Customer Reviews

The Faithful Spy (John Wells, No. 1)

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Phenomenal, addictive, heart-pounding, exciting, interest-grabbing, but not well-writ--okay, it's incredibly well-written too.
VERY well-written.

I won't go into the plot, because all that is written up above.

What I will say though, is that spy novels are not my usual reading. But this one I took a chance on. It was written the way books should be written. It grabs the reader by the throat on page one and steams along at a steady, confident, pace.

Vince Flynn didn't lie when he said this book will have you reading into the night. I've lost a lot of sleep reading this book that refused to let me put it down. Sleep I'll never get back.

And with this book, I didn't mind at all.

If you like the fast-past, constant plot-twisting of 24, then I strongly suggest you pick up this book.

Mr. Berenson's writing is incredible, and the insights of the main character John Wells of the country he left so long ago are all at once biting, and hard to argue with.

The terrorist network is well thought out, the way they operate is utterly believable, and their cunning is horrifying.

This book is the definition of money well-spent. As you're reading this, you'll feel like the third person in the room. You'll feel like you're living all of it. This book is amazing.

For an author's first book this is nothing short of impressive. Hell, for an author's fifth book it would be nothing short of impressive. It's fast, furious, and what any good book should be--a thrill ride.

How's this for a scenario? A man, John Wells has given up all he loved - his wife, child, and his parents to become the only American CIA agent to infiltrate Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. He did this before 9/11 and has endured years of privation, living on a dreary, cold plateau in Pakistan. Constantly on guard, he has continually convinced other followers of bin Laden that he is, indeed, a traitor and has become a Muslim.

This sacrifice has been made in an effort to destroy the terrorist network. To date that has not been accomplished. Now, he learns there are plans for more attacks on the United States, assaults even more terrifying than the carnage at the World Trade Center. So, Wells must return home. However, when he appears at Langley, CIA officials have doubts. Can he really be trusted or has he become a turncoat in the intervening years?

One person believes in him and that is Jennifer Exley. It soon becomes clear that they alone must stop al Qaeda from carrying out 2 heinous plan.

Terrifying? Yes. Far too close to what might be the truth for comfort as Berenson, a reporter for The New York Times well knows.

John Heffernan, known as the official voice of the NHL and NFL network, gives a compact, deliberate, totally engrossing reading. His avoidance of any dramatics renders his narrative all the more powerful.

- Gail Cooke

September 11, 2001 woke America up to facing perils we had previously consigned to other parts of the world and to fiction. Now, a novel like "The Faithful Spy" isn't merely a diversion, a beach thriller to quicken adrenaline for fun. Now, the situations that author Alex Berenson sets in motion and "detonates" one way or another don't float above us in dispassionate entertainment mode only. No, reading about the passengers on a transatlantic flight who suddenly sight military fighters pacing their airliner makes our stomachs clench with sympathetic anxiety and a "but for the grace of God, it might be my flight" thought. As least that was my reaction. And shadowing the title character to his cliffhanger meetings with al Queda members, high-level and low, filled me with cold dread because I don't imagine the real men who follow Bin Laden being much different. John Wells, "The Faithful Spy," and his one-time handler, Jennifer Exley, are people who must balance on a very narrow moral ledge (about matters such as when to "justify" torture and killing) in the name of national security and survival. Their dilemmas are ones that are not and should not be solely fictional. Berenson's reporting experience in Iraq and his understanding of the strategic struggle between the U.S. government and Islamic extremists lends this novel authenticity and valuable insight into our actual geopolitical situation.

"The Faithful Spy" isn't a perfect pulse-pounding novel; it contains certain intervals where the action lags or the plot doesn't coalesce as convincingly as a seasoned reader of this genre might prefer. However, the relatively minor flaws of pacing and storytelling don't diminish the clawing feeling that this book of "fiction" could portend tomorrow's real headlines. God (by any Name) forbid.

This is a remarkable first novel, and I will not miss whatever Berenson decides to write next.

This is one of the best suspense novels that I've read in a long time. First, it's very intelligent. There are no routine psycho serial killers, no pedestrian plot lines and no hackneyed cliches. This book features a well thought out plot that has a genuine kicker near the end, great characters that the reader actually cares about and atmospheric, literate prose.

The whole idea of the narrative -- that there is a CIA agent undercover inside Al Qadea -- is deeply interesting and absorbs the reader in the plot from the first page. It's the kind of book that is hard to put down, even though you know that you really should go to bed and be ready for work the next morning.

The author, Alex Berenson, is a reporter for the New York Times and this is his first work of fiction. I hope he writes many more.

Spy novels at their best can approach great literature. I can give as examples the work of John LeCarre (at least in his younger years) and a personal favorite of mine Alan Furst. But stories like these, set in the Cold War or World War II, deal with an enemy that to some degree at least we understand. Anyone who tries to write a spy novel about the war we are in now, against Islamist extemists, has a much more difficult task since we (at least most of us) do not at all understand our enemy. That is why presumably so few writers have so far attempted to write serious fiction about the current war. Alex Berenson has at least tried. Although this first novel is not completely successful he should be given some credit for his attempt.

The book is in two parts. Part I (The Homecoming King) is just wonderful. The basic idea is original if not easily believable. A CIA agent manages to infiltrate Al Quaeda and then quite sincerely becomes a Muslim without however losing his basic patriotism and loyalty to America. The result is that his CIA bosses no longer trust him while his Al Quaeda bosses do not completely trust him either. He is a man in danger of being lost between two worlds. This part of the book is subtle and nuanced. Berenson describes the psychology of the Islamist fanatics in a way that is credible and deep. I found it not only enjoyable to read but came away with a better understanding of today's headlines. Part I is a real page-turner as other reviewers have noted.

Part II (The Believers) is in comparison very disappointing. Berenson seems to have dropped his literary aspirations and decided to go for the big money and the movie rights. This part of the book, while still well-written, is a standard thriller complete with plot cliches and the required happy ending. The bad guys plan to explode a dirty bomb in Times Square but are foiled just in time (yawn). They plan to spread the plague across the US but are again foiled just in time (yawn yawn). Finally the hero and his CIA supervisor/girlfriend are involved in climactic violence and both wounded but survive presumably to get married at last and live happily ever after (yawn yawn yawn). It is obvious that Berenson could have done much better than this but I imagine that as he got into the book he started to listen to bad advice from his editor and agent. Thus what could have been a literary breakthrough has become merely a probable commercial success and a movie. I give him five stars for part I but only one star for part II, so finally an average of three stars seems fair. In your next book Alex, I hope you will write at the level of excellence that you can obviously reach.

This quick and captivating read presents one of if not the first spy thriller in a post-9/11 world. The protagonist, John Wells, is a disillusioned CIA spy-turned-muslim-turned-quasi-terrorist-turned-recovering American citizen. He is the only CIA spy to infiltrate al qaeda, but he failed to alert the agency to the planned 9/11 attacks as well as other terrorist operations. The agency is tasked with the responsibility of determining whether he has remained faithful to the CIA and USA. This question takes on added urgency because Wells has returned to the USA at the same time the agency learns that al qaeda is planning a major terrorist operation within US borders. The agency needs Wells's help in learning about and stopping the plot, but there is the concern that he may have turned and will assist al qaeda to carry out its attack.

The story is captivating and it is hard to put the book down. One of the strengths is the biting commentary on American society and how we take for granted so many of the things we enjoy in such a relatively wealthy society. This message is effectively and at times amusingly conveyed through Wells's eyes, as he is having trouble adjusting to American life after spending so many years among the truly poor and starving masses.

The only flaw I see in the book is the portrayal of Jennifer Exley, Well's handler at the CIA. She comes across as a teen-angst-ridden emotional wreck, which is entirely incompatible with her tough as nails role at the CIA. The strength of the book, however, outweighs this relatively minor flaw.

For those who enjoy spy thrillers, this is a recommended read.

I enjoyed reading The Faithful Spy. The story is of the moment. I thought John Wells was a forceful, complicated man who sacfificed his own security and happiness for the good of his country. This thriller is a compelling novel with emotional depth and strong and twisting plot. Once you start the book, you won't be able to put it down. The interactions among the diverse set of characters are complex and real. I can't wait for the sequel!

A vast majority of Alex Berenson's "The Faithful Spy" was fast-paced and fantastic. If you're a fan of Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp, you should enjoy Berenson's John Wells.

It takes us into the life of super undercover CIA spy John Wells who for years has lived in Afghanistan, working his way into Al-Qaeda, and swearing his allegiance against the United States. Wells has abandoned his family, friends, and way of life to try and stop the next 9/11. All he has is the mission. As time wears on, many in the CIA think he's actually gone over to the other side for good. Along the way, we learn of his affection for his CIA handler Jennifer Exley and his apprehension as to whether or not she believes he's still working for the good guys.

Around 1/3 into the book, Wells is asked by members of Al- Qaeda to return to the US and carry out a mission. While the prospect was exciting for the reader, what follows was rather slow. We see John return to his hometown, attempt to reconnect with his ex-wife and son, etc. This drags quite heavily. I like character development just fine, but let's keep the story moving too. Berenson may have spent an inordinate amount of time on this because Wells is a recurring character.

The other part that drags somewhat is the time Wells is waiting to be contacted by Al- Qaeda. He spends time as a day laborer in the Atlanta area and it takes a bit of time to get through that. But once those two slow spots are over, the novel kicks into high gear again.

I'm looking forward to reading the continuing story of Wells.

This does not live up to its cover blurb hype declaring it the greatest spy novel ever. "The Company"? "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold"? Various Graham Greene novels? Please. But it's pretty good; Alex Berenson, a first-time author, definitely displays talent for the genre. This is a cut above two-dimensional page turners. Berenson's reporting experience in the Middle East helps give it a realistic feel.

John Wells is a CIA agent who has done the impossible: infiltrating Al Qaeda. He's in deep cover that's taken years to establish as an American convert to Islam and jihadism. Too late to stop 9/11, he keeps at it until he is singled out for a special terrorist mission in America.

He has a couple of problems. One: his isolation. He's been gone so long the CIA doesn't know if he's alive, and when they hear from him, they suspect he's been turned. Two: his conversion to Islam. It's become sincere. He fakes anti-Americanism to the jihadis, but meanwhile has begun to feel some of the revulsion towards American society - the materialism, the obliviousness to the world, the immodest women - that they do. Can he ever go back?

Only his controller, Jennifer Exley, thinks he's telling the truth, after all his years incommunicado, after missing out on 9/11, after fighting for the Taliban to maintain his cover, after failing to report promptly when he does return to the U.S. The CIA otherwise doesn't fully trust him - and neither does Al Qaeda spymaster Omar Khadri, who won't fully disclose the mission involving weapons of mass destruction. It becomes up to Wells to stop it, as he tries to adjust to America after years fighting jihad halfway around the world.

I enjoyed Berenson's Atlanta detail - a good bit of the book occurs here as Wells awaits his fateful Al Qaeda mission - but is occasionally shaky on his details. An action scene is at one point described being at Northside and Mt. Vernon, at another as being near Northside and Mt. Paran. Both exist and they're not too far apart, but they're different.

That's a quibble. Berenson excels in depicting the jihadis - fanatic, ascetic, religious, trusting of one another, willing to fight to the death - whom Wells has so successfully blended in with he no longer knows who he is.

Really hard to understand how this book won the coveted Edgar award. It got off to a reasonably promising start, but by the end I found myself skipping whole paragraphs -- they were just that dull, serving only to fill pages but doing nothing to advance the plot. This in a suspense novel. And the ending was just silly. Overall a big disappoinment.