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Jack in the Box: A Shadow War Thriller
From a bestselling author with intimate knowledge of CIA tradecraft comes an electrifying novel of terrifying possibilities –– a story of betrayal and secrets that could implode America's war on terrorism ... and a nightmarish conspiracy firmly rooted in the very highest levels of our nation's government.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
16 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
John Weisman
48 books20 followersSeven-time New York Times bestselling author John Weisman is one of a select company of authors to have their books on both the Times nonfiction and fiction bestseller lists. He pioneered coverage of Naval Special Warfare when he co-authored the number one New York Times bestseller Rogue Warrior, the story of Richard Marcinko and the creation of SEAL Team 6, and then conceived, created, developed, and wrote eight bestselling Rogue fictional sequels. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Seymour Hersh praised his 2004 novel Jack in the Box as "the insider's insider spy novel." Weisman's CIA short stories were chosen for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories in 1997 and 2003. His most recent CIA short fiction appears in Agents of Treachery. He reviews books on intelligence and military affairs for the Washington Times, and his analysis has appeared in AFIO's periodical Intelligencer. John Weisman lives on Florida's Gulf Coast
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 11, 2021
Sam Waterman - CIA, Russia, lawyer friend is traitor
June 16, 2025
"Jack in the Box" is a provocative and entertaining thriller about the continuing value of counter-intelligence in a time when a disproportionate share of federal resources has been shifted away from that into counter-terrorism efforts. I liked main character Sam Waterman and found his recruitment back into "the game" following early retirement plausible. The plot -- involving moles in high places -- also seems plausible. Thankfully, it moves along at a faster clip than events in John LeCarre's cold war thrillers ever did.
Former reporter John Weisman apparently knows a lot about CIA tradecraft. He also has a knack for working real people like former FBI director Louis Freeh, former ambassador Pamela Harriman, and still-with-us Russian bogeyman Vladimir Putin into the edges of his narrative.
One of the few weaknesses in this book is Weisman's tendency to black out some of the nouns in his own prose, ostensibly for the protection of operational security as practiced by clandestine services. In the same vein, Weisman sometimes indulges in acronym soup just because he can. For example, Sam's situational awareness of people in his environment who might be watching him covertly is finely tuned, but I didn't buy the conceit that compared Sam's "alien spotting" to "forward-looking infrared" (FLIR) technology; FLIR is hardware most often associated with troops and equipment on night missions. There are better ways to say that an operative is keenly observant, so I chalked FLIR up to Weisman being undisciplined with his insider's knowledge. Similarly, some of the foreshadowing is less than subtle: when Waterman spots a beautiful women watching him in a Paris restaurant, you know his lunch won't end the way he and his companion intended it to.
All that said, my quibbles with the novel are minor. It's an exhilarating read.
Former reporter John Weisman apparently knows a lot about CIA tradecraft. He also has a knack for working real people like former FBI director Louis Freeh, former ambassador Pamela Harriman, and still-with-us Russian bogeyman Vladimir Putin into the edges of his narrative.
One of the few weaknesses in this book is Weisman's tendency to black out some of the nouns in his own prose, ostensibly for the protection of operational security as practiced by clandestine services. In the same vein, Weisman sometimes indulges in acronym soup just because he can. For example, Sam's situational awareness of people in his environment who might be watching him covertly is finely tuned, but I didn't buy the conceit that compared Sam's "alien spotting" to "forward-looking infrared" (FLIR) technology; FLIR is hardware most often associated with troops and equipment on night missions. There are better ways to say that an operative is keenly observant, so I chalked FLIR up to Weisman being undisciplined with his insider's knowledge. Similarly, some of the foreshadowing is less than subtle: when Waterman spots a beautiful women watching him in a Paris restaurant, you know his lunch won't end the way he and his companion intended it to.
All that said, my quibbles with the novel are minor. It's an exhilarating read.
February 16, 2014
Sam Waterman works for the CIA. His struggles remind me of my career in the Canadian Federal Government. His cynical bosses just barely tolerate him - their careers based on political correctness , pleasing the politicians. Sam Waterman's original mentors were Brahmins - an elite aristocracy with a vision of their own destiny and duty. They were largely replaced by the more maleable Romanoffs. This echo's my experience in the civil service my mentors were soil scientists concerned with the production of food who were replaced by managers more concerned with defining processes which were the basis of their own careers.
In conversation with Michael O'Neil, Sam Waterman says "Moscow never acts except in its own self-interest". Reminds me of John McCain talking of his meeting with Putin: "I looked into his eyes and saw three letters K G B".
One of the most touching characters is Charlotte Wells - a woman who had worked with total dedication, she was banished from the main office at Langley to several back water buildings, collectively called Purgatory. After years of being ignored she walked out. "Sam was miserable the day she walked out of Purgatory for good." Sam searches her out to help him nail down some stubborn clues. She's living in Florida, forgotten. She takes Sam's material. Here's an excerpt:
Charlotte: "Sam did you bring Charlotte any paper?"
Sam: "yes"
Charlotte: "How good is it , Sam?"
Sam: "I think we've got gold, Charlotte, but you'll have to pan for it"
Charlotte pulls the clues out and identifies the pattern that has eluded Sam.
John Weisman writes with depth and intensity. "Jack in the Box" is a masterpiece.
In conversation with Michael O'Neil, Sam Waterman says "Moscow never acts except in its own self-interest". Reminds me of John McCain talking of his meeting with Putin: "I looked into his eyes and saw three letters K G B".
One of the most touching characters is Charlotte Wells - a woman who had worked with total dedication, she was banished from the main office at Langley to several back water buildings, collectively called Purgatory. After years of being ignored she walked out. "Sam was miserable the day she walked out of Purgatory for good." Sam searches her out to help him nail down some stubborn clues. She's living in Florida, forgotten. She takes Sam's material. Here's an excerpt:
Charlotte: "Sam did you bring Charlotte any paper?"
Sam: "yes"
Charlotte: "How good is it , Sam?"
Sam: "I think we've got gold, Charlotte, but you'll have to pan for it"
Charlotte pulls the clues out and identifies the pattern that has eluded Sam.
John Weisman writes with depth and intensity. "Jack in the Box" is a masterpiece.
July 3, 2010
Oh where has this guy gone? He co-authored the Rouge Warrior series for Dick Marcinko and then came out with two of the most realistic spy novels I have read. Realistic right down to the blacking out of spy trade craft secrets that he can't share and sub notes regarding actual past events that are much apart of the story and its fictional (maybe) characters. The Rouge Warrior books were very much based in fact, but had to be categorized as fiction due to the Department of Defense coming down hard on Marcinko for violating nondisclosure agreements. I have a feeling that these books could also fall under that same category. Which could also explain his leave of absence from the publishing world.
June 6, 2012
Filled with espionage trade craft detail of operatives on foreign soil. It's difficult to distinguish facts from fantasy, but this feels like a very solid believable action oriented novel, with contemporary suspense elements and political ramifications.
If you're not that interested in the actual mechanics used by spy agents, and don't believe in the political innuendos, then this can be a tedious read. There's no real character development, a marginal amount of sex, no bang up shootem up scenes, etc. There is controlled violence and suspense, but not enough for me to elevate the star rating on this book.
If you're not that interested in the actual mechanics used by spy agents, and don't believe in the political innuendos, then this can be a tedious read. There's no real character development, a marginal amount of sex, no bang up shootem up scenes, etc. There is controlled violence and suspense, but not enough for me to elevate the star rating on this book.
March 18, 2016
Disappointing... unexplained dialogue, rambling... even refers to one of the 4 main characters by the wrong name, in one account. He has done much better work. Overall, could have been a good story.. But...
February 19, 2008
"Retired CIA operative, Sam Waterman, is called to a Senator
May 13, 2009
Intriguing. Liked Soar better but still a good read if you like clandestine ops.
July 24, 2009
Does a nice job throwing around lots of concepts, but the character development is thin. Recognizes he's treading over leCarre territory and handles that quite well.
Read
December 15, 2012spy story, boring, a waste of time
November 14, 2016
Excellent proof that a excellent spy thriller doesn't have to be 700+ pages long.
February 9, 2009
Stopped reading it. Couldn't get into it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews