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John Wells #11
The Prisoner
To unmask a CIA mole, John Wells must resume his old undercover identity as an al Qaeda jihadi and hope he can survive it in the new cutting-edge novel from the #1 bestselling author.It is the most dangerous mission of John Wells s career.
Evidence is mounting that someone high up in the CIA is doing the unthinkable passing messages to ISIS, alerting them to planned operations. Finding out the mole s identity without alerting him, however, will be very hard, and to accomplish it, Wells will have to do something he thought he d left behind forever. He will have to reassume his former identity as an al Qaeda jihadi, get captured, and go undercover to befriend an ISIS prisoner in a secret Bulgarian prison.
Many years before, Wells was the only American agent ever to penetrate al Qaeda, but times have changed drastically. The terrorist organizations have multiplied: gotten bigger, crueler, more ambitious and powerful. Wells knows it may well be his death sentence. But there is no one else."
420 pages, Hardcover
First published January 31, 2017
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2006 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 304 reviews
August 28, 2017
"If they don't come back, you won't have to worry. I'll be dead already." - Alex Berenson, The Prisoner
The Prisoner is the eleventh book in Alex Berenson's John Wells Series, and as you might expect, it takes the protagonist,a former CIA operative, on quite an adventure. The John Wells books are more inventive and a little deeper than any other series of thrillers I have read, which keeps me going back to it every time a new book is published. The hero - definitely a fitting word - is clever and capable in ways one can only imagine, and the stories Berenson comes up with are terrifying, because they seem eerily plausible. The Prisoner shows us Wells as he has settled into a post-CIA life, though unable to completely separate himself from his past and the world he lived in most of his adult life. Of course, certain events force him to decide whether he is able to stay away when his old bosses call on him. Will he stay home and go walk the dog or will he try, once again, to infiltrate a hostile place to prevent a major disaster from striking? Can you guess the answer?
This book is a solid addition to the series, and it shows Wells refreshing some of the skills he learned in the first book, when he infiltrated Al Quaeda. I liked that there was a bit of his personal story, which I always think makes him a more interesting character, rather than your run-of-the-mill shoot-em-up type of action hero. At times the book felt a tiny bit formulaic, but that didn't keep me from turning the pages. This is a smart, well-plotted and written thriller, and I definitely look forward to the next book in this series!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
The Prisoner is the eleventh book in Alex Berenson's John Wells Series, and as you might expect, it takes the protagonist,a former CIA operative, on quite an adventure. The John Wells books are more inventive and a little deeper than any other series of thrillers I have read, which keeps me going back to it every time a new book is published. The hero - definitely a fitting word - is clever and capable in ways one can only imagine, and the stories Berenson comes up with are terrifying, because they seem eerily plausible. The Prisoner shows us Wells as he has settled into a post-CIA life, though unable to completely separate himself from his past and the world he lived in most of his adult life. Of course, certain events force him to decide whether he is able to stay away when his old bosses call on him. Will he stay home and go walk the dog or will he try, once again, to infiltrate a hostile place to prevent a major disaster from striking? Can you guess the answer?
This book is a solid addition to the series, and it shows Wells refreshing some of the skills he learned in the first book, when he infiltrated Al Quaeda. I liked that there was a bit of his personal story, which I always think makes him a more interesting character, rather than your run-of-the-mill shoot-em-up type of action hero. At times the book felt a tiny bit formulaic, but that didn't keep me from turning the pages. This is a smart, well-plotted and written thriller, and I definitely look forward to the next book in this series!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
June 17, 2023
Full review at a later date.
November 13, 2018
Berenson has written a whole series of espionage thrillers featuring John Wells, a CIA operative fighting al Qaeda. I was unaware of this when I requested a DRC from Net Galley and Putnam Penguin, but I find it stands up quite nicely as a stand-alone novel. Would I have enjoyed it even more if I’d read the others first? We will never know. However, if you’d like to read this tightly woven thriller either in sequence or singly, it will be available January 31, 2017.
To enjoy an espionage thriller, one has to buy the premise, namely that the CIA is a heroic organization, or at least has a segment of good guys that are fighting terrorism to keep innocent civilians safe. This is a premise I buy cheerfully for the sake of a good yarn; I do it when I read crime fiction in which the cops are morally righteous, or at least more good than bad, so why not here. In exchange, I got to enjoy an intense, interesting thriller that is different from a lot of the other fiction I read, and novelty is a meaningful selling point when one spends several hours daily with one’s nose in a book.
