Alex Berenson

I've heard great things about the first two John Wells novels, but my experience begins here with the third in the series. And despite having to play catch-up in places, The Silent Man works brilliantly as a stand alone spy thriller. It also makes you want to go back to the beginning of the series and see what Wells has done previously.

What sets Berenson's series apart in this crowded espionage genre is his knack for finding that elusive balance between the authentic and the entertaining. show more Wells, despite being the kind of lethal CIA agent who could become a cliche in the hands of many writers, exhibits a complexity of character and a genuine feel. You really believe that this is a dangerous man, in the same way that Daniel Craig makes you believe that the movie version of James Bond is not an insult to Fleming's concept of the character. This comes across most starkly in the novel's kill scenes, in which Wells often disposes of adversaries in a quick, brutal manner, making the violence so much more convincing than if it had been dragged out in the exaggerated way favored by many authors in the action genre.

The plot, too, has a realistic feel from beginning to end, making me believe that this really is how things might play out if an Islamic terrorist group got its hands on Russian nuclear material with the intent of building an atomic weapon and detonating it in a major American City. Peopled with well-developed supporting characters, and displaying a feel for the inner workings of the alphabet soup agencies, there are few places in which the realism of this work breaks down. In fact, the only part of the story that did not ring absolutely true for me was the strange turns in Wells's relationship with Jennifer Exley, as her anger toward him often seemed somewhat contrived.

This is, however, a series that I plan to explore fully. The quality of the writing and Wells himself are just too compelling to ignore. show less

Berenson did a nice job of fleshing out the main characters, so much so that I dearly wanted to punch a couple of them in mouth - interestingly enough, they were not the bad guys but rather two of the kidnap victims. The leader of a marauding band, that was central to the story, was a beautifully written young Somali bandit who had named himself Wizard because he felt invincible. I found him to be the most interesting character in the story and his presence elevated the story from very good show more to excellent. show less

A rare five star rating for Mr. Berenson's work, four stars for the content and the all important fifth for a shameless display of actual journalism. Well done! Seemingly honest reporting steering a course down the objective middle with plenty of Trump bashing for our leftist friends with an equal amount of credit given to "Orange Man Bad" when it was due. I approved of Trump's approach more than did Mr. Berenson, but his take was honest and understandable.

As for the the "masking" and show more vaccination issues, his analysis of the known public data was spot on, and this from an ASCP (American Society of Clinical Pathologists) Medical Technologist who spent more of his life than he likes to admit in and around clinical labs. The data is there and Mr. Berenson has seemingly plumbed the depths. Kudos all around. show less

OK Alex Berenson – this was definitely not a John Wells installment. This was a sneaky, clever, “gotcha when you weren’t looking”, kind of hard to put down book.

The Power Couple - flawed as a couple, flawed as individuals and why would you expect their children to be any different. Canny, slick, and seamless - Berenson inserts the dissection of the main characters’ personalities amid chaos and a parent’s worst nightmare – the kidnapping of their child. Using the couple’s show more thoughts and memories worked so well for me that I turned a page and realized the action was gone and the introspection was front and center.

There is a “with it” vibe to the writing, the setting, the dialog, and the action but there is also an underlying sense of diseased minds and souls. The two elements create and maintain a powerful and scary scenario. Power – Who has it? Who holds it? Who is going to lose it? Does anyone win?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. show less