Direct Action

by John Weisman

In this compulsive page-turner, six-time New York Times bestselling author John Weisman blows the lid off one of Washington's deepest real-world secrets. The CIA, currently incapable of performing its core mission of supplying critical and time-sensitive human-based intelligence for the global war on terror, must now outsource the work to private contractors. Drawing on real-world crises and actual CIA operations, Direct Action takes readers deep inside this new and unreported covert warfare that is being fought on a daily basis by anonymous shadow warriors all across the globe. Racing against the clock and shuttling between Washington, Paris, and the Middle East, one of those shadow warriors, former CIA case officer Tom Stafford, must slip below the radar to uncover, target, and neutralize a deadly al-Qa'ida bombmaker before the assassin can launch simultaneous multiple attacks against America and the West. And as if that weren't enough, Stafford must simultaneously open a second front and mount a clandestine war against the CIA itself, because for mysterious and seemingly inexplicable reasons the people at the very top of the Central Intelligence Agency want him to fail. The characters and operations in Direct Action are drawn from true-life CIA personnel and their real-world missions. With Direct Action, John Weisman confirms once again Joseph Wambaugh's claim that "nobody writes better about the dark and dirty world of the CIA and black ops."

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 14, 2005

About the author

Seven-time New York Times bestselling author John Weisman is one of a select company of authors to have their books on both the Times nonfiction and fiction bestseller lists. He pioneered coverage of Naval Special Warfare when he co-authored the number one New York Times bestseller Rogue Warrior, the story of Richard Marcinko and the creation of SEAL Team 6, and then conceived, created, developed, and wrote eight bestselling Rogue fictional sequels. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Seymour Hersh praised his 2004 novel Jack in the Box as "the insider's insider spy novel." Weisman's CIA short stories were chosen for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories in 1997 and 2003. His most recent CIA short fiction appears in Agents of Treachery. He reviews books on intelligence and military affairs for the Washington Times, and his analysis has appeared in AFIO's periodical Intelligencer. John Weisman lives on Florida's Gulf Coast

Reviews

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good contemporary spy thriller, filled with real people as well as fictional characters, written by a retired intelligence professional with enough detail to earn his cred. He’s a real gung-ho type and pulls no punches when discussing US efforts to fight terrorism. Food for thought.

[Davey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadow CIA stops terrorist plot - Tom Stafford, MJ O'Connor

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh where has this guy gone? He co-authored the Rouge Warrior series for Dick Marcinko and then came out with two of the most realistic spy novels I have read. Realistic right down to the blacking out of spy trade craft secrets that he can't share and sub notes regarding actual past events that are much apart of the story and its fictional (maybe) characters. The Rouge Warrior books were very much based in fact, but had to be categorized as fiction due to the Department of Defense coming down hard on Marcinko for violating nondisclosure agreements. I have a feeling that these books could also fall under that same category. Which could also explain his leave of absence from the publishing world.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fictional account of annex CIA agent who has left the Agency because of frustration with the current leadership and the growing ineffectiveness of its intelligence gathering because of political and CYA programs. He has joined a outside firm of consultants made up of other ex CIA hands who are supplying product for the Agency and are running up against the same problems when the Agency discounts their information and actually acts against them. Lots of footnotes and it reads somewhat like a non fiction report at times as it takes the leadership (actual names) to task for the direction the CIA was being led. An interesting but a rather slow read.

[Maryclaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many spy thrillers, but this one is so real. Never pick up a backpack, that is one of the main lessons in this thriller. The book takes place in Paris. You run and ride the streets of the city of lights wondering who to trust. The spy trade craft secrets that are blanked out really make you wonder how much is fiction. Just remember you are watched. What a great book.

[Rex Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read four of his and will read them all. The writing is superb.

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried so hard to like the book. It was ok in places but tedious and not appearing to go anywhere in other places. Gave up just after hard way