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The Walk-In: A Novel
Gary Berntsen, longtime CIA operative and the field commander who cornered Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, writing with award-winning novelist Ralph Pezzullo, offers in this edge-of-the-seat thriller a terrifying vision of where the next threat to America may come from.
When a highly placed Iranian intelligence operative walks into a U.S. embassy claiming to possess explosive information, counterterrorism officer Matt Freed is dispatched to interview him and is warned of an impending attack on the United States that could kill millions. But is the man’s story precious truth or calculated fiction? Matt isn’t sure, but with a possible catastrophe looming in less than two weeks, his superiors reluctantly prepare for the assault.
Matt can’t leave it alone, though. With questions still lingering about what is really going on, he defies his superiors’ orders and launches his own investigation. As the clock ticks down, he searches frantically for the truth at an Afghan prison under siege, an abandoned Uzbekistan bio weapons facility, and a Moscow hospital where an arms dealer is dying of a mysterious disease.
Ultimately, Matt’s efforts brand him an out-of-control renegade, and he finds himself left out in the cold. Yet he may be the only one with the knowledge needed to avert unimaginable chaos.
From a counterterrorism warrior who has spent a lifetime thwarting those who would do us harm, The Walk-In is an exhilarating plunge into tradecraft and terror.
When a highly placed Iranian intelligence operative walks into a U.S. embassy claiming to possess explosive information, counterterrorism officer Matt Freed is dispatched to interview him and is warned of an impending attack on the United States that could kill millions. But is the man’s story precious truth or calculated fiction? Matt isn’t sure, but with a possible catastrophe looming in less than two weeks, his superiors reluctantly prepare for the assault.
Matt can’t leave it alone, though. With questions still lingering about what is really going on, he defies his superiors’ orders and launches his own investigation. As the clock ticks down, he searches frantically for the truth at an Afghan prison under siege, an abandoned Uzbekistan bio weapons facility, and a Moscow hospital where an arms dealer is dying of a mysterious disease.
Ultimately, Matt’s efforts brand him an out-of-control renegade, and he finds himself left out in the cold. Yet he may be the only one with the knowledge needed to avert unimaginable chaos.
From a counterterrorism warrior who has spent a lifetime thwarting those who would do us harm, The Walk-In is an exhilarating plunge into tradecraft and terror.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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62 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 9, 2011
Whether a whistle blowing minion of a giant corporation or a minor CIA agent in the bureaucratic world of big government, having important knowledge that can change the world and then facing an impenetrable barrier of those who refuse to listen has to be one of the most frustrating emotions in the human experience. The author or authors of this book put that emotion to good use. The tenacious CIA agent Matt Freed has stumbled into a series of events that could conceivably take the world to the brink of war but certain details just don’t add up and he keeps pursuing those inconsistencies in spite of being ignored by his superiors, right down to the final goal line. Perhaps because Gary Berntsen, one of the authors, is a former CIA agent this tale has a real feel of authenticity and the breathless fictional account makes it a classic spy thriller. All I can say is that if the people who make up our first line of defense against terrorism are really this rigid, then we’re all in trouble.
July 12, 2012
Wow! Where to start?
I love this genre. And Gary Bernsten is the real deal. He knows counter-terrorism and that shows as you read through the book. It feels right. Yes, some of the action feels like it was added to heighten the tension of the story, but you come to expect that with this type of novel.
But, throughout the entire book you find yourself asking why. 90% of the actions taken by most parties seem idiotic. The entire premise that sets up the final dramatic conclusion was entirely unnecessary. If the antagonist could set up what he set up (I am trying to dance around spoilers here) why not just do it? The conclusion of the book, instead of capping off a thrilling adventure, ruins the entire premise of everything that came before it.
And damn it, when you are sitting in a car with somebody going somewhere, you have all the time you need to pass on necessary information to the people with you! How hard is it to say, we are looking for this person, or I know this piece of information, or something similar. You have 5 or 10 minutes in a car, you can't say two sentences about what is going on to the people helping you? Even when they ask? It was obvious that the author was attempting to ratchet up the tension, but it sapped the energy right out of the story. It felt forced. And that was disappointing, because it was a good story.
I love this genre. And Gary Bernsten is the real deal. He knows counter-terrorism and that shows as you read through the book. It feels right. Yes, some of the action feels like it was added to heighten the tension of the story, but you come to expect that with this type of novel.
But, throughout the entire book you find yourself asking why. 90% of the actions taken by most parties seem idiotic. The entire premise that sets up the final dramatic conclusion was entirely unnecessary. If the antagonist could set up what he set up (I am trying to dance around spoilers here) why not just do it? The conclusion of the book, instead of capping off a thrilling adventure, ruins the entire premise of everything that came before it.
And damn it, when you are sitting in a car with somebody going somewhere, you have all the time you need to pass on necessary information to the people with you! How hard is it to say, we are looking for this person, or I know this piece of information, or something similar. You have 5 or 10 minutes in a car, you can't say two sentences about what is going on to the people helping you? Even when they ask? It was obvious that the author was attempting to ratchet up the tension, but it sapped the energy right out of the story. It felt forced. And that was disappointing, because it was a good story.
July 3, 2012
Bertnsen and Pezzullo have created a wild and plausible plot that shows exactly where and how potential threats may materialize. A lot of the reasons 9/11 wasn't prevented had to do with human failures and counterproductive beauracratic structures that impede the efforts of brave individuals who bear the brunt of having to protect America under extremely difficult circumstances. The Walk-In is written brilliantly and conincingly, and you will be surprised how much you can learn about the threats we face from a work of fiction. Anyone interested in this subject, or just enjoys a fun and exciting plot will do themselves justice by picking up this book.
Weird vocab,though:"rabid" ninety-five-degree heat...maybe the only time in my reading life I've ever seen those words paired up--hopefully the last; "intense high-kilowatt current seemed to run through his body"...like "high-kilowatt" needs "intense"...; "the loaded Glock"...really? loaded? I wonder how many spy studs carry unloaded weapons?
Weird vocab,though:"rabid" ninety-five-degree heat...maybe the only time in my reading life I've ever seen those words paired up--hopefully the last; "intense high-kilowatt current seemed to run through his body"...like "high-kilowatt" needs "intense"...; "the loaded Glock"...really? loaded? I wonder how many spy studs carry unloaded weapons?
September 9, 2014
A highly placed Iranian intelligence agent walks into an embassy and tells a story of a terrorist plot.
Matt Freed attempts to find out the truth. His toughest battles are with idiot bureaucrats more interested in preserving their power than actually fighting terror.
More realistic in that sense than I want to think about, probably.
Freed isn't much like the usual protagonists of this genre like Mitch Rapp or Scot Harvath, he's far more vulnerable, and damaged psychically.
In the end, I felt it could be more exciting.
Matt Freed attempts to find out the truth. His toughest battles are with idiot bureaucrats more interested in preserving their power than actually fighting terror.
More realistic in that sense than I want to think about, probably.
Freed isn't much like the usual protagonists of this genre like Mitch Rapp or Scot Harvath, he's far more vulnerable, and damaged psychically.
In the end, I felt it could be more exciting.
January 26, 2009
I suspect Tom CLancy would be mortified to have this apallingly-written, melodramatic piece of rubbish compared to his body of work. (By Jeffrey Deaver, no less! How much do these people get paid for these testimonials?) Although, maybe it became brilliant after the first 20 pages, which is where I gave up on it, having ploughed on for 15 pages more than I should have.
September 24, 2017
This is a book that would have been much better if it had been expanded.
Published in 2008 by Crown Publishing
Matt Freed is summoned on very short notice to Bucharest to interview a member of Iran's intelligence community. He was unrecruited, meaning that he is a "walk-in" - literally someone who walked into the embassy and offered information that the American government would want.
Freed has been asked to talk to this man because he is an expert on Iranian politics and he speaks the language. He is also an extremely capable intelligence operative. The interview yields valuable and very scary information. Freed starts to act on it and soon discovers that there may be more to this situation than he has been led to believe. He starts his own investigation and becomes convinced that this may be a double cross. His superiors disagree and it becomes a race against time with Freed working against foreign governments and his own...
This is a middle-of-the-road spy novel. The action was good but sometimes the narration needed to be made more clear as the action moved from person to person. The supporting characters were never really fleshed out so they always seemed to be fairly arbitrary in their actions because they were faceless uniforms or suits, depending on the bureaucracies they served. This is a book that would have been much better if it had been expanded.
I rate this novel 3 stars out of 5.
https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/
Published in 2008 by Crown Publishing
Matt Freed is summoned on very short notice to Bucharest to interview a member of Iran's intelligence community. He was unrecruited, meaning that he is a "walk-in" - literally someone who walked into the embassy and offered information that the American government would want.
Freed has been asked to talk to this man because he is an expert on Iranian politics and he speaks the language. He is also an extremely capable intelligence operative. The interview yields valuable and very scary information. Freed starts to act on it and soon discovers that there may be more to this situation than he has been led to believe. He starts his own investigation and becomes convinced that this may be a double cross. His superiors disagree and it becomes a race against time with Freed working against foreign governments and his own...
This is a middle-of-the-road spy novel. The action was good but sometimes the narration needed to be made more clear as the action moved from person to person. The supporting characters were never really fleshed out so they always seemed to be fairly arbitrary in their actions because they were faceless uniforms or suits, depending on the bureaucracies they served. This is a book that would have been much better if it had been expanded.
I rate this novel 3 stars out of 5.
https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/
April 24, 2019
Note: This was originally written on 4/12/2011 I'm amazed this book was not a top-ten bestseller. To quote the bestseller thriller writer, Jeffrey Deaver, "The Walk-in is what thrillers aspire to be", and I couldn't agree more. For me, it is undoubtedly one of the most compelling thriller stories I've yet to read, each chapter driving the reader to the next, each with greater intensity than the last until, as you reach the latter part of the book, almost nothing can cause you to break away.
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February 5, 2020Boring and doesn’t make sense
April 25, 2020
Really enjoyed this book and it is a new author for me. Hope to read a few more
January 10, 2024
Solid, globe-hopping spy thriller. A good mystery at the center, excellent spycraft. Well done!
June 6, 2010
A high level Iranian official comes forward with information on two major terrorist attacks set to occur in the near future. One of them on U.S soil. This almost reads like the headlines in the latest newspapers. However this book deals with the side of this that the public would not see. For a short book, 276 pages , these authors have packed in a big wallop. Very fast paced with a lot of action and great characters. This one is a hit don't miss it.
July 6, 2011
This CIA novel has a feeling of authenticity, which can be expected as one of the authors is a former CIA agent. Again the stakes are high when a walk-in reveals a terrorist plot to attack three mid-size cities in the U.S.
November 9, 2008
It was an okay book. I diverting read. I wish I had waited to check it out from the library, but I'll probably keep my copy now that I own it.
August 5, 2019
I couldn't finish this. I *love* the story but the writing was just deplorable. I couldn't get through it. Quit on page 84.
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August 5, 2015Too many acronyms/alphabet soup! Confusing characters as to who was with what agency. Probably will not read other novels from this author.
May 11, 2012
Wow, better than I expected. Glad I read this one.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews