Operation Joktan by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn Review

I have decided to start 2026 by reviewing all the books I read in 2025. My reviews are not long and are not certainly meant to be taken with anymore seriousness than if a stranger in your second-hand bookstore where to tell you the same thing.  

Operation Joktan by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn

Operation Joktan by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn is a modern-day spy thriller that centres around a Mossad agent and his task to stop a terrorist attack. This is a Christian book, though it feels more like a subplot rather than the driving force.

I have mixed feelings on this book. The protagonist, Nir Tavor, is an agnostic Jew and honestly a standard character. The Mossad spin is unique, but there was nothing else that made him stand out, in fact all heroic characters have this issue. The main female, a South African model who is also the world’s best hacker (which I immediately felt a sigh of boredom at another “plot convenient smart tech person who is self-taught because apparently teaching someone to do a skill is most inefficient way to learn.”), is fine, but not thrilling. She does become a Christian part way through, which sets up some interesting encounters with Nir, and they have a relationship, but it doesn’t lean too much in it.

The other supporting characters are there to fill a role. The only characters I genuinely thought were interesting were the villains, the terrorists. The portrayal of how and why these terrorists wished for the death of those who were not true Muslims held my interest more than the rest of the plot.

The biggest issue I have with the story is the writing. At times it can feel cliché, stagnant and it can also stop to explain things. Which I will admit is required as there are lots of Middle Eastern concepts and Hebrew words that are used, but each time it felt like the story stopped so the authors could explain what is happening and then continue on. It could have been more organic.

The chapters are short, very short, but there are also 66 of them, so it’s certainly not a short read.

I personally didn’t enjoy it, I will note that modern spy thrillers are typically not my interest, but if you are interested in learning more about the Middle East and how Israel functions amidst the tensions, then you might find this worth your time.

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