The Secret Soldier

The Secret Soldier (A John Wells Novel)

by Alex Berenson, Putnam Adult, February 2011

...assassinations, kidnappings and other terrorist plots ...ripped from the headlines and unfortunately not particularly farfetched

Secret Solider is the next installment in Alex Berenson’s series about John Wells, an unconventional CIA operative. Wells has now left the agency and is trying to build a personal life with some normalcy. Not to be! He is recruited by the king of Saudi Arabia to uncover plots against the monarchy and ultimately against the US. Wells and his partner chase the terrorists from Lebannon back to Saudi Arabia without the full support of the CIA. They deal with assassinations, kidnappings and other terrorist plots. Let me say that this novel moves right along and in my mind seemed to be ripped from the headlines and unfortunately not particularly farfetched. In addition to the action in the Mid East, Berenson takes the time to give the reader a background in Saudi Arabian history, the different sects of Islam and other cultural details. I don’t want to give away plot details here as they are the meat and potatoes of this genre but Wells is a credible hero with a meaningful back-story. Additionally the story scored points with me with an ending that was not predictable.

This was the first book I read in this series and it read just fine as a standalone story. In the international spy thriller genre, Berenson, and his protagonist John Wells are now on my reading list.

I read an advanced reader copy of this novel provided by the publisher.