Synopses & Reviews
John Wells has only twelve days to stop the United States from being tricked into invading Iran in the new cutting-edge novel of modern suspense from the #1 New York Timesbestselling author.
Twelve days.
Wells, with his former CIA bosses Ellis Shafer and Vinnie Duto, has uncovered a staggering plot, a false-flag operation to convince the President to attack Iran. But they have no hard evidence, and no one at Langley or the White House will listen.
Now the President has set a deadline for Iran to give up its nuclear program, and the mullahs in Tehranfurious and frightenedhave responded with a deadly terrorist attack. Wells, Shafer, and Duto know they have only twelve days to find the proof they need. They fan out, from Switzerland to Saudi Arabia, Israel to Russia, desperately trying to tease out the clues in their possession. Meanwhile, the United States is moving soldiers and Marines to Irans border. And Iran has mobilized its own squad of suicide bombers.
And as the days tick by and the obstacles mount, they realize that everything they do may not be enough
Review
“Berenson rises above the thriller genre.”—
St. Louis Post-Dispatch “The authenticity Berenson brings to his ripped-from-the-headlines stories makes them seem as vividly real and scary as nonfiction or the nightly news.”—Booklist
“Wells is a refreshing thriller hero, sort of the anti–Jack Bauer.”—St. Petersburg Times
“Superbly paced action sequences and the kind of background that suggests a better-than-average understanding of what soldiers on the ground actually see in Afghanistan.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The book never lets up as it exposes the terrors and boredom of war on the front lines.”—Providence Journal
Review
Praise for Twelve Days
“Berenson is a master at building tension, with a ticking clock that's built into the title—America's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is only 12 days away. This well-written and fast-moving novel delivers more than a good plot. It illustrates how in the midst of regional chaos, a great power can jump to calamitous conclusions. This one is well worth the thriller enthusiast's time....” —Kirkus Review
Praise for The Counterfeit Agent
“The Counterfeit Agent is as topical as any of Berensons books and, with its sharp details and knowingness, gives you the distinct impression that the author has talked to more than enough people to know of what he speaks... The plot is every bit the thrill ride it sounds like, [and then] there is Wells. He is, necessarily, a dashing, hard-to-defeat fellow. But he is deeply human, frustrated as often by love and his own personal demons as by the villains around him. He is a morally complex protagonist, an entertaining guy to hang out with. He alone makes The Counterfeit Agent worth the read.”—Associated Press
“Whatever real-world geopolitical threat you're following, chances are the fictional John Wells has already handled it in his ripped-from-the-headlines adventures.”—NPR books
“With each [book] Alex Berensons idiosyncratic invention, John Wells, a US secret-ops agent and convert to Islam, finds himself getting older and fighting harder for higher stakes in a novel that earns your attention and delivers an intriguing catch at the end . . . [Berensons] clean, clear prose and solid grasp of global geopolitics make for compelling, believable scenes and chapters.”—The Boston Globe
“[A] volcanic shocker . . . Working with plot elements that are terrifyingly realistic, research that rings as true as todays headlines, and characters that brim with integrity and swagger, Berenson puts John Wells right up there with the best of espionage fictions greatest heroes.”—Library Journal
“Berenson ratchets the tension ever higher, combining plenty of vividly detailed bloodletting with a fascinating look at geopolitics and the self-serving quagmire of governmental bureaucracy. Wells stands outside all that, a Rambo with a brain who cant resist the call to action. The clock is ticking loudly this time, though, and fans will have to wait until the next book to see if Wells saves the world one more time.”—Booklist
Synopsis
In 2009, the CIA's Kabul Station fell for a source who promised to lead it to Bin Laden, but instead he blew himself up, taking the station's most senior officers with him. Now, more than two years later, the station is still floundering, agents are dying, and at Langley the CIA's chiefs wonder if the unthinkable has happened, if somehow the Taliban has infiltrated the station.
When they ask John Wells to investigate, he reluctantly agrees to return to the country where his career as an undercover operative began. But there, he finds a vipers' nest of hostility and mistrust-and clues that hint at a drug-trafficking operation involving the Agency, the military, and the Taliban. Americans are dying, and an American is responsible. And only John Wells stands in his way . . . for now.
Synopsis
Unabridged, 9 CDs, 11 1/2 hours
Read by George Guidall
John Wells goes undercover in Afghanistan not only among the Taliban but among fellow Americans-in the electrifying new novel of modern suspense from the #1 New York Times-bestselling writer.
Synopsis
In late 2009, CIA officers in Afghanistan’s Kabul station allowed a Jordanian doctor into their closest confidence. In truth, the doctor was an al-Qaeda double agent—and when he blew himself up, the station’s most senior officers died with him.
Years later, the station still hasn’t recovered. Recruiting has dried up and the agency’s best Afghani sources are being eliminated. At Langley, the CIA’s chiefs begin to suspect the worst: somehow, the Taliban has infiltrated the station.
When they ask John Wells to investigate, he reluctantly agrees to return to the country where his career began. One thing is certain: Americans are dying, and an American is responsible. Wells is the only one who can unearth the truth—if it doesn’t bury him first . . .
About the Author
Alex Berenson’s novels have been hailed as “heart-stopping” (USA Today), “terrifying” (The New York Times Book Review), and in the case of The Faithful Spy, “one of the best spy stories ever told” (The Wall Street Journal). The reason is not only their brilliant plotting and some of the best characters in modern suspense fiction, but Berenson’s cutting-edge examination of the very real dangers confronting us. They’re not only “superbly crafted” (Kirkus Reviews), they’re about the way we live now.
As a reporter for The New York Times, Alex Berenson covered topics ranging from the occupation of Iraq to the flooding of New Orleans to the financial crimes of Bernie Madoff. His previous novels include The Faithful Spy, winner of the Edgar Award; The Ghost War; The Silent Man; The Midnight House; and The Secret Soldier. Berenson lives in New York City.