Zona de Despeje

by Jeanette Windle

Tres incidentes importantes involucrando la pérdida de vidas humanas y de valiosa tecnología de punta estadounidense concentran la atención del mundo en la conocida Zona No Militarizada de Colombia. ¿Son las FARC las responsables? ¿Existe acaso una conexión con el terrorismo del Medio Oriente?
Un grupo de políticos y de periodistas decide tomar cartas en el asunto e investigar los hechos. Entre ellos se encuentra la reportera Julie Baker cuyos padres fueron misioneros en Colombia. Su investigación no sólo la lleva a ser secuestrada por las FARC, sino también a tener que enfrentar su doloroso pasado.
El suspenso continúa y mientras que el destino de Julie, tanto como el de los Estados Unidos, dependen de los eventos pasados y presentes que se desarrollan en esta trama.
CARACTERÍ

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, International, Suspense, Contemporary

576 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

As the child of missionary parents, award-winning author and journalist Jeanette Windle grew up in the rural villages, jungles, and mountains of Colombia, now guerrilla hot zones. Her detailed research and writing is so realistic that it has prompted government agencies to question her to determine if she has received classified information. Curently based in Lancaster, PA, Jeanette has lived in six countries and traveled in more than twenty. She has more than a dozen books in print, including the political/suspense best seller "CrossFire" and the Parker Twins juvenile mystery series.

Reviews

[Libby May]

Dnf. It took literally so long for anything to happen. I think the first quarter of the book is explaining the political stand of each country involved and that's just really not my thing. :D

[Wendy Sparkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something is happening in The Demilitarized Zone in Columbia.

How did 2 environmentalists and a native end up dead? The world cries out for an answer.

The guerrillas allow reporters into the DMZ to see that it wasn’t by their hands.

But the past Julie has in Columbia unwittingly makes her a target. Who thinks she knows more than she does? What even is it that she’s supposed to know? Who can she trust? And who was it that suspected her and turned her in to start with?

A great suspense set mainly against the backdrop of the Columbian rainforest.


I loved by Jeanette Windle back in February, which was one of those treasures that had been sitting on my Kindle for over 2 years waiting for me to read it, so when The DMZ appeared as a Kindle deal, I treated myself to the book.

The one thing that did make me gulp was that the story has a length of 505 pages, but suspense is my favourite genre and I appreciated the previous book I’d read by Jeanette Windle, so I decided to go for it, and while it did take me ages to read, I did enjoy that reading time.

Not only is the story length long, but the chapter lengths are long too, and quite often without scene/paragraph breaks, which I found quite difficult because finding a suitable stopping place in the midst of the chapter was hard, and while sometimes I could read to the end of the chapter or break, quite often I couldn’t and just had to leave it hanging and then try and pick up the thread later. My advise to anyone reading this is if you only have 5 minutes to do some reading then this really isn’t the book to choose for that short time. Choose a time when you have 20-30 mins available and you’ll have a chance to get a chapter finished. It’s a great story, and one I do recommend reading, but it will be better appreciated if you have the time to enjoy it properly.

There are an awful lot of characters to keep track of, yet they are all valuable and needed for the story so as you go through you might want to make a list of who is who so you can refer back to it at the times when you haven’t seen them for a while, they appear again and you’re trying to place them.

Jeanette has done an unusual thing in this story. Usually the hero and heroine are introduced fairly early on so the reader establishes a rapport with them and follows their progress through. Not so with this story. The stage is set with several different scenes first to give the reader the background information which is vital for the rest of the story...miss that and you are going to be lost! There is a lot of information given at the beginning but it is given in a readable way as part of the story, and I like how she presented it. It was different. It does work. Sometimes you might wonder where it is going, but stick with it because it will all come clear, and you’ll realise why it was done that way.

The theme of the story was amazing and very well presented: “Except the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.” John 12:24. This verse was central to the story and the topic of sacrifice was explored from many angles. I loved how Jeanette Windle seamlessly wove this into the plot.

