The Faithful Spy

The Faithful Spy was a very exciting book to read. I like spy/thriller novels, although I actually don't read that many of them, and this was among the best I have read.

John Wells is a CIA agent who has successfully penetrated al Qaeda. He's been with them for years, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, he hasn't been in touch with his CIA bosses for years and they don't even know if he's still alive or if he's still on their side. See, Wells has converted to Islam and learns to deplore America's superficiality and arrogance. That said, he makes contact with Special Forces in Afghanistan after 9/11, which he didn't foresee, and shortly after, he's plucked from his Pakistani village by al Qaeda leaders to go back home to America for a show more hugely important mission, one they don't fill him in on. Meanwhile, the head of al Qaeda's nuclear "program" is captured in Iraq and, through torture, fills the US in on potential plots in the US and on John Wells.

Wells comes home and goes to the CIA, where he is given a hostile greeting by the director. However, his handler, Jennifer Exley, still believes in him. He's put in a virtual prison, but escapes because he wants to stop al Qaeda from whatever it is they're plotting. What follows is an exciting series of challenges, chases, biological warfare, and confrontations, ultimately with Omar Khandri, John's al Qaeda handler.

When I read reviews of this book, I was shocked to see how many people viewed it as more of the same. They deplored the love story in the book and thought the middle part of it was boring. I couldn't view it more differently. I thought the love story was great and really enjoyed the ending. I also thought some of the "boring" parts allowed the characters to be flushed out pretty fully, so I had no problem with that. Just because Wells has to wait to be contacted by his handler doesn't mean it's boring, sorry. I thought the terrorism scenarios painted by Berenson were horrifyingly realistic and well thought out. I think he did a great job with this book, and even though it shares some similarities with Frederick Forsythe's The Afghan, it's a really good book that stands on its own. Strongly recommended. show less

In The Faithful Spy Alex Berenson tried to present both a traditional thriller and a psychological drama examining the mental state and motivations of a deep cover agent. As a thriller, the book succeeded. While the broad outlines of the plot were fairly standard, the execution of the storyline and, in particular, the use of the deep cover agent, were refreshing. I particularly enjoyed seeing the efforts that Al Qaeda went through to check whether its agents had been compromised. However, the personal story was somewhat less engaging. While the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist were interesting, I can't help but feel as if we never really got beyond a surface understanding of the character. For example, we never truly show more understand why he actually converts to Islam. Perhaps if the author had been a bit more coy with how the protagonist would resolve certain internal conflicts, the story would have been more engaging. Nevertheless, I enjoyed The Faithful Spy enough to continue reading the series. show less

I have a weakness for spy thrillers, but most of the ones I have read have either been FBI/CIA/NSA within the USA (usually by David Baldacci, for whose plots I express unreserved awe mixed with amusement) or secret international sect protected by naughty governments around the world is exposed by brainiac with sidekick (Dan Brown and his copycats).

This one was a little different – following a CIA sleeper agent inside Al-Qaeda. One of the reasons I really enjoyed this was that Berenson considered the alienation and solitude of such a man quite carefully – remaining undercover for 8 years in such a hostile environment, and then the culture shock of returning to the USA after so long among fundamentalist and militant Islam.

There was show more also a heavy focus on the Islamic motivations behind Al-Qaeda, and the characters of a few of the “bad guys” were quite thoroughly developed.

Of course we had the stock physical attributes – stocky, attractive and slightly exotic male spy, leggy blonde promiscuous sidekick with a past, uptight jobsworth bureaucrat with too much power… so that was a bit disappointing.

Definitely worth it for spy thriller lovers – much better than most of the usual fare! show less

Powerful, Passionate Thriller, April 18, 2010
By Brian Francis Neary (California)

This review is from: The Faithful Spy (John Wells, No. 1) (Paperback)
It's easy to see why this book won the Edgar. It's characters are believable, it's climactic events are packed with tension and realism, it's relationships are passionate, and its hero is complex and intelligent. The interactions between some of the characters could be set into screenplay without alteration; which is to say that Berenson understands the dynamics of dialogue. The plot is both thrilling and moving, a dual effect that sets it above even the best writers in the genre. I would eagerly recommend The Faithful Spy to any lover of realistic fiction.

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 show more 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. show less

I started this book, because I have part 3 in the series on MTBR and I want to finish it before the year ends.
But, starting a series from part 3 and working forward to 1 is maybe good for LOTR the movies, but not for this book. So... I started book one and, even though I had little time to read, I finishex it within a week. Or maybe it's better to say that I'm hooked.

I liked the book lots. An interesting view point at counter terrorism, muslim terrorism, dilemmas a undercover operative faces. The differences in attitude towards life on both sides, I had a very good time reading it.
What I liked best was, that the main character was not depicted as a kind of duper hero. Not a man like 'I'm an American so I know all, I know what's best, show more you have to listen to me, or else'.
I hope part 2 is as good as this one! show less

It was…ok….there was nothing wrong with it, it was perfectly cromulent. It was just lacking…”that thing”…the joie de vivre…the “hook”, the thing that made you not want to put the book down. If I was reading it before bed I would have no issue putting the bookmark in and going to sleep. It’s also making me rethink my rating system, or rating ideals or whatever, I don’t know. Maybe I need more than 5 stars or maybe I need to be more picky with my ratings. If this one is three stars I guess I need to bump my jack reacher books up to 4 stars, cuz they’re obviously better than this one, or does this one drop down to 2 stars, cuz it’s better than a two star book, it wasn’t bad, it was just lacking that one show more thing…bah, I don’t know! show less