loneliness, about people who feel lost and end up following someone who seems confident, even when that confidence is not real. Not everything looks dark at the beginning, and that is what feels most unsettling. In the end, more than a crime story, it felt like a warning about thinking for yourself, even when others claim to have the absolute truth.
This book left me thinking about how easy it is for people to get carried away when they feel afraid or when they are looking to belong somewhere. Sometimes we believe things like this only happen in stories, but in real life there are also groups that promise simple answers to complicated problems. It made me notice how the need to believe in something can become dangerous if common sense is lost. I also felt that it speaks a lot about loneliness, about people who feel lost and end up following someone who seems confident, even when that confidence is not real. Not everything looks dark at the beginning, and that is what feels most unsettling. In the end, more than a crime story, it felt like a warning about thinking for yourself, even when others claim to have the absolute truth.
February 12, 2026
I was hoping for a very engrossing read with the crime novel, Soldiers of Babylon. Unfortunately, it did not quite live up to my expectations. The main characters, Peter O’Keefe and Sara Slade did not convince me as heroic people. Maybe this is due to the fact that the author did not put much effort into writing about their personalities. I did not find them very appealing protagonists.
There are some interesting scenes in the book though. Peter and Sara have to create a pretence in order to unearth the real intentions of the fanatical religious cult and this pretence is described very well by Dan Flanigan. This volume gets a solid four out of five stars.
There are some interesting scenes in the book though. Peter and Sara have to create a pretence in order to unearth the real intentions of the fanatical religious cult and this pretence is described very well by Dan Flanigan. This volume gets a solid four out of five stars.
February 12, 2026
Intense!
What an intense and thrilling read! This reading follows a band of people that is trying to shut down a cult before chaos starts. The author brilliantly combined action with mystery, drawing me into the narrative. I was hooked wanting to know every detail. Characters felt shockingly real. The battle of faith against truth made the story unbelievably captivating and totally unexpected. Some sections were seriously dark and quite serious, but that just amplified the books’ impact. I also realized how beliefs can warp people in extreme situations. I devoured this book from the very first page and really recommend it to those who love crime stories.
What an intense and thrilling read! This reading follows a band of people that is trying to shut down a cult before chaos starts. The author brilliantly combined action with mystery, drawing me into the narrative. I was hooked wanting to know every detail. Characters felt shockingly real. The battle of faith against truth made the story unbelievably captivating and totally unexpected. Some sections were seriously dark and quite serious, but that just amplified the books’ impact. I also realized how beliefs can warp people in extreme situations. I devoured this book from the very first page and really recommend it to those who love crime stories.
February 15, 2026
Captivating
A book with narrative details that few books have, well-developed characters, and a story that immediately makes you want to keep reading.
O'Keefe's story centers on an investigation filled with intense emotions and dramatic twists and turns that delve into the characters' pasts in one way or another, putting them to the test.
Having to infiltrate such a complex world is an act of pure courage. As a reader, it made my nerves tingle when O'Keefe and Sara decide to get to the bottom of this mystery. It's been a long time since I've read a book with such an interesting plot; it had me completely hooked.
A book with narrative details that few books have, well-developed characters, and a story that immediately makes you want to keep reading.
O'Keefe's story centers on an investigation filled with intense emotions and dramatic twists and turns that delve into the characters' pasts in one way or another, putting them to the test.
Having to infiltrate such a complex world is an act of pure courage. As a reader, it made my nerves tingle when O'Keefe and Sara decide to get to the bottom of this mystery. It's been a long time since I've read a book with such an interesting plot; it had me completely hooked.
February 13, 2026
Enjoyable
This one pulled me in fast and didn’t really let go. I think the late-80s setting gives the story a grounded, slightly gritty atmosphere that works perfectly for a case like this. There’s no flashy tech to rely on, just instinct, legwork, and nerve. That alone adds tension.
It’s a crime novel, yes, but also a sharp look at fanaticism and power. Thoughtful, tense, and unsettling in the best way. I’ll definitely be continuing the series.
This one pulled me in fast and didn’t really let go. I think the late-80s setting gives the story a grounded, slightly gritty atmosphere that works perfectly for a case like this. There’s no flashy tech to rely on, just instinct, legwork, and nerve. That alone adds tension.
It’s a crime novel, yes, but also a sharp look at fanaticism and power. Thoughtful, tense, and unsettling in the best way. I’ll definitely be continuing the series.
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