An Exciting First Novel

I just finished the paperback edition of The Faithful Spy, the first novel by Alex Berenson, and it was good. It is another one of those books I probably would never have seen if not for the paperback counter at the local Costco store.

The hero of this thriller is John Wells, who grew up in Montana and ended up as a CIA operative inside of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. When I started the book, I was wondering how Berenson could succeed in writing a story about terrorism without becoming too polemical. But he does. And it was a spellbinder although, fortunately, I was able to finish it in daytime hours and did not end up reading through the night.

I found it to be an excellent, very well written story and look forward to his follow-up, The Ghost War, which was published in hard cover in February. I expect to remain a fan of Berenson in the years ahead.