Blow the House Down

by Robert B. Baer

Former CIA operative Robert Baer pushes fiction to the absolute limit in this riveting and unnervingly plausible alternative history of 9/11.

Veteran CIA officer Max Waller has long been obsessed with the abduction and murder of his Agency mentor. Though years of digging yield the name of a suspect—an Iranian math genius turned terrorist—the trail seems too cold to justify further effort. Then Max turns up a photograph of the man standing alongside Osama bin Laden and a mysterious westerner whose face has been cut out, feeding Max’s suspicion. When the first official to whom Max shows the photo winds up dead, the out-of-favor agent suddenly finds himself the target of dark forces within the intelligence community who are desperate to muzzle him.

Eluding a global surveillance net, Max—in the summer of 2001—begins tracking the spore of a complex conspiracy, meeting clandestinely with suicide bombers and Arab royalty and ultimately realizing the Iranian he’d sought for a decades-old crime is actually at the nexus of a terrifying plot.

Showing off dazzling tradecraft and an array of richly textured backdrops, and filled with real names and events, Blow the House Down deftly balances fact and possibility to become the first great thriller to spring from the war on terrorism.


Also available as a Random House AudioBook and an eBook

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Espionage, Historical Fiction, Crime

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2006

About the author

Robert B. Baer is a former Middle East intelligence specialist for the CIA, and a winner of the Career Intelligence Medal. He is the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including See No Evil—the basis for the acclaimed film Syriana, which earned George Clooney an Oscar for his portrayal of Baer. He is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Middle East and frequently appears on all major news outlets. Baer writes regularly for Time.com and has contributed to Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He is the current national security affairs analyst for CNN.

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baer may have a story to tell that is non-fiction, but the CIA will not clear the things he has to say. So he decided to sidestep the secrecy requirement and present his tale as fiction. It is all done with a nod and a wink. So take what he proffers as fiction as gospel.

This is a very slickly written spy novel (some are convinced that he had it ghosted) in which the protagonist (Baer’s stand-in) comes afoul of some dark forces when trying to pursue a lead in the years-ago disappearance of a compatriot. It is fast moving, engaging, written with wit and energy. Baer has a particular view of the larger picture in the Middle East and South Asia that varies from common wisdom. But he has the decades of personal experience that lends credibility to his suspicions.

He claims in an afterward that the 911 commission dropped the ball in figuring out just what happened to allow 911 to happen. Thus, he says, it is up to fiction to offer possibilities. His is particularly well informed and compelling. This is educational as well as entertaining, and a far better read than Richard Clarke’s fiction entry. It is only a matter of time before someone grabs this one and gives it a cinematic go.

[James Bruno · Rating 1 out of 5]

I launched into "Blow the House Down" with eagerness, expecting a fast-paced thriller replete with juicy insider intel tradecraft as a kicker. Instead I found myself thrown into a muddled, badly plotted story overpopulated with characters and appearing as though it had been slapped together in a hurry.

Furthermore, I found the protagonist a repulsive and aimless character who sleeps with an old friend's young daughter, a girl he'd considered almost a niece. Otherwise, there is no real love interest in the story. A fired CIA civil servant, he inexplicably has limitless piles of cash to throw at luxury travel, hotels and large bribes -- sort of like James Bond on steroids. There is nothing in his sketchy background to make the reader like him.

I never could figure out the plot, nor were there any identifiable antagonists out to trip him up and add to story conflict. Many chapters are a single page or two. Finally, there was precious little insight into intelligence tradecraft, a big disappointment. A plot twist at the end of the book only adds to the overall confusion. The upshot for me was a long, hard slog; getting to the end was a labored chore.

Some of the first-person narrative is sharp and witty, as Baer's description of Harvard-trained twits who have mismanaged U.S. foreign policy for decades. But this does not save a fatally flawed product.

Baer has written three successful non-fiction books on the Middle East and terrorism. Too often, best-selling NF writers are persuaded to venture into fiction without the requisite grounding in plotting, voice, style, pacing and character development. "Blow the House Down" has the hallmarks of someone who has a driver's license, but who has been asked to fly a plane. The result is a dead-on crash, no survivors.

[Isis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sticking this under 'memoir' even though it's ostensibly fiction, because having heard Baer speak (he lives about 40 miles from here) and read two of his nonfiction books, it's clear this book is only a slight fictional branching from his own experience. I don't know that he believes 9/11 was really precipitated for these reasons - but I bet that he thinks there's a strong possibility it did.

Baer's background as a CIA operative infuses his story with details that ring true because they are true; in fact, it's kind of weird to see familiar names of real people (e.g. the main character mentions sending a story off to Danny Pearl) rather than the usual fictionalized versions. He writes well, in a simple and straightforward style that is transparently easy to read (which I applaud). On the other hand, as a story, it's...kind of lacking, I guess. The groundwork is set into place with painstaking slowness, and then it all comes together in a rush of revelation at the end. I enjoyed it, in general. But I would have liked to have seen the craft of a writer at work as well as that of a spy.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to Steve Coll, Robert Baer is one of my favorite authors and authorities on international affairs (for reasons separate from Coll.)

Blow the House Down is Baer's attempt at explaining what actually caused two planes to fly into the WTC. I think on NPR's Fresh Air, with Terry Gross, Baer said that this book represents the closest he can get to explaining the cause of 9/11 without running afowl of national security issues. Hence, why this book is fiction.

Regardless, this piece of fiction is a worthwhile read. Baer creates interesting characters to complement the worthy plot.

Regarding Baer's authority on international affairs, Baer definitely knows his stuff. He also has the courage to think and say what he truly thinks on a variety of subjects. I find this candor refreshing. His book that later became the movie Syriana is a personal favorite. He differs from Coll in that he's not as academic in his analysis. Baer is all about personal experience, which can sometimes appear to be arrogance.

[Kdm]

Best read on an e-reader so you can search on names to backtrack because just like the real prelude to 9/11, the web of (possibly) connected events is extremely complex. I guess that's why this book has a lower rating than deserved because people who didn't manage to effectively backtrack will have been confused as hell.

[DJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

May be the worst book I’ve ever read. What even happened?!

[Jim Crocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read was fascinating. The author, of course, is the real deal. Baer has been out there, gone behind the curtain and peaked beneath the circus tent. He's seen the rabbits, Lennie. Now this book is a rather complex read. It's espionage, after all. What, you expect it to be simple? There's lots of names and places and the writing gets a bit dense in spots. I didn't need to make a chart, but I was thinking about it.

However, what you get here is the run-up to 9/11, along with the familiar characters, but with a different spin. All the time I'm hoping that maybe "it" won't happen. John O'Neill is in this fictionalized story! John's the Man Who Knew! And if you don't happen to know what that means, at least look him up!! As always, John is all dressed up in a nice suit, smoking a fresh cigar and having a couple of pops at Elaine's. Yunno, all of this is gone now. It's confined to history. But for a small moment it all comes back, along with the possibility that this time the outcome might be different.

Here's a great quote from the book:
". . . the truth never set a table or put a roof over anyone's head."
-- Robert Baer, Blow the House Down

[Mandi Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Down Right Chilling
Written by Mandi Scott Chestler on March 25th, 2010
Book Rating: 3/5
After reading so many of his non-fiction books, I was pleasantly surprised that former CIA operative Robert Baer could also write a gripping thriller. Thanks to Blow The House Down, now I begin to understand that all those crazy conspriracy theorists who believe 9/11 was an inside job, might not be so nutty after all. Baer's "fiction" shows how it could have been pulled off. It's unfortunately plausible and definitely chilling. I would have given the audio book a 4-star rating, however the abridged version is too choppy. It might be better to get the printed version and read instead of listen.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Robert Baer. The story moves very quickly with lots of twists and turns, and also lots of characters you have to remember as they show up in different parts of the book. My one dissapointment was the ending of the story. Considering the detail with which the entire story is written until you get to the end, the ending, or maybe I should say the answer to the "who done it and why" comprises just a couple of paragraphs on the last 2 pages of the book. I found this very unsatisfying and feel there could have been a lot more detail and explanation to this complciated story.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baer's first - and thus far, only - foray into writing fiction draws heavily on his CIA experience and spins an intriguing (though ultimately not overly convincing) alternative background for 9/11. The story kept me entertained, but it's clear that fiction is not necessarily where the author's talents lie. The protagonist could have been better fleshed out and the pace was rather uneven. A decent try, but I prefer his nonfiction works.

[Karla Seyb-Stockton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In classic spy novel style, this book is hard to follow. The main character has knowledge the reader does not and draws conclusions that seem to come out of thin air. We, the average citizen, are not supposed to be able to follow everything, or the spy wouldn’t be a very good spy!!

All in all, it is an interesting roadmap of how 9-11 could have happened. I’m glad I read it.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe best to not listen to this book. For someone unfamiliar with this genre there were too many names, locations, and double-crossings to keep in mind. The book finished and I’m completely confused about what happened. A disappointment after spending so many hours listening to the story.

[Nancy Hinsey]

Just can't get excited about an "alternative 9/11" book. Not after a year of Covid panic and anxiety culminating in even more chaos, uncertainty and fear. Will pass this one on to the local library.

[Manuel P. Revuelta · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read and a more likely explanation of what happened on 9/11 rather than the official story. A real treat for lovers of spy novels.

[LuAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story with interesting characters, just not executed that well. I found the writing to be sporadic and disjointed - at times difficult to understand what was going on in the story.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very engaging. I stayed up way too late reading it.

[Debbie Vandermyde]

So so

[Karen Suhorsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re ally enjoyed this it was the first time I have read this author but was intrigued.

[M C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libby book. Good read but read his memoirs first

[Zora · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book is most entertaining for its spy "tradecraft" bits, which are great fun (the pigeon gun was my favorite) and possibly these are true to life, considering that the author is former CIA. The dry wit is appealing, too, and the voice, the prose-- all of that worked well for me and made it a page-turner.

Viewing it entirely as a fiction, it doesn't hold together all that well as a plotted book. Initially, the protagonist is searching for a mystery person, a redhaired terrorist who possibly killed a former boss. But his search eventually broadens and takes him into the edges of the conspiracy that leads to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The problem with this, fictionally, is that it just doesn't work very well. If revenge/justice is motivating the protagonist at first, I'd have been more satisfied as a reader if that motivation stuck throughout. But the motivation meanders into less compelling territory: he needs to clear his name, but he doesn't really care much if he does or not. He gets curious about another mystery character standing with the redhead and Bin Laden in a photo...but again, vague curiosity doesn't contain the the narrative drive that revenge/justice does. By the end, the protagonist has forgotten his old dead boss and his sense of justice, but not as part of a logical character change. He just seems to have forgotten it, the way you put your coffee on top of the car and then drive off, forgetting it's still up there. The ending of the novel is unsatisfying.

It doesn't really matter to me if this is true or not; it has to stand as a fictional construct to be a great novel, and the meandering motivations of the protagonist weaken it significantly.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former CIA operative Robert Bayer's first novel tells the story of what could have happened behind the scenes of 9/11 and what might have happened if officials listened to Max Waller.

Waller had been a CIA operative for ages. He still has a vivid recollection of 1984 when Bill Buckley, the CIA chief of Beirut, Lebanon, was kidnapped and decapitated.

On June 21, 2001, Max is given a comfortable job at Langley, keeping track of other long time agents who are approaching retirement.

Max is bothered by a photo he discovers in which Osama bin Laden is next to a Western looking person whose head was cut out of the photo. There is also another Arab in the photo, holding a weapon. Max shows the photo to one of his associates and the man asks to take the photo with him. Then, the man winds up dead and people begin to follow Max.

When Max evades his followers, he's pulled in and questioned. His bosses wonder why his prints are on the photo. Based on that and other trumped up charges, Max is placed on administrative leave.

He remains undaunted and calls a number of past contacts. He continues his investigation while being followed and having most officials in the CIA freeze him out as a man who out of date.

The idea of the book was excellent but Max was not a likable character, too much about himself. The action comes in waves with some drama surrounded by back-up material such as official messages. The excessive use of details took away from the suspense.

With the complicated world of espionage and complicated scenarios, fans of John le Carre will enjoy this novel.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers the unique perpective of a former CIA operative on the Middle East, 9/11, and terrorism in general. While working for CIA's Directorate of Operations, Bob Baer spent 20 years in places like Beirut, Lebanon; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; and Salah al-Din in Kurdish northern Iraq.

George Clooney's character in the film Syriana, Bob Barnes, is loosely based on Robert Baer.

Having previously written two non-fiction books, See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism and Sleeping With the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude, Blow the House Down is his first novel. One can assume that the author was able to get away with saying some things in a fictionalized format that CIA's censors wouldn't have allowed had the book been nonfiction (All manuscripts written by any current or former CIA employee must be reviewed and ok'd by CIA prior to publication).

The Author's Note at the end of the novel alone makes this book worth picking up.

Interview with Bob Baer @ MotherJones.com:
[http://www.motherjones.com/interview/...]

[Zach · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a procedural espionage thriller, it starts out well. Baer brings his knowledge about the intelligence community. He also brings in an interesting twist on history/recent events by interjecting real people into the story. The main character also is a little bit more developed/flawed than the typical Jack Bauer one dimensional hero.

But this definetly is not the best spy novel I have read. It is often slow and for much of it nothing happens. There were a few scenes with some tension. This would be okay if he was going for realism, but the book has cliches such as the main character being the only one who knows but he is suspended and has to do it on his own.

Also realism suffers as the plot is overly complicated and far fetched. The idea of a massive conspiracy is at time confusing or relies too much on the idea of a single group of masterminds that could plan everything.

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a thriller, this book is a cut above the fantasies that are usually thrown into the "pot-boiler" market. This author offers much which is credible, and the reader is constantly left wondering ....
I'm usually disappointed with books marketed as thrillers; this one was much more engaging. Contains many echos of events which I vaguely remember (for example, the names of hostages in Lebanon). With any book written by "ex-CIA" one has to wonder how much is true, how much is disinformation, how much is pure fiction, and where to draw the line. With much talk these days of fake new and alternative facts, this novel is a reminder of just how murky the world of "facts" can be at times.

[Jo Anne Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish every American would read this book. While the fictionalized events are thrilling, the facts behind the fiction, are mind-boggling and terrifying!

This is an important book which may prompt me to read Mr. Baer's non-fiction, but I may not be able to stomach the contents without some removal from reality as provided by the fiction.

I learned from this book that we need to put Mr. Baer in a position of authority in the CIA, or better still, as a special consultant to the President.

I'm waiting on a later book entitled, "I Warned You."

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story line about how 9/11 may have happened. Certainly won't help if you are already a government cynic. I do not like his style. Seems there is a lack of cohesiveness. Read a couple of chapters, then all of a sudden, VOILA! So that's where he was going with this. Also, Baer relies on his readership to have a strong background in current political and world events which is refreshing in some ways yet at the same time interferes with the flow of the book since I spent a lot of time trying to separate fact from fiction.

[Ben Rand]

I like Baer's non-fiction work. This is interesting an interesting read, and I'm sure more realistic than a lot of "spy" books out there, but Baer needs some work before he arrives as an author on the fiction side of things. The dialog is pretty jumpy, characters not very developed. A lot of them are real people involved in the lead-up to 9/11 but some of the arcs tying them so neatly together were a bit much, IMO.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blow the House Down is a novel of Middle East intrigue, the CIA, and a plot ending with 9/11. What is fascinating about this spy thriller is that Robert Baer is the real deal. In addition to being the author, he was also a Middle East CIA operative. He throws familiar, notorious and political names around to the point where you start wondering if this is a novel based on fact.

As a side note, the lead character, played by George Clooney, in the movie Syriana, was loosely based on Baer.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up because I really could not find anything else that caught my eye. I was very surprised on how much I really liked this book. Robert Baer a former CIA case officer assigned to the Middle East. He did a nice job of twisting actual people in the world of espionage, business, and politics in to the world of fiction.

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the thrillers i've read, from Flynn, Clancy, Child, et. al., I loved this book the best. The pacing is awesome, the characters are interesting and distinct, and there is a great feeling of reality. I appreciated that it didn't spend time with dialogue just to explain something to the reader - it all read naturally. This kept the level of suspense perfect from start to finish.