In The Faithful Spy, suspense and thriller fiction has found an apt fighter for the war-on-terror, the indomitable spy John Wells--a highly educated CIA man. In the beginning of the story, we meet John Wells in an Al Queda Camp, acting exactly as any one of the terrorists there; however, John, called Jalal by the others, has infiltrated the camp and has no intention of killing himself through any suicidal act of terror. If anything, he gets rid of a few of them whenever he gets the chance. Meanwhile, he has taken to the faith of Islam and has made it his own, and that is what causes CIA’s suspicion of him, and alternately, Al Queda’s incomplete trust in him. Jennifer Exley, Wells’ superior at Langley, is probably the only person who believes in him and aids him throughout the story.

Wells hates the murderous Al Queda and feels guilty for not stopping the 9/11 attacks. At the same time, he finds America shallow and self-indulgent. Plus, he has unresolved family problems in his background.

After al-Zawahiri of the Al Queda recruits Jalal, a.k.a. John Wells, for a secret mission and sends him back to the USA with several other terrorists, Wells makes the mistake of not reporting to the headquarters right away. Instead, he goes to Montana to find his mother who has already died. In the meantime, a terrorist act takes place, and when Wells finally checks in with his superiors, he becomes a suspect and is put under observation. Wells knows the other terrorists are loose and are about to commit acts of terror against his country. So he escapes from the clutches of the CIA officials to search for the terrorists. The real suspense in the story begins after this point.

I followed the story from its unabridged, audio version of ten compact discs by Books on Tape, read by Robertson Dean. Dean does an amazing job of bringing the book to life. Although he pronounces the Arabic names to near perfection, his articulation of other Arabic sections, such as lines from the Koran, is not fluent enough. This brings a sort of unreality to the enjoyment of the text, but this tiny detail can be overlooked, considering that the author Alex Berenson writes with assurance and knowledge. As the story progresses, we discover that the author of the book knows and understands the details of the strengths and weaknesses of both sides in the war-on-terror very well. He does not slip into melodrama or one-sided anger, at any time.

It is no wonder that this book has won an Edgar Award. The construction of the story is exquisite even if the ending turns the protagonist into some kind of a Superman-like hero, and the plot, despite the complexity of the subject, moves smoothly with increasing tension. Berensen’s use of the language is direct and straightforward, and his style is impeccable. For example: “Islam’s biggest strength was its greatest weakness, Wells thought. The religion’s flexibility had made it a cloak for the anger of men tired of being ruled by America and the West.”

reminding us of the fix we are in and making us face our fears through the war-against-terror.

the author's know-how and understanding of the subject that must have come from his personal observations as an investigative reporter.

read something light and happy. The thought of another terrorist attack, even in fiction, is disconcerting.

nervous.

John Berenson graduated from the Yale University in 1994 with degrees in history and economics. He worked at TheStreet.com and The Denver Post as a business reporter. Afterwards, he joined the New York Times in 1999 as an investigative reporter. His books other than The Faithful Spy are: The Ghost War, The Ghost Agent, The Number, and the Silent Man.

the story is skillfully constructed with insight and precision into the subject.

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Created Feb 05, 2009 at 5:09pm • Submit your own review...