The Faithful Spy (John Wells, #1) in Espionage Aficionados

Jul 29, 2011 James Schubring rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Alex Berenson paints John Wells, our 'faithful spy,' so well that I could imagine sitting across the table with steaks and beers chatting about his life. He's got a fully fleshed existence between the pages of this taut book, quite an accomplishment. We catch up to him after he's infiltrated into al Qaeda and has to sacrifice all the men in his cell to make contact with the Americans: he's been out of touch with his masters in the CIA but he's still faithful. It's a wonderful scene, one of many Alex Berenson paints John Wells, our 'faithful spy,' so well that I could imagine sitting across the table with steaks and beers chatting about his life. He's got a fully fleshed existence between the pages of this taut book, quite an accomplishment. We catch up to him after he's infiltrated into al Qaeda and has to sacrifice all the men in his cell to make contact with the Americans: he's been out of touch with his masters in the CIA but he's still faithful. It's a wonderful scene, one of many in this well crafted tale.

His recurring challenge in this book is his faith: for Americans, against the ranks of al Qaeda, for Islam and the Koran. After he receives a mission he leaves for America, not knowing what he'll do, but returns to Montana (his home) and discovers everything he left behind gone, mother dead, wife moved on, forbidden to see his son. Berenson devotes the proper amount of time and energy into developing this aspect of Wells: we feel for him how much he's sacrificed to do what he's done, how much will go unappreciated by the suits in Langley at the CIA.

The plot gets going late into the story. Wells, not quite trusted by his handler, is sent to-and-fro to check to see if he's who he said he was. He connects back up with his handler at the CIA, the predictable and unnecessary love interest element, and then walks into a situation he doesn't understand. He's not to be an instrument of a plot, merely a vector, someone who starts a catastrophe he can't stop. There's biowarfare and conventional bombs and all sorts of scary things out there. Dying, toward the end of the story, he doesn't let death stand in his way. He ends successful. It's how we want to think of our spies. Working against internal and external adversity, making the right things happen even after wading through the intelligence bureaucracy. (The CIA director is a laughable caricature in this first book, a bit painful in conception.)

The subsequent books feel rushed and smaller by comparison. Berenson feels like he took his time with this first story...and he got the main details right about John Wells. Well worth the read. ...more

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