"The Faithful Spy" by Alex Berenson--again!

The Faithful Spy was reviewed as a novel "worthy of LeCarre". Perhaps. I would correct that by adding that Berenson's hero stands as more of a American hero than any of those complicated good men created by the venerable master of spy fiction. Berenson has instead managed to create a spy whose code matches that of America's most memorable fictional heroes--cowboys.

Granted, John Wells, Berenson's man, is a John Wayne who joins the enemy to spy on them. Impossible, you might say, in the war between Cowboys and Indians; but not if a man were, I hesitate to use the word, a half-breed. Which, it is established in the beginning, our hero from Idaho is.

His maternal grandfather was Arabic, if I remember correctly (I finished this a few weeks ago), and with his dark skin he blends in easily with the loosely formed Al-Qaeda, which gains purpose after 2001. At that point, despite Wells' conversion to Islam, his grandmother having explained its tenets to him as a young man, his hatred for this group flames inside him.

But his doubts deepen when he finally "comes in from the cold." Sent back home by the terrorist group's second hand man, his contact is a sly operative, known only as "Khadri" who refuses to tell Wells his final assignment. Therefore, he has no information to share with the CIA, who treat him as a pariah for not alerting them to 9/11.

The novel follows Khadri's complicated machinations, which make for a great story and prove Berenson a great storyteller. What works and doesn't work for his terrorist cell demonstrate how this "don't-ask-don't-tell" policy works both for and against secretive organizations, such as our own CIA. Wells distrusts American bureaucracy as much as he distrusts the terrorists who, in turn, distrust him. A good man among outlaws, is he.

After escaping from the CIA's clutches, our exiled marshal without a badge, like all true cowboys, finds himself in a High Noon shoot out at the end. True, the standoff occurs in Times Square; and, although Wells has a gun and the other man's hand is on the trigger of a more deadly weapon, the moment feels the same. So was my breathless anticipation and my sense that my hero, whatever the cost to himself, stood for the Right.

Under Construction

I will return to regular posts soon.

As for reading, let's see: recent book that I'm having to give up on because it is hard to get into--The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Goff. But I shall return to it! I can't keep it around the house forever; I don't want to deprive library patrons with more patience than I have right now the opportunity to enjoy this title, which has received rave reviews.

Currently reading, for my book group: After This by Alice McDermott. Reading her prose, in this novel anyway, is like biting into a piece of dense bittersweet chocolate cake. Such sadness, even before the sadness comes...

Also started The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson. What a fantastic beginning! He captures the zeitgeist of the months after 9/11 (for American soldiers and citizens) with minimal fuss. I'm looking forward to diving headfirst into this one!

angie