The Faithful Spy

By: Alex Berenson

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

“A well-crafted page-turner that addresses the most important issue of our time. It will keep you reading well into the night.” (Vince Flynn)

A New York Times reporter has drawn upon his experience covering the occupation in Iraq to write the most gripping and chillingly plausible thriller of the post-9/11 era. Alex Berenson’s debut novel of suspense, The Faithful Spy, is a sharp, explosive story that takes listeners inside the war on terror as fiction has never done before.

John Wells is the only American CIA agent ever to penetrate al Qaeda. Since before the attacks in 2001, Wells has been hiding in the mountains of Pakistan, biding his time, building his cover. Now, on the orders of Omar Khadri - the malicious mastermind plotting more al Qaeda strikes on America - Wells is coming home. Neither Khadri nor Jennifer Exley, Wells’s superior at Langley, knows quite what to expect. For Wells has changed during his years in the mountains. He has become a Muslim. He finds the United States decadent and shallow.

Yet he hates al Qaeda and the way it uses Islam to justify its murderous assaults on innocents. He is a man alone, and the CIA - still reeling from its failure to predict 9/11 or find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - does not know whether to trust him. Among his handlers at Langley, only Exley believes in him, and even she sometimes wonders. And so the agency freezes Wells out, preferring to rely on high-tech means for gathering intelligence. But as that strategy fails and Khadri moves closer to unleashing the most devastating terrorist attack in history, Wells and Exley must somehow find a way to stop him, with or without the government’s consent.

From secret American military bases where suspects are held and “interrogated” to basement laboratories where al Qaeda’s scientists grow the deadliest of biological weapons, The Faithful Spy is a riveting and cautionary tale, as affecting in its personal stories as it is sophisticated in its political details. The first spy thriller to grapple squarely with the complexities and terrors of today’s world, this is a uniquely exciting and unnerving novel by an author who truly knows his territory.

©2006 Alex Berenson (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

“A well-crafted page-turner that addresses the most important issue of our time. It will keep you reading well into the night.” (Vince Flynn)

“Berenson offers a very American story - a sort of terrorist High Noon...exciting.” (The New York Times)

“A hold-your-breath thriller...a grabber.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Simply Outstanding!!

Thank you , Alex, for another outstanding book
Please keep them coming… You owe it to ureters… And I'm sure you will comply. Thank you again

Well done!

I look forward to reading more in the series. How will the next book take off from the first?

Good storytelling.

I enjoyed The Faithful Spy very much and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Simple plot

The story plot is too simple, somewhat predictable and lacks suspense. Characters also feel shallow.

Terrific!!

This is the first time I've ever been compelled to write a review. Outstanding story and reader. A definite must for anyone who enjoys being kept on the edge of their seat.

First Read - But Not The Last

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. This is the first Alex Berenson book I have read/listened to and I can't wait to hear more. I couldn't have enjoyed it more.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Faithful Spy?

The entire story was memorable. I can't think of any one incident that stands out from the rest. The characters and the plot were totally believable - almost unnervingly so in today's world. Well done and not over-done.

What about Robertson Dean’s performance did you like?

Great job. I could tell who was speaking just by the voice differences. Emotions came through subtly. I will look for other books that Robertson Dean narrates.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I could empathize with both John Wells and Omar Khadri, especially as the action was coming to its final conclusion. I actually felt sorry for Omar as much as for John.

Any additional comments?

Great story. Listen to it!!!

A GOOD spy thriller!

I enjoyed this book very much. It's exactly what I was looking for, a good spy thriller with lot's of action ... Something to take my mind off reality. Like watching "24" ... Not "HIGH ART", but fun and bloody spy action! If an escape is what you're after, look no further! I'm anxious to see how his others are.

John Wells! I want more!

Great storytelling! Unforgettable characters. Awesome narrator. Simply perfect! Can’t wait to hear the next book in the series. Mr Berensen, very well done!

A good place to start

"The Faithful Spy" was a pleasant surprise. While I wasn't just bowed over, I do find that it is unique and has a lot of room to expand and get better. John Wells is one of the most complex espionage characters to be introduced yet. He's multi dimensional, unlike many others in the first book. And where he'll go next remains a most exciting prospect. While I like Robertson Dean when reading nonfiction, and classics perhaps, this wasn't his strongest performance. It's just not a good fit. And that's not a cut to his talents as a narrator, it's just this particular book wasn't a good fit. But all in all, it was a great starting point and looking forward to more.

Outstanding

A sophisticated & enthralling espionage thriller. The author has a brilliant writing style & the narrator is superb. An outstanding story from beginning to end. Authentic, with wonderful character development. I need to listen to the next in the series, immediately.