The Faithful Spy

John Wells is a CIA agent and the first man to penetrate al Qaeda.

He is able to save the lives of Americans in the field while maintaining his cover but he's called in by bin Laden's deputy who tells him that he will be sent to American on a terrorist mission.

When he returns home, some CIA members are grateful for his years undercover but one official, when he learns John has converted to Islam, wonders if he's gone to the other side.

In the meanwhile, terrorist activity increases in the US and John and his handler try to determine where the next target is so they can stop it.

John Wells is a well developed character. He follows his beliefs and in the world after 9-11 he wants to stop other terrorist activity in the U.S.

John Wells is also an original character and the story is packed with suspense and nonstop action. ( )

A great thriller that is "ripped from the headlines" with an interesting main character in John Wells. This is what Mitch Rapp books (Vince Flynn) used to be like.

brilliant. Agent John Wells infiltrated the Taliban ( )

Good suspenseful story about a spy who tries to stop Islamist terrrorists from viral warfare and bombing New York city. ( )

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. ( )