Some reviewers have complained about Julie and her character and temperament. I would say she is an accurate portrayal of many children who have parents in Christian leadership, be it missionaries like Julie’s were, or pastors, youth leaders, evangelists. I would say most have experienced the feelings Julie has, even if it was only temporary and they moved on. I felt Jeanette brought to light that aspect of children whose parents are in ministry rather well and it just reminds us that when we pray for our church leaders and missionaries, we need to doubly pray for their children. I would love to see more when missionaries are sent out and have prayer partners, that the children themselves receive a specific prayer partner for them.

So, a very involved story that will take a long time to read, but definitely worth it!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One look at this book and some might pass it on. With 512 pages, it does seem like a rather daunting read. When I picked this up and began it, I confess that I wasn’t grabbed from the very first pages, but I persevered through it. By the time I was past the first hundred pages, I completely forgot about how big and thick it was—I was hooked! Jeanette has woven together an awesome suspense book that I would love to see turned into a movie one day.

It took a little while for the main character to come onto the scene—I believe it was on page 71 that you were first introduced to Julie Baker. There was quite a bit of background and different scenes and aspects that needed to be shown before then. But once Julie walked into the plot, things got going and never stopped after that. Julie was a very three-dimensional character that I quickly came to like and loved as the heroine for this book. The other characters were just as impressive and believable—Tim, Enrique, Aguilera, Carlos, Rafael, Rick….everyone! The slight love story at the end with Julie was very sweet and added to the plot, making me fall in love with Julie and her man even more (who, by the way, I thought was totally awesome and made the perfect hero). I won’t say anything else, as I don’t want to give anything away—there are so many surprises in this book!

The plot for this amazing suspense thriller was amazing. The mystery surrounding who the spies were was great, too. I guessed almost from the beginning of Julie’s captivity at who the two spies were, and I was so pleased with myself when I discovered that my guesses were right. lol! The whole book was very complex and completely believable. I can understand why government agencies questioned the author to see if she’d received classified information (as she mentions on the back cover). It’s so in-depth and realistic it’s completely believable! As I continued to climb the very high tension-level to the climax of The DMZ, I was seriously gripping the pages and cheering Julie on.

If there was anything I did not like in this book, it was the very minute detail that Jeanette often gave to the plot—especially for the first hundred pages or so. And from the other glowing reviews of this book, I might be the only one who grew a little restless to skip the very extensive details and explanation and get to the action. I am very much an action/adventure reader and found myself skimming sometimes in the beginning, eager to get to when Julie is kidnapped. (I love a good kidnapping story—and being kidnapped by guerrillas who think she is a spy sounded awesome to me. I wasn’t disappointed.)

So, all that said, I give The DMZ 5 stars for an awesome suspense story, though I readily confess when—and I do say “when” as I have no doubt I will want to relive this story—I pick it up to reread I would no doubt skip over the first hundred pages. But that’s just me. If you want a suspense thriller that has great detail and will take you away and into the thick jungles fighting for survival right alongside the characters, then I highly recommend this book!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than ten years after the Gulf War, one specific hot spot of revenge remains open–Columbia. “The ultimate weapon of revenge against the U.S.—‘the Great Satan’–lurks in the Colombian jungle.”

Three U.S. assets (people) have been killed in the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), sparking a host of politicians and media to descend into Colombia seeking answers. Included in this mix is a reporter from Our Earth, Julie Baker, a former MK (missionary kid) from Columbia, whose parents had died there when she was sixteen.

While Julie sneaks out to revisit her former home in Columbia, followed secretly by Tim McAdams, she and the women she meets there that she knew from her childhood, along with Tim, are abducted by the guerrillas. The native women are released, but Julie and Tim are held hostage and she is eventually accused of being a spy. This brings in the help of undercover agent Rick Martini, a member of the 7th Special Operations Group, aka, Green Beret, and the unseen eyes that have been following her and her abductors.

When Jeanette started her book with a list of news headlines, I thought I was going to be bogged down with heavy details of military maneuvers and boring technical information. Was I ever wrong!

The DMZ is a gripping story of life in Columbia that alludes to Julie’s life as an MK, and emerges into the guerrilla and paramilitaries that take over. It’s a time of danger, suspicions, espionage, and murder. The tension of the times is deliberately described to pull you into the danger and the fears that abound with the kidnapping and mysterious deaths. Jeanette does an excellent job of contrasting the metropolis area of Bogota’ and the jungle life and fears of the natives. Julie gives you first-hand descriptions of the massive landscape of the jungle and the ease of getting lost in such a grand area—the grandeur of the beauty and the dangers of death.

The plots and twists keep you intrigued throughout the book–at times fast-paced, and at others the day-by-day routines of the guerrilla tactics. Both make for an excellent read to the end.

I found the conversations very realistic to the circumstances and countries involved. They resonate with fear, danger, hopelessness, prayer, and trust in God. The romantic tensions are offset with the harshness and hardness of Rick’s tone and choice of words.

The ending seemed a little unnatural, but the suspense and surprise make up for it, the latter of which comes out of nowhere!

I was surprised with the idea of a woman writing such a book, but Jeanette personally lived some of what she writes about. She presents a book that you will be glad you picked up! It’s powerful, exciting and suspenseful! It surely opened up my eyes to the work of missionaries, that sometimes seem futile, and the depths that the enemy will go to destroy other countries.

This book was provided by Christy Anderson, Publicist, at Litfuse Publicity Group, in exchange for my honest review.

[Victor Gentile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeanette Windle in her new book, "The DMZ" published by Kregel Publications takes us to Colombia.

The Dictionary defines, "suspense" as " the state or character of being undecided or doubtful". The Dictionary defines, "thriller" as, "a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense". The Director, Alfred Hitchcock, Defined "thriller" in visual terms: "place a bomb set to blow up in an hour under a table in a busy restaurant. Have two women with baby carriages sit down at the table and have lunch. As the clock ticks down the audience should be screaming at the screen for the women to get out". Jeannette Wilder has done for the printed page what Alfred Hitchcock did for the movies. In "The DMZ" Ms. Wilder has placed her characters future in the gravest doubt as they struggle to survive the adventure in the jungles of Colombia.

Julie Baker is a reporter sent to cover the deaths of three U.S. citizens and the disappearance of a sophisticated military aircraft in the Colombian Demilitarized Zone. Julie's parents were missionaries and Columbia is where she was born. Now as she tries to do her job while revisiting the place of her birth and her parents deaths she is faced with old hurts and fears. This is compounded when Julie is kidnapped by guerillas. Now to stay alive she teams up with undercover agent Rick Martini, a member of the 7th Special Operations Group, to find out just what is going on and try to stop it.

In "The DMZ" Jeanette Windle has crafted a perfectly entertaining story that will have you flipping pages as fast as you can read them. Ms. Windle has done an excellent job of research and Colombia is just as much a character in the story as the individuals. Imagine a water slide fifty feet high with you at the top. Once you begin your descent you will be screaming but enjoying every second. This is what Ms. Windle has crafted into her story. I recommend this book highly.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The Suspense Zone, www.thesuspensezone.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Heavensent1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The DMZ is a political thriller set in the jungles of Columbia.

After three U.S. missions fail and the whereabouts of the participants unknown, the media is informed and attack the story from all sides. Feeling pressure from the media and public outcry's the Colombian officials have no choice but to clear their names in the matter and invite a contingency, made up of doctors, reporters, cameramen and politicians, down to investigate.

Julie Baker begs her editor to send her on this mission, even though she is green and has many ghosts from her past to deal with. When Julie was a child, her parents were missionaries in the Columbian jungle and while she was away at school, her parents died, leaving Julie with many angry questions at God and the people her parents deemed worthy to "save".

However, this mission isn't what it appears to be when Julie comes to realize that some people aren't who they are, everyone has a mission but is everyone's mission for or against the United States government. After slipping out of camp, she makes her way to the village of her past and is confronted by the villagers who take Julie to the graves of her parents. It is here that Julie begins her healing however, before she can thank the villagers, things turn for the worse when she is kidnapped by the guerillas.

Along the journey we uncover the secrets being hidden under the thick jungle canopy, the traitors and the political machinations that surrounds it all. We watch as Julie grows in spirit and strength to right the injustices that occurred and with an unexpected friend, they both join forces with the tribes of the jungle to stop the destruction that is about to occur.

I found the main characters were believably written and the back story was enough to keep you focused on the surroundings in that they both tied into one another. The survival techniques dispersed throughout the pages was interesting to note, I would never have thought of tying huge banana leaves around my feet to stop them from blistering. I wasn't really impressed with the antagonists in the story, they lacked any real life and I felt the author rushed past them without given them much depth. I guess the "write-what-you-know" terminology would fit here, it is easier to write about the Colombian jungle and missionary life if you have experienced it, as Jeanette Windle has in growing up under the canopy. I liked the references to God throughout the pages without being too preachy, Julie's spiritual struggle was well-written. If you enjoy political thrillers, then The DMZ is a book you won't want to miss~!!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous, engaging read. It starts out a little slow, because there is so much background information shared, but it’s all relevant. The stage is set very well, and when the action really gets rolling, it’s easy to follow what’s going on. There are a couple of unexpected twists and turns, and others that I could see coming. (In fact, in one particular instance, I couldn’t believe Julie hadn’t figured it out by the time of the “big reveal”!)

I’m finding it hard to fully share my thoughts without spoiling this for anyone else. Let’s just say that Rick is awesome. Swoon! And I had suspicions about him before Julie did …

Again, the beginning was a bit on the slow side. Not hard to read, just full of explanations and information that are pertinent throughout the story. When the action gets going, though, watch out! It will grab onto you and it won’t let you go! Normally that means I’d finish the book in a day. But, well, this is 500+ pages, so I had to FORCE myself (however painful it was) to put it down so I could sleep, eat, take care of the kids, etc. (Man, was that hard!)

Yes, there is some talk of God, faith, and Christianity, but hardly any at all. It reads like a mainstream action/suspense book, not at all like a faith-based fiction book. If you love action-packed, suspense-filled books, then you’ll love this – regardless of your thoughts regarding religion.

[Holly (2 Kids and Tired) · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is not my usual choice of book subject, I enjoyed Veiled Freedom and I was anxious to read something else by Jeanette Windle. The book starts slowly and, honestly, I was ready to be done with it after 50 pages. I saw a couple of reviewers who said to stick with it and I'm so glad I did.

Once Julie enters the story, it really picks up and becomes an enthralling read. Julie is a strong, independent woman and I love stories with strong, independent women. Julie has determination and drive and is not only anxious for a story worthy of winning a Pulitzer Prize, but also has ghosts she needs to lay to rest. She believes that returning to the country of her childhood will allow her to do both. When her curiosity results in kidnapping, she has no idea what lies in store for her in the Colombian rain forest.

The book is fairly long and you will learn everything you ever wanted to know and more about the Colombian/American drug war, most of which I did not know. The politics and relationships are fascinating. You also meet Julie and Rick and join them on their adventure as they attempt to flee the guerrillas and discover the secrets hidden in the rain forest. With suspense, spies and handsome guerrillas, this is a compelling story about courage and faith and one that is difficult to set down.

[Evangeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

At 512 pages long, The DMZ is the longest book I’ve ever read for reviewing purposes. Despite its lengthiness, it was a very entertaining read and I couldn’t resist peeking at the back of the book to see if the hero and heroine survived. The book’s theme is suspense and it stayed true to its theme throughout the book. But there were a few well-placed funny scenes that helped ease the tension brought by the suspense. The DMZ‘s plot is superbly well-written. I like the way Jeanette Windle started the story by giving readers background information about the parties involved and interested in the Colombian DMZ. I also like the way many general knowledge information can be learned from reading The DMZ. Since it is a novel that has to do with politics and knowledge about Colombia, it contains many well-researched facts ranging from the guerrilla situation in Colombia to military machinery. There is also much to be learned about not taking for granted the safety of the US as a nation. This book involves characters who are Muslim terrorists and it couldn’t have been coincidental that the rough draft for it was completed on the morning of September 11, 2001. Reading it has made me realized how potentially vulnerable the United States is and how God is indeed protecting her from harm. Overall, The DMZ is a wonderfully fantastic book. I just can’t get enough of it!

[Paul Goble · Rating 4 out of 5]

MK (missionary kid) journalist is kidnapped in Columbia, saves US from biological attack by mideast terrorists.

Insightful essays on South American politics dominate the first half of the book. Interesting plot is enabled by the author's knowledge of the jungle, but is marred by unrealistically florid conversation (e.g., long discussions of motivations while under gunfire).

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has always been my favorite of all of Windle's books that I have read. Windle weaves authenticity derived from years of personal experience into a compelling, albeit a bit far-fetched, suspense scenario that captivates the reader and leaves her wanting more when she turns the final page. This book definitely survived round two of the purge from my personal collection.

[Valeria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stayed up til 4 am to finish this book. The book is fabulous even though it gets a bit long in the middle. I learned so much about the Colombian and Bolivian culture and drug cartels, it was shocking.

[Rachelle Sperling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed! This story is full of suspense and takes you on an amazing journey through the culture of Colombia and the spiritual journey of a missionary kid and her struggles with God. DMZ kept me riveted from the first page to the last!

[Dayana Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

No se siente como una lectura sosa y pesada, apesar de ser casi 700 páginas, la verdad es que muy raramente me da por leer estos libros tan largos, pero el estilo de redacción y los giros de esta historia no hacen notar sus casi 600 páginas.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Link to full review when it becomes available -- long story short, I didn't love it.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!

This book is well researched, and well written. The subject matter is chilling because although it was written several years ago it portends what we know to be true.

[Linda Galella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good political thriller with applications that could be made to current situations in our world.

This book has been sitting in my physical book, TBR pile for YEARS - literally. I picked it up at a yard sale over 10 years ago and for whatever reason, it never reached the top of the pile. Well, a few days ago, that changed. Let’s call it Divine Intervention.

Jeanette Windle did a tremendous amount of research for this book and it’s obvious; sometimes too much so. The beginning 70 pages and parts of the middle 100 ish pages are just bogged down by too many factoids, aka the dreaded Info Dump. It might have been better to footnote some of it for those readers with keen interest and let the rest move along with the excellent story.

Windle’s characters are well developed and believable. Dialogue and self talk or thinking are used as much to share information as to communicate between characters. There’s not much chatter that’s not purposeful.

This is a complicated story about a difficult political situation with insidious social implications. Altho’ the players in this are fictional the subject was and continues to be very real. As has been said, we need to read, understand and remember history so as to not repeat those parts that were problematic. Late summer of 2021 would defy that, sadly.

Well worth the effort on this story, there’s strong faith themes, mysteries to unravel, kidnapping, political intrigue and lots of practical application thanks to Windle’s personal experiences. A good long read for those with big blocks of time📚

[Andrea Balfour · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part of this book was the account of how Colombian citizen's politics works - between campesinos and paramilitares and guerillas and the narco trafickers and the government. What a scary but real balance about the realities of life there. This story is about how those of Islamic faith utilize Colombia to gain closer access to the Great Satan - the United States. There's a joint hate of this country and while it scares me to death, I also understand the perspective. Americans meddle in international affairs, sometimes for good and sometimes not. This time there is something happening in the demiliarized zone of Colombia and it's a race to find out what modern surveillance and agents don't know. When news agencies are allowed in for a show that the guerrillas are not at fault for recent deaths, the tipping point is accidentally met.

[Carolyn Milne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeanette Windle is one of my favourite authors. I first picked up her book at the library and enjoyed it so much I started purchasing as many as I could! Her knowledge of South American life is first hand growing up as a missionary. Her books hook me from the beginning, are well researched, well developed and mot importantly grammatically correct. I’d recommend any of them and very much enjoyed this one.

[Belenshini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si las primeras 70 páginas fueran resumidas en 5 sería perfecto, pero supongo que depende de qué tipo de libros te gusta. La primera parte era básicamente descripción de el conflicto político en que se basa el libro y no tanta historia. En cuanto se presenta a Julie el libro se vuelve adictivo.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book prior to writing reviews for all books that I read.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Columbia/Julie Baker MK Journalist/CIA/Middle Eastern plot to destroy USA.