This is a literate read. In a world of dumbed-down fiction that plays to the lowest common denominator, I have come to value writers that have strong vocabularies and aren’t afraid to use them. I also learned some things about the Middle East and how the USA operates there, including a few new specialized terms and some information about the cultures featured in that part of the world. Of course, this is fiction and it could also be true that Berenson made it all up, but his past includes work as a war correspondent in Iraq, and so perhaps this is what gives the setting its authenticity.
Our premise is that there is a mole at a high level inside of the CIA. John Wells has been feeling the itch to travel, impatient with his wife’s demand for more family time and suffocated by the dull sameness of everyday life in the States. He volunteers to return to the Mid-East and pose as an al Qaeda recruit so that he can be tossed into a Bulgarian prison and cozy up to the high-up operative that is interned there.
I blanched slightly at this; I have read a couple of former CIA employees’ memoirs, and I had to swallow hard to pretend that this guy would actually do this thing. But when we read thrillers, whether it’s crime, mystery, or a spy story, we don’t really want to read about tedium and paper pushing; we want excitement. Once I bought the premise, I was wedded to the narrative.
The other key characters here are Shafer, the CIA officer Wells reports to and who is also hunting for the mole; and the mole, whose name I can’t tell you without ruining the book. At first I thought I was seeing shallow characterization, but Wells’ character is developed in a way that is so subtle that the reader may not realize it’s occurred. Gradually we come to know who Wells is, how he thinks, how he will respond. On the other hand, our mole is a loser and remains a caricature throughout.
Every significant character here is male, but from what little I know, that’s consistent with the CIA, especially among the highest officers, a glass ceiling that’s hard to crack, so Berenson is merely reflecting US intelligence as it actually is.
The plot’s arc is a little different than one might usually expect. The hook at the start is arresting, and I expected it to perhaps ratchet up, up, up from there. Instead, the pace flagged once we were about 15 percent of the way in, and then gradually began to ascend again. By the time I was 70 percent of the way in, I understood that the next time I picked it up, I would have to finish it.
When we hit the climax, set in France, I threw off the quilt and sat up. The pulse-pounding denouement was inconsistent with lying supine and I read the last 15 percent of the book sitting up and leaning forward.
This story is guaranteed to spike your adrenaline and chase away the winter blahs. Recommended to those that enjoy espionage thrillers.
To enjoy an espionage thriller, one has to buy the premise, namely that the CIA is a heroic organization, or at least has a segment of good guys that are fighting terrorism to keep innocent civilians safe. This is a premise I buy cheerfully for the sake of a good yarn; I do it when I read crime fiction in which the cops are morally righteous, or at least more good than bad, so why not here. In exchange, I got to enjoy an intense, interesting thriller that is different from a lot of the other fiction I read, and novelty is a meaningful selling point when one spends several hours daily with one’s nose in a book.
This is a literate read. In a world of dumbed-down fiction that plays to the lowest common denominator, I have come to value writers that have strong vocabularies and aren’t afraid to use them. I also learned some things about the Middle East and how the USA operates there, including a few new specialized terms and some information about the cultures featured in that part of the world. Of course, this is fiction and it could also be true that Berenson made it all up, but his past includes work as a war correspondent in Iraq, and so perhaps this is what gives the setting its authenticity.
Our premise is that there is a mole at a high level inside of the CIA. John Wells has been feeling the itch to travel, impatient with his wife’s demand for more family time and suffocated by the dull sameness of everyday life in the States. He volunteers to return to the Mid-East and pose as an al Qaeda recruit so that he can be tossed into a Bulgarian prison and cozy up to the high-up operative that is interned there.
I blanched slightly at this; I have read a couple of former CIA employees’ memoirs, and I had to swallow hard to pretend that this guy would actually do this thing. But when we read thrillers, whether it’s crime, mystery, or a spy story, we don’t really want to read about tedium and paper pushing; we want excitement. Once I bought the premise, I was wedded to the narrative.
The other key characters here are Shafer, the CIA officer Wells reports to and who is also hunting for the mole; and the mole, whose name I can’t tell you without ruining the book. At first I thought I was seeing shallow characterization, but Wells’ character is developed in a way that is so subtle that the reader may not realize it’s occurred. Gradually we come to know who Wells is, how he thinks, how he will respond. On the other hand, our mole is a loser and remains a caricature throughout.
Every significant character here is male, but from what little I know, that’s consistent with the CIA, especially among the highest officers, a glass ceiling that’s hard to crack, so Berenson is merely reflecting US intelligence as it actually is.
The plot’s arc is a little different than one might usually expect. The hook at the start is arresting, and I expected it to perhaps ratchet up, up, up from there. Instead, the pace flagged once we were about 15 percent of the way in, and then gradually began to ascend again. By the time I was 70 percent of the way in, I understood that the next time I picked it up, I would have to finish it.
When we hit the climax, set in France, I threw off the quilt and sat up. The pulse-pounding denouement was inconsistent with lying supine and I read the last 15 percent of the book sitting up and leaning forward.
This story is guaranteed to spike your adrenaline and chase away the winter blahs. Recommended to those that enjoy espionage thrillers.
May 23, 2017
This book is so prescient it must surprise even its author, given that he wrote it before the year started:
*sarin gas (like the Syrian attack)
*possible high-level CIA traitor (string of deaths of CIA sources in China)
*European bomb attacks (Manchester)
Berenson is again at the top of his game with this John Wells thriller. Lots of action, lots of fights (Wells isn't spared the injuries-ouch), lots of suspenseful pacing as Wells races to find a high-level CIA turncoat. He thus can't get CIA help while the turncoat initiates an ISIS European attack on a group of world leaders.
The bro-cameo for Dallas Mavs owner Mark Cuban is cute.
Well-developed and -researched thriller. Highly recommended to all thriller readers. Berenson's expert knowledge of the foreign hot spots is refreshing.
*sarin gas (like the Syrian attack)
*possible high-level CIA traitor (string of deaths of CIA sources in China)
*European bomb attacks (Manchester)
Berenson is again at the top of his game with this John Wells thriller. Lots of action, lots of fights (Wells isn't spared the injuries-ouch), lots of suspenseful pacing as Wells races to find a high-level CIA turncoat. He thus can't get CIA help while the turncoat initiates an ISIS European attack on a group of world leaders.
The bro-cameo for Dallas Mavs owner Mark Cuban is cute.
Well-developed and -researched thriller. Highly recommended to all thriller readers. Berenson's expert knowledge of the foreign hot spots is refreshing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2017
Ok so it's #13 in the series. I enjoy the formula or I would not have read it to begin with. Not my favorite of the series but still good. Any John Wells is better than none. But I miss Exley and have never warmed to Ann. I'm disappointed in the romance they are bringing to the table? I know. I'm asking too much. Wrong genre. Still. I couldn't put it down.
February 18, 2017
Ellis Shafer and John Wells think there is a mole at the top of the America intelligence network based on a discussion overheard in a secret prison in Bulgaria so John leaves his retirement, returning to his undercover role as a jihadi. Captured by American forces and tossed into the prison with no back-up, he works to befriend a prisoner to get information about a pending major attack. After saving the prisoner's life and being savagely beaten, John manages to get a nom de guerre and the name of a Parisian slum. Meanwhile, the Caliph is developing a biological weapon and looking to deploy it. The head of the DSGE is assassinated on the Champs Elysee and the world's intelligence leaders come to his funeral at an obscure church in Paris. I thought the pacing was a little slower than other books in this series. 3.75 stars.
February 7, 2017
While I enjoy reading about John's adventures, part of me hopes at some point he says no, that he allows himself to just live and be happy. I think with the surprise he found out at the start of the book there is a good chance that may happen or least he might have a good reason to stay.
With this mission, John took a great chance when he willingly went into a black hole prison. I thought for sure he was crazy, but he worked his magic and found out what he needed to to save the day. I liked the help that John got towards the end, loved how the guy was a bit flip with John at first, but then more in awe after he learned what was really going on. But I think the best part was John's welcome home, it couldn't have been sweeter!
With this mission, John took a great chance when he willingly went into a black hole prison. I thought for sure he was crazy, but he worked his magic and found out what he needed to to save the day. I liked the help that John got towards the end, loved how the guy was a bit flip with John at first, but then more in awe after he learned what was really going on. But I think the best part was John's welcome home, it couldn't have been sweeter!
February 18, 2017
John Wells volunteers to go to a secret Bulgarian prison where ISIS members are being held to uncover a mole within the CIA. Things seem to be going well for Wells. He's become a father again and seems to be all the life he needs inWells' life.
Fast read in the car, Guidal does a good job of keeping things moving forward and entertaining. An un-Wells like ending but it does leave you waiting for the next installment.
Fast read in the car, Guidal does a good job of keeping things moving forward and entertaining. An un-Wells like ending but it does leave you waiting for the next installment.
October 8, 2017
Well-paced thriller with the usual John Wells depths on the meaning of faith, political violence, rendition vs. freedom, etc. His sidekick Ellis provides the comic relief. The girlfriend is a reminder of how implausible the whole character is, and that somehow makes it more plausible.
November 30, 2016
In Alex Berenson's The Prisoner (G.P. Putnam 2016), 8th in the John Wells series, Wells goes back undercover as an Al Quaeda operative so he can be captured and incarcerated in the Bulgarian prison also home to a high-value ISIS leader who might have knowledge of a senior CIA mole trading American secrets to the enemy. While Wells is preparing himself for what is likely to be a painful and dangerous mission, Berenson builds a credible picture of what motivates traitors who turn on their homeland in favor of religious zealots set on the destruction of America. This backstory is compelling and believable with just enough emotion to make the half-crazed conclusions seem believable. Almost.
Underpinning everything Wells does is a new motivation: his daughter Emmie. To his surprise, he loves being a father, having a daughter. How his decisions affect her life colors every move he makes. Where in earlier novels he would unfold his plans based on logic and what's best for his country, now, he is conflicted. What will Emmie do if he never returns? What if he can't experience her childhood milestones?
As with many of his novels, Berenson draws on his own experiences to build his plots, crises, and responses. As a reporter for The New York Times, Berenson covered events such as the occupation of Iraq. He graduated from Yale University in 1994 with degrees in history and economics. The first John Wells novel, Faithful Spy, won the 2007 Edgar Award for best first novel.
Overall, The Prisoner is another highly entertaining Berenson political thriller with so many believable pieces that readers can't help but become cynical at the politics woven through every action and cheer for John Wells' indomitable ability to prevail.
--received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review
Underpinning everything Wells does is a new motivation: his daughter Emmie. To his surprise, he loves being a father, having a daughter. How his decisions affect her life colors every move he makes. Where in earlier novels he would unfold his plans based on logic and what's best for his country, now, he is conflicted. What will Emmie do if he never returns? What if he can't experience her childhood milestones?
As with many of his novels, Berenson draws on his own experiences to build his plots, crises, and responses. As a reporter for The New York Times, Berenson covered events such as the occupation of Iraq. He graduated from Yale University in 1994 with degrees in history and economics. The first John Wells novel, Faithful Spy, won the 2007 Edgar Award for best first novel.
Overall, The Prisoner is another highly entertaining Berenson political thriller with so many believable pieces that readers can't help but become cynical at the politics woven through every action and cheer for John Wells' indomitable ability to prevail.
--received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review
November 27, 2018
I only stopped reading this via audiobook because there were too many characters for me to follow. I need to get the hard copy book to read
I have never read a book by Alex Bere son that I did not thoroughly enjoy
I have never read a book by Alex Bere son that I did not thoroughly enjoy
November 16, 2016
John Wells has to unmask a CIA mole and in order to do so he has to resume his old identity as a al Qaeda jihadi. Years ago John was the only agent who could penetrate the organization. Now, he must go back and try to find out who is passing secret information to ISIS. To do so could very well end his life!
An excellent story of how terrorist organizations have not only gotten stronger but to what extent they will go to meet their needs.
Alex Berenson did an excellent job of explaining to us how things are in different worlds. Very well written and researched
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putman for allowing me to read "The Prisioner". I was taken in from the start thinking, oh yeah, I'm going to like this one!!! And I did.
An excellent story of how terrorist organizations have not only gotten stronger but to what extent they will go to meet their needs.
Alex Berenson did an excellent job of explaining to us how things are in different worlds. Very well written and researched
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putman for allowing me to read "The Prisioner". I was taken in from the start thinking, oh yeah, I'm going to like this one!!! And I did.
June 1, 2017
The Prisoner is the first book I've read in the John Wells series. I had seen Berenson's books on the "recent arrivals" shelf before, but always deferred to other spies - Jason Bourne, James Bond, Nick Fisher of the Splinter Cell series, etc. I liked this story - Wells goes deep undercover to obtain information that will foil an ISIS terror attack. It's just a bit thin, compared to the levels of espionage I'm used to from reading "the masters" of the genre. There were times the plot was interesting and I was "in" to the characters, and there were other times it was jumpy, choppy and predictable. Would I read more books in the series? Yes. Would I rush to read the other ones I've missed so far? No.
November 22, 2016
I always suffer from fatigue after reading an Alex Berenson novel because I can’t put it down and go to bed. This story was another in the John Wells series, and like the others it is action packed with a fast pace and up to date events to add to the realism. Though mine was an unedited advance copy the writing was concise. Refreshing difference between this and other similar writings is the characters seem like normal human agents not some super hero type with the latest and greatest technology and weaponry. Truly and enjoyable five star reading experience.
February 4, 2017
There is mounting evidence that someone high up in the CIA is passing messages
to ISIS alerting them to planned operations. Finding him though will be difficult
without alerting him and to do this John Wells will have to do something he thought
he left behind. He will have to reassume his former identity as an al-Qaeda jihadi get
captured and go undercover to befriend an ISIS prisoner in a secret Bulgarian prison.
This is book 11 in the John Wells series. I myself found it a little boring and dragged out.
The only action was at the end. I gave it a 3.
to ISIS alerting them to planned operations. Finding him though will be difficult
without alerting him and to do this John Wells will have to do something he thought
he left behind. He will have to reassume his former identity as an al-Qaeda jihadi get
captured and go undercover to befriend an ISIS prisoner in a secret Bulgarian prison.
This is book 11 in the John Wells series. I myself found it a little boring and dragged out.
The only action was at the end. I gave it a 3.
March 30, 2017
It should be said first that I am a fan of the John Wells novels. In many ways he is the antithesis of my favourite spy, George Smiley, though Wells has more in common with Smiley than with another favourite assassin, John Rain (another well-written series). If the ending of a Wells story is nearly always the same (against impossible odds and time constraints he manages to complete the mission and then return home, previously to the very much missed Jennifer Exley, now Anne and Emmie), it is the journey that makes the Wells novels a standout series. Not to be missed.
January 24, 2025
3.75 Stars, a good read.
June 28, 2023
Berenson never fails to deliver when it comes to a John Wells adventure. Great pace, excitement and as usual an ending that leaves you wanting more
November 5, 2018
John Wells is a Bad Man!
John Wells is a Man that gives up everything to protect his Country. He plays by the Edmond Burke saying "The only thing necessary for the Triumph of Evil, is for good men to do nothing!does he ever! He makes terrorist and traitors pay dearly. Another great story in the series. I would like to see the Marine (Crosby) in future stories. I see a lot of Wells in this Marine! Nothing stops him from doing what's right!
John Wells is a Man that gives up everything to protect his Country. He plays by the Edmond Burke saying "The only thing necessary for the Triumph of Evil, is for good men to do nothing!does he ever! He makes terrorist and traitors pay dearly. Another great story in the series. I would like to see the Marine (Crosby) in future stories. I see a lot of Wells in this Marine! Nothing stops him from doing what's right!
December 18, 2020
There's reason to believe that someone high up in the CIA is passing information to ISIS. To uncover the information needed to point out the traitor, Wells goes back undercover - as a detainee in a secret prison in Bulgaria. While trying to elicit hints regarding the identity of the mole, he finds a different lead that sends him to Paris trying to preempt a major terror attack.
Yes, another "oh noes, there's a traitor in the CIA" plot - didn't we already have one of those? But why not, it kept me hooked, so no complaints. Except a tiny little nitpicky one: The "Prime Minister of Germany"? Last time I checked, there was no such person...
Yes, another "oh noes, there's a traitor in the CIA" plot - didn't we already have one of those? But why not, it kept me hooked, so no complaints. Except a tiny little nitpicky one: The "Prime Minister of Germany"? Last time I checked, there was no such person...
March 16, 2017
After rating the previous two Berenson/Wells efforts two stars, this was a pleasure to read. Good plot and very good character development for the secondary characters. If I have anything negative to state, it's about Ellis and Vinnie. Getting pretty tired of their act, but that's just me. And Vinnie being president is just too much Tom Clancyish.
All in all, new readers to the Wells series should read the first one, The Faithful Spy, before reading this novel. Some of the background is really necessary. The other nine books, not so much.
All in all, new readers to the Wells series should read the first one, The Faithful Spy, before reading this novel. Some of the background is really necessary. The other nine books, not so much.
May 26, 2017
Boring.
April 23, 2017
In “The Prisoner”, his eleventh John Wells novel, Alex Berenson continues his intelligent espionage/ thrillers that probe the possible threat of Islamic terrorists obtaining weapons of mass destruction while showing how human intelligence gathering can thwart these threats. Berenson continues to exhibit a keen eye for threats that are possibly in the reach of terrorists. Here it is an agent that has been used by terrorists in Japan and Syria against its own citizens. The threat is real. At the same time, Berenson’s main characters remain real, their abilities, in line with real people and not overdone. At the center of why Berenson remains a must read in this category is the great is John Wells, a character who embodies the best characteristics of intelligence agents.
John Wells is humanized by a home life. His ex girlfriend Anne has had a baby girl and Wells is learning to be a father. So there is for the first time a little balance to his life. But these are not books where we are going to probe the dichotomy of his life as a father and a killer. The home life is a sidelight. These are intelligence / espionage / thrillers. And despite his home life, Wells still has the itch to return to the spy business.
While at the same time that we witness an American mission in the contested Mideast go sideways, Wells learns of a possible mole in the CIA, who is feeding intelligence to Islamic terrorists, who are using it thwart American missions in the Middle East. The source of the intelligence is a Bulgarian spy, who runs a prison holding terrorists overseas for the United States. Wells and Shafer team up again. Wells wants to assume a Islamic terrorist persona and infiltrate the prison, while Shafer will run a probe against 4 top level CIA executives to see if he can figure out who is the mole.
The novel unwinds a little slowly, Wells, a man in top shape, must lean himself out so he has the look of an itinerant terrorist, who has been on the run in the Middle East. His program to get in shape could be captured in a few short paragraphs, and Shafer’s investigation seems in some respects to be a non-starter as “Wayne” the mole is firmly entrenched in his plotting. Berenson drops clues early on revealing some facts about the mole that the reader can use to figure out his identity.
But Berenson takes the opportunity to escalate the novel, by setting up a terrorist plot to use nerve gas against Americans. And the mole is deeply involved in the plan. Berenson does show how hard it would be for a Non State actor to produce a nerve gas, but that it can be accomplished. It’s an eye opening discussion.
Once Wells gets himself into shape, the plan is for him to be captured by US agents in the Middle East, but of course, nothing goes according to plan. The Mole makes moves against Wells and Wells also has to take steps to protect himself from kidnappers, who obviously were unprepared for Wells training and fighting prowess.
Once Wells finally makes it to the prison in Bulgaria, the action really starts to heat up. There are murderous Bulgarian gangs to thwart while at the same time gaining the trust of the Arab prisoners. Intelligence is learned, and Wells takes his knowledge of an unknown plot to France, where while nursing wounds from the prison, he must find a well concealed terrorist, who with the Mole is planning a vigorous attack on the West.
The last half of “The Prisoner” showcases John Wells unique trademark skills, the ability to blend into the Arab world, gain intelligence, pick up just a few words, a sneaker brand even, and put the pieces together to ferret out the terrorist plot. I motored through this part of this novel. And again, Berenson’s story is not about drone warfare or teams of super soldiers fighting the terrorists. Maybe that is because John Wells is a lone wolf agent, but I find it more realistic.
It’s a good read, slowly building to a tight confrontation with lives on the line, exhibiting all the trademarks of the Berenson John Wells novels.
John Wells is humanized by a home life. His ex girlfriend Anne has had a baby girl and Wells is learning to be a father. So there is for the first time a little balance to his life. But these are not books where we are going to probe the dichotomy of his life as a father and a killer. The home life is a sidelight. These are intelligence / espionage / thrillers. And despite his home life, Wells still has the itch to return to the spy business.
While at the same time that we witness an American mission in the contested Mideast go sideways, Wells learns of a possible mole in the CIA, who is feeding intelligence to Islamic terrorists, who are using it thwart American missions in the Middle East. The source of the intelligence is a Bulgarian spy, who runs a prison holding terrorists overseas for the United States. Wells and Shafer team up again. Wells wants to assume a Islamic terrorist persona and infiltrate the prison, while Shafer will run a probe against 4 top level CIA executives to see if he can figure out who is the mole.
The novel unwinds a little slowly, Wells, a man in top shape, must lean himself out so he has the look of an itinerant terrorist, who has been on the run in the Middle East. His program to get in shape could be captured in a few short paragraphs, and Shafer’s investigation seems in some respects to be a non-starter as “Wayne” the mole is firmly entrenched in his plotting. Berenson drops clues early on revealing some facts about the mole that the reader can use to figure out his identity.
But Berenson takes the opportunity to escalate the novel, by setting up a terrorist plot to use nerve gas against Americans. And the mole is deeply involved in the plan. Berenson does show how hard it would be for a Non State actor to produce a nerve gas, but that it can be accomplished. It’s an eye opening discussion.
Once Wells gets himself into shape, the plan is for him to be captured by US agents in the Middle East, but of course, nothing goes according to plan. The Mole makes moves against Wells and Wells also has to take steps to protect himself from kidnappers, who obviously were unprepared for Wells training and fighting prowess.
Once Wells finally makes it to the prison in Bulgaria, the action really starts to heat up. There are murderous Bulgarian gangs to thwart while at the same time gaining the trust of the Arab prisoners. Intelligence is learned, and Wells takes his knowledge of an unknown plot to France, where while nursing wounds from the prison, he must find a well concealed terrorist, who with the Mole is planning a vigorous attack on the West.
The last half of “The Prisoner” showcases John Wells unique trademark skills, the ability to blend into the Arab world, gain intelligence, pick up just a few words, a sneaker brand even, and put the pieces together to ferret out the terrorist plot. I motored through this part of this novel. And again, Berenson’s story is not about drone warfare or teams of super soldiers fighting the terrorists. Maybe that is because John Wells is a lone wolf agent, but I find it more realistic.
It’s a good read, slowly building to a tight confrontation with lives on the line, exhibiting all the trademarks of the Berenson John Wells novels.
November 27, 2017
SUBJECTIVE READER REVIEW WITH PLOT SPOILERS FOLLOWS:
If 'The Prisoner' was a nuclear weapon, it would have fizzled upon detonation. I normally like Berenson's novels a lot, as John Wells is sorta like a Mitch Rapp wannabe, but Mitch has got trusted commando friends like Scot Coleman and Wells is a loner. This loner mentality on Berenson's part caught up with him in 'The Prisoner,' as the reader was forced to accompany John Wells, also known as Samir Khalili, in his singular odyssey through the Hindu Kush until 'captured' by US Special Forces and sent to a rendition prison in Bulgaria. Now the Bulgarian AVH Director, Oleg Kirkov, is supposed to keep watch over Samir as he chummed the ISIS Shura Council detainee Hani, but it was a very loose watch at best. Here Samir finally satisfies bona fides, gains Hani's trust, and discovers some BIG attack is to be targeted at or staged from the Paris suburb of Sevran.
Wells swims with the crusty life of the ISIS fishes well in Sevran, discovers the likely staging warehouse for the hit and relays same to his sole CIA ally Ellis Shafer. To keep himself occupied during Wells' long route to establish bona fides, Ellis has been trying to ID the ISIS spy in the CIA hierarchy that has been leaking the names of field officers, moles and informants to ISIS, their unexplainable demise creating suspicion. When he finally gains positive ID, Wells is no where to be found. ISIS pulls off a very high viz attack when they take out the French DGSE Director Antoine Martin and his son in a spectacular trap and bombing of the Director's armored limo on Champs Élysée. The French go to DEFCON ONE, flooding Paris with all manner of federal civilian and military enforcement to insure security for Martin's funeral. The funeral is what ISIS has really been targeting all along, and have cleverly hidden sarin gas vaporizers at four places within the Church of Our Lady of Goodness' ventilation system. A bold plan, considering that all of the Western World intelligence agency directors, along with politicians, will be in attendance.
Shafer belatedly grabs the earliest overnighter flight to Paris, finds Wells in jail with a Marine he recruited, and manage to interdict the staged weapons and have the Church searched and sanitized without any further loss of life by the good guys, but all of the ISIS 86-man contingent is wiped out.
Although the storyline is relevant, it's now been replicated in one version or another by every one of my favorite action adventure authors at least twice. This one's actually a little boring as the end of the book approaches, but Berenson had built himself into a box. I recall that Nelson DeMille once admitted having written 90% of the thriller 'Night Fall' and didn't have a clue how he was gonna end it! I think his wife or son suggested using 9/11 as the ultimate fate of a CIA asshole who needed to die, and it was an incredible ending. Alex didn't have such advice for 'The Prisoner,' and I felt as if the ending was rather blasé. Hopefully Berenson and his fraternity will ID a new antagonist for the next installment, 'cause ISIS counterattacks have been used up.
If 'The Prisoner' was a nuclear weapon, it would have fizzled upon detonation. I normally like Berenson's novels a lot, as John Wells is sorta like a Mitch Rapp wannabe, but Mitch has got trusted commando friends like Scot Coleman and Wells is a loner. This loner mentality on Berenson's part caught up with him in 'The Prisoner,' as the reader was forced to accompany John Wells, also known as Samir Khalili, in his singular odyssey through the Hindu Kush until 'captured' by US Special Forces and sent to a rendition prison in Bulgaria. Now the Bulgarian AVH Director, Oleg Kirkov, is supposed to keep watch over Samir as he chummed the ISIS Shura Council detainee Hani, but it was a very loose watch at best. Here Samir finally satisfies bona fides, gains Hani's trust, and discovers some BIG attack is to be targeted at or staged from the Paris suburb of Sevran.
Wells swims with the crusty life of the ISIS fishes well in Sevran, discovers the likely staging warehouse for the hit and relays same to his sole CIA ally Ellis Shafer. To keep himself occupied during Wells' long route to establish bona fides, Ellis has been trying to ID the ISIS spy in the CIA hierarchy that has been leaking the names of field officers, moles and informants to ISIS, their unexplainable demise creating suspicion. When he finally gains positive ID, Wells is no where to be found. ISIS pulls off a very high viz attack when they take out the French DGSE Director Antoine Martin and his son in a spectacular trap and bombing of the Director's armored limo on Champs Élysée. The French go to DEFCON ONE, flooding Paris with all manner of federal civilian and military enforcement to insure security for Martin's funeral. The funeral is what ISIS has really been targeting all along, and have cleverly hidden sarin gas vaporizers at four places within the Church of Our Lady of Goodness' ventilation system. A bold plan, considering that all of the Western World intelligence agency directors, along with politicians, will be in attendance.
Shafer belatedly grabs the earliest overnighter flight to Paris, finds Wells in jail with a Marine he recruited, and manage to interdict the staged weapons and have the Church searched and sanitized without any further loss of life by the good guys, but all of the ISIS 86-man contingent is wiped out.
Although the storyline is relevant, it's now been replicated in one version or another by every one of my favorite action adventure authors at least twice. This one's actually a little boring as the end of the book approaches, but Berenson had built himself into a box. I recall that Nelson DeMille once admitted having written 90% of the thriller 'Night Fall' and didn't have a clue how he was gonna end it! I think his wife or son suggested using 9/11 as the ultimate fate of a CIA asshole who needed to die, and it was an incredible ending. Alex didn't have such advice for 'The Prisoner,' and I felt as if the ending was rather blasé. Hopefully Berenson and his fraternity will ID a new antagonist for the next installment, 'cause ISIS counterattacks have been used up.
August 3, 2018
I always enjoy this series on audio and in this entry John Wells just can't say no when his old colleague Ellis Shafer calls him in to help unmask a mole. George Guidall's narration was excellent, as usual.
December 31, 2017
A good plausible story. Don't know how long Wells and Shaffer can keep this up. This one had me awakening to continue reading. If your a Wells fan I think that you'll enjoy it.
September 10, 2017
Finally found time to finish this book. While I will always miss Vince Flynn's writing, Alex Berenson makes it ia little less painful. John Wells is up there with Mitch Rapp. Definitely a great read...
February 4, 2022
John Wells is back and even though I know that he will finish whatever task at the end I still feel the thrill every time he starts his mission.
June 19, 2022
This book has a lot of foreign locations that were hard to visualize, probably because I’ve never traveled to the Middle East. I should have a better understanding after 9/11 of the different factions too but I was reminded of historical information pertaining to the war on terror which I appreciated.
October 7, 2018
Interesting addition to the series and John Wells is a entertaining character. The usual cast of characters are also present. The plot is relevant to world politics.
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