The Secret Soldier [Hardcover]

Book 5, in the John Wells series

I am a huge fan of this series and with 'The Secret Soldier' Mr. Berenson's ability in storytelling shines. I really enjoy his forensic details and the picture he paints of deadly situations in highly volatile locations. This time we follow the intrepid former Special ops soldier John Wells on a mission while he tries to defuse an impending war on Arabian soil. It is believed a terrorist group that is even deadlier than Al Qaeda is at the heart of the well-orchestrated plan.

The action starts with simultaneous terrorist attacks in Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, they are protesting King Abdullah's hold on power of Saudi Arabia. The King believes his family is conspiring against him and want to over through him and place his more fundamentalist brother Saeed in his place, he also suspects they are secretly funding a group of terrorists to cause unrest in the Arab world and trigger a war with the West. The King faced with few options and few people he can trust calls on John Wells for his expertise in highly volatile situations and offers him a financial reward that is very hard to walk away from, especially when you are doing a job you love and excel at. John takes the assignment and soon finds himself in the middle of a very explosive plot with numerous sub-plots facing terrorists and counter terrorists. Things are moving at the speed of light and it is very hard to distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys and those who only want to make trouble in order to reap the benefits in the long run.

With all of the violence and carnage that we have read about in the past decades in world news, it is easy to see where this thriller got its roots. With the help of well-placed research notes, Mr. Berenson gives the reader just enough detail to explain the intricacies and complexities of the Arab culture. As an adrenaline junky I especially enjoyed the endless action and the excellent characterization. The ending left just enough unanswered questions to open the door to another exciting sequel.

It all started with Jason Bourne and then came Mitch Rapp, Jack Reacher, Scot Harvath, amongst others, and ... John Wells. It is amazing there are any terrorists left on the planet with these super capable military and intelligence operatives. Many of these outings are no better than comic books but Berenson's series has been superior. He at least tries to add texture and balance to his outings (observations on Islam and Saudi Arabia are interesting but readers should consult nonfiction sources to really form opinions). In The Secret Soldier, the format reminded me of a Tom Clancy...it has Wells as almost as a supporting player as a number of plot lines unfold. What is missing is the intrigue and motivation of Wells himself ... it was fascinating in the first couple of outings.

Alex Berenson is an author new to me. The Secret Soldier is the 5th book in Berenson's successful John Wells series.

In The Secret Soldier, Wells has left the CIA and is now working freelance. When he receives a call about a prospective employer willing to pay big bucks for his expertise, he accepts. The employer just happens to be the King of Saudi Arabia. The King's family is conspiring against him and colluding with terrorists. Overthrowing the King is not enough, they also want war with the West, namely the USA.

As someone new to this character, I was initially quite taken with John Wells. His sense of loyalty, justice and honour created a mental image of a strong character. And he is, but...as the book went on, I wasn't as enamoured as I was in the first half. Wells has converted to the Muslim religion, but I found many of his actions inconsistent with the teachings of his chosen faith.

The plot has lots of twists and turns and is non stop action packed. Some of the plot machinations seem a bit implausible - once you can get over the King of Saudi Arabia asking for one ex CIA operative to save his kingdom it really does move along quickly.

It was an okay read for me, but....my co worker Michelle was jumping up and down when her hold for this title came in. I asked her why she was so enamoured of this series and author.

" I love spy novels. Berenson's writing is current - we've left the Cold War era and Al Qaeda is the new enemy. In this latest book, Berenson shows more knowledge of the religions he's writing about. John Wells has more understanding of who he's fighting now that he's converted. I enjoy the conflict in John Wells - he's at war with his past and past actions but wants to make the world safer. And ...I've read them all!"

Thanks Michelle - so between her 5 and my 3, The Secret Soldier gets a 4 