The Ghost War: 2 (John Wells Novel)

The Ghost War If you like action adventure books you will enjoy this one. The plot is a little far fetched, not too much, and the hero is an Arnie or Sly type, who can take on anyone and win. The plot has a few twists and turns, some a little improbable, but the novel motors on at a fair pace and is an exiting and enjoyable read. A Dawson

Alex Berenson seems to be a very exciting author. I read his first book which I could not put down so I opened the Ghost war with high expectations. I was not let down, the story line is great and believable. I like how he moves between scenarios to keep the action going. I am now planning on getting book 3. It is better to read the books in order as he does refer to things in book one, though you could read this as a stand alone should you desire. Personally though book one was so good it would be a shame to read book two first as you would know the outcome to book one.

Alex Berenson has really done his homework, as usual.....and produced a great story. IAs with all his John Wells yarns, it is hard to put down!

With just his second book, Alex Berenson, in my opinion has joined the ranks of today's elite spy thriller writers. The Ghost War, like its predecessor featuring CIA agent John Wells, is a tension-mounting thriller that has Wells returning to Afghanistan to investigate evidence the CIA received pertaining to a surge in Taliban activity backed by an unknown foreign power. But what he finds there is far from what he expected. Without going into detail, The Ghost War will have you on the edge of your seat as it tells its tale of the world hurtling toward confrontation as a result of a power play in China, an Iran determined to go to nuclear, and a mole within the ranks of the CIA. As with The Faithful Spy, Berenson's The Ghost War is well-written, exciting and very true-to-life. Further, the author has created characters that are believable and interesting; and John Wells is a character I definitely plan to go along with when the third book in the series, called The Silent Man, is published in March. Like most books, The Ghost War has some very minor flaws but they really aren't worth taking up your time describing. Rest assured, The Ghost War is a very worthwhile read, but I recommend that you read its predecessor, The Faithful Spy, first.

I'm usually reading two books at a time, one at the castle after I've finished my domestic chores - take out the garbage, clean the kitty litter box, dry the scrubbed dishes - and one on workplace lunch breaks when I'm free to ignore the rest of my world's imperative needs. But both volumes are unlikely to be of the same genre as I risk becoming confused, so it was unusual that I took up THE GHOST WAR and THE TOURIST at the same time. As a review is an extremely subjective measure against a constantly shifting standard, I have the opportunity here to at least compare the two.If I was to draw a parallel, THE GHOST WAR by Alex Berenson might also be compared with a James Bond novel. Regardless of the action that leads up to the dramatic finale, the conclusion is necessary to reader satisfaction; without it, the novel is a flop. Moreover, the continuing presence of the hero - 007 or CIA agent John Wells - is necessary for the series to continue. And, as far as the storyline is concerned, Bond and Wells maneuver in a world that is Good versus Evil; there are no subtleties and no shades of gray, and the victory for "our side" is unqualified. On the other hand, THE TOURIST could be compared with any of the truly excellent works by the British thriller writer Gerald Seymour, in whose novels about confrontations at the world's rough edges the entertainment value for the reader lies not with a relatively anticlimactic end game, but rather with the evolution of the storyline. Seymour's heroes are talented but disposable mid-level functionaries laboring in the bureaucracies of national police and intelligence agencies on both sides. Seymour's world is comprised of moral nuances and relativistic shadows. Victories, if they can be called such, are Pyrrhic in nature.About to enter my seventh decade, I've learned to better appreciate the subtleties of the world's national and ideological conflicts, especially as portrayed in entertainment media, whether written or visual. Thus, for example, I'll sing the praises of the remarkably intelligent BBC film adaptations of John le Carre's hero George Smiley ( Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy [DVD] [1979] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC ] and  Smiley's People [DVD] [1982] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC ]) over any of the blatantly simplistic Mission Impossible flicks. For that same reason, I'm awarding THE GHOST WAR four stars compared to the five I gave THE TOURIST, even though I'll concede that the Wells character of the former has matured as a fictional hero since his debut in  The Faithful Spy , and I look forward to Berenson's third offering in the series,  The Silent Man .

Although I didn't realise when I purchased the book that the seller was in the USA, it came within the time specified and my emails were answered quickly. Very good service from across the pond.