The Rendition

by Albert Ashforth

The brutal secret war to win Kosovo’s freedom from Serbia is in full swing when The Rendition takes readers behind the headlines for an inside look at the United States’ involvement. Alex Klear, a veteran intelligence officer, is sent to the Balkans on a hastily planned rendition which goes terribly bad. Alex decides it’s time to retire. However, when he is persuaded to go to Germany as part of an operation connected to the rendition, he finds himself caught between two dynamic women―an old girlfriend and the female colonel running the op. While there, he becomes a target of the Kosovo Liberation Army, a murder suspect to the German police, and for his superiors, the perfect fall guy to take the heat for a badly botched secret operation. With Kosovo’s independence declaration coming closer by the day, the secret war heats up and Alex comes to realize that he is at the center of a murky conspiracy aimed at making the United States an international pariah.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller

315 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2012

About the author

Albert Ashforth served in the U.S. Army overseas upon graduating from high school. When he returned, he earned his B.A. from Brooklyn College. He worked for two New York City newspapers before returning to Europe to write a book. He worked as a military contractor in Bosnia, Kosovo, Germany and Afghanistan. He also worked at the German military academy (the equivalent of West Point) training NATO officers. As a member of the University of Maryland’s Overseas Program, he served as an instructor at 10th Group Special Forces headquarters in Bad Tolz, Germany. He is the author of three books. His articles and stories have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, American Scholar, Four Seasons and other publications. He is now a faculty member of the State University of New York and lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Matthew HAUPTFLEISCH · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Rendition" is an amazing book!!! 5 stars!!! This action packed book will keep you turning the page. I have read the online version but it is the same, right? It kept me un till the very end and anyone interested in special ops will love this book! Alex Klear is in Kosovo on a top secret mission . That is all I say about what happens in this book. I will recommend this book to my friends and family!! The book has won "The Guardian First Book Award"

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a page turner! A phenomenally well written story that will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting more. Can't wait to read the author's next work On Edge!

I hope this novel gets made into a movie, it's that good.

I've recommended this book to many of my friends who loved it as well.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thriller. Could not put this book down.

Great main character. Very well written and easy to follow the plot. Never a dull moment and never made the main character a superman type that got out of any situation by shooting up anything that got in his way. This made it more believable.

[G. Miki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel starts with an unofficial U.S. operation to capture Ramush Nadaj in Kosovo... for whatever reason... and take him elsewhere to meet whatever fate. In short, the undertaking is a rendition, an illegal abduction.

Alex Klear, a contract intelligence officer, is in on it, and the mission doesn’t end well for him.

For readers, however, all is well, and that’s just the opening salvo of a well-paced, well-written suspense thriller filled with never-a-dull moment twists and turns and a protagonist with all the bad-boy virtues we love in our action heroes. In sort, the novel is an excellent read and one I couldn’t wait to get back to when I had to put it down.

A few months after the fiasco in Kosovo, Klear is on another assignment, headed to Munich where he previously worked turning Russian nationals to Western use. Klear not only speaks German with the requisite Bavarian accent, but he has an ex-girlfriend here and supposedly contacts that will be useful in the investigation he’s been called in on. Our hero, though, has a talent for getting into hot water while pulling other people out of it, and soon he’s in the sights of the Munich police in regard to some serious charges.

In short, the book is fun and written with real insider knowledge of the regions the protagonist spends time in—and an understanding of the politics, both of the physical territory and inside the intelligence community itself.

Author Ashforth has quite a background in the military and as a military contractor abroad. But Dr. Ashforth, who teaches these days, is also a real writer—having worked for two NYC newspapers at one point in his career.

This was the best thing I’ve read in quite a while.

[Shelly Reuben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this book when it originally came out, but in anticipation of his new novel - ON EDGE - which will be published soon, I wanted to reacquaint myself with the characters. What I like most about Albert Ashforth's books is that even though they are thrillers in the conventional sense (danger, excitement, threats, fear, intrigue), his characters are so ... likable, and he is so knowledgeable about his subject matter. You are always rooting for his good guys, and even though the endings are not predictable, they are always satisfying. I eagerly await ON EDGE. For those who haven't already read THE RENDITION, do so. It will be a nice way to ease your way into his new and eagerly awaited book.

[tiddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plots are engaging. The author obviously knows his stuffs and is in his elements. Characters and plots feel real. It does evoke memories of the quiet espionage intrigue in John le Carré era. In the more updated version from Ashforth, there's a bit more action involved, and the ending (much as Hollywood movies goes) wraps up all loose ends for the black op. I wonder how often that turns out in real life...

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Post Cold War spy thriller about a rendition that goes terribly bad. The person who is being chased had used sarin gas on his own people, hoping to point the blame on the USA. Chased all over Europe, he is finally tracked down and arrested. His minions are either dead or in jail. Throw in an old flame and you have this rather formulaic post Cold War, post 9/11 spy thriller. Ok but not great.

[David Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I find the hero embarrassingly sexist, the substance of this thriller is genuinely enjoyable and Albert Ashworth makes a good shot at showing the political complexities of covert operations on "friendly" soil.

http://opionator.wordpress.com/2012/0...

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

But I felt that the characters were not developed, especially the main who seemed to vacillate between sharp & intelligent to indecisive & dumb

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one kept me reading
thought it was well done with realistic situations, actions, characters

[Marcleitson Leitson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a simple mystery in Kosovo was truly enjoyed the way it was written more than the story itself. Surprised I had not run across the author before.

[John Miceli · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK

[Gary Sedivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fast moving Post-cold war, post-nine eleven story.