Observer
'A story torn from today's headlines... Gritty and fast-moving'
Sunday Telegraph
'A first-rate thriller'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
John Wells has been away from the United States and his home state of Montana for a decade. Since 1996, he's been a deep cover agent in Afghanistan for the Central Intelligence Agency. So deep that he leads a band of Qaeda guerrillas and is known to them as Jalal. He's even met bin Laden. John's only message to his Langley CIA controller, Jennifer Exley, was back in 2001.
Now, Wells is going home on the orders of the senior Qaeda leadership. Once there, he'll be expected to assist Khadri, a fiendishly clever and devious Qaeda planner, in carrying out a major act of violence against America.
To the head honchos of the CIA, John is an enigma and not to be trusted. Hell, he even carries around a copy of the Koran and prays to Allah. Now, what sort of red, white and blue American does that? As for Khadri, he doesn't trust anybody much less one born of the Great Satan.
Wells is truly on his own.
Is THE FAITHFUL SPY the best espionage thriller I've ever read? Um ... no. But, as the debut novel from author Alex Berenson, it's exceptional in its scope, presentation, and imaginativeness. It's written with the flair and confidence of a more experienced author. Not since Lee Child's first Jack Reacher thriller, Killing Floor (Jack Reacher), have I been so impressed. Four stars, therefore, with the expectation that his next one, The Ghost War, will be even better as the Wells and Exley characters gain more definition. Four stars leaves room for the expected improvement.
My single niggle of dissatisfaction comes from the fact that John didn't fully engage my empathy and sympathy as some other fictional protagonists have done in the past even from book one. Child's Reacher and Elleston Trevor's (aka Adam Hall) Quiller come immediately to mind as both personae have endearing subtleties; Quiller had standing instructions with his employer to send roses to Moira in the event of his death, while Reacher doesn't even know how to iron a shirt. I expect Wells to grow on me; we'll see.
Now, Wells is going home on the orders of the senior Qaeda leadership. Once there, he'll be expected to assist Khadri, a fiendishly clever and devious Qaeda planner, in carrying out a major act of violence against America.
To the head honchos of the CIA, John is an enigma and not to be trusted. Hell, he even carries around a copy of the Koran and prays to Allah. Now, what sort of red, white and blue American does that? As for Khadri, he doesn't trust anybody much less one born of the Great Satan.
Wells is truly on his own.
Is THE FAITHFUL SPY the best espionage thriller I've ever read? Um ... no. But, as the debut novel from author Alex Berenson, it's exceptional in its scope, presentation, and imaginativeness. It's written with the flair and confidence of a more experienced author. Not since Lee Child's first Jack Reacher thriller, Killing Floor (Jack Reacher), have I been so impressed. Four stars, therefore, with the expectation that his next one, The Ghost War, will be even better as the Wells and Exley characters gain more definition. Four stars leaves room for the expected improvement.
My single niggle of dissatisfaction comes from the fact that John didn't fully engage my empathy and sympathy as some other fictional protagonists have done in the past even from book one. Child's Reacher and Elleston Trevor's (aka Adam Hall) Quiller come immediately to mind as both personae have endearing subtleties; Quiller had standing instructions with his employer to send roses to Moira in the event of his death, while Reacher doesn't even know how to iron a shirt. I expect Wells to grow on me; we'll see.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an unusual spin on the traditional spy novel. Here we have a deep cover agent that has gone so deep that no-one is quite sure which side he is on. Although this is still an 'Islamic terrorists' story, the spy in question has converted to Islam and it is clear that the terrorists do not represent the majority of Islamic beliefs. Here we have a character trusted by no-one who has sacrificed his life and relationships to do the right thing. Now he must come in from the cold to prevent a terrorist attack, but does anyone trust him anymore?
Thoughtful and intelligent thriller and a strong debut novel with good characterisation.
Thoughtful and intelligent thriller and a strong debut novel with good characterisation.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An explosive plot-led thriller by a brilliant journalist. I couldn't put it down but read it cover to cover in a few hours. The central character, CIA agent John Wells has been in deep cover in the mountains of Pakistan for 10 years fighting with Al Qaeda against the Americans and gradually assimilating and becoming a committed muslim. Suddenly the fiendish mastermind Omar Khadri decides to launch him against the states and send him home. Wells is isolated physically and psychologically from the USA and finds adjustment hard on his return where neither Al Qaeda nor his bosses at the CIA fully trust him. He has to struggle with virtually no time in increasing isolation to combat the appalling terror plot planned by Al Qaeda to devastate the United States. The suspense builds to a nail-biting, unexpected climax.
Incredibly fast-paced and highly topical with the increasing paranoia in the wake of 9/11 and the Iraq war. Berenson is a journalist who writes with admirable economy having thoroughly researched his tight-knit thriller in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Much of the details concerning 'permitted interrogation' techniques are deeply disturbing but so too are the violence and fiendish plots of Al Qaeda along with the acceptance of martyrdom for the cause. I'd recommend this to a wide readership both male and female.
Incredibly fast-paced and highly topical with the increasing paranoia in the wake of 9/11 and the Iraq war. Berenson is a journalist who writes with admirable economy having thoroughly researched his tight-knit thriller in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Much of the details concerning 'permitted interrogation' techniques are deeply disturbing but so too are the violence and fiendish plots of Al Qaeda along with the acceptance of martyrdom for the cause. I'd recommend this to a wide readership both male and female.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Rather like like the faithful old dog
The first to feature John Wells which I've now read having already put behind me a couple of the others. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael Watson
The Spy Who Trusts Me
The prospect of another spy novel did not fill me with much joy when I picked up `The Faithful Spy' as my recent dealings with the genre had been a bunch of boring books that... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sam
A first class thriller
When I reviewed Alex Berenson's 'The Secret Soldier' at the beginning of September I noted that, although it was an extremely taut piece of writing, there were occasions when the... Read more
Published 7 months ago by T. D. Dawson
Hooked!
I'm a big Grisham fan and I was reluctant to switch to a different author and type of book. I gave this one a go, and I couldn't put it down. Read more
Published 23 months ago by G1888
Introducing a good Musline
This is a page-turing read. Have any of you read Three Cups of Tea? It has common threads with that, which makes it seem really authentic rather than the fiction it is. Read more
Published on 31 May 2010 by B. Mclaughlin
Not so original afterall...
Many here go on about how original the plot is, a deep cover agent in Al Qaeda - well I hate to disappoint you but Frederick Forsythe did it a few years ago with The Afghan. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2010 by M. Double
4 1/2 Stars -- A Very Solid Debut!
Alex Berenson has created a tension-mounting debut thriller that takes readers inside the war on terror in a riveting manner that will keep the pages flying through your fingers. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2008 by bobbewig
One of the better thrillers I've read in a while
There's much to like about "The Faithful Spy". The story feels both credible and well researched. The central character is interesting and the plot maintains the suspense with... Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2008 by Julia Flyte
Well written & thought provoking; recommended.
This is a well researched novel that allows its characters to develop along with the plot. It is set in contemporary USA & uses the Al Qaeda threat as the foundation of the... Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2008 by Sizzle
Brilliant
Fast-paced, well researched and very plausible-a cracking thriller. Very good on Al-Queda and the secret war against them.
Published on 15 April 2008 by Dangermouse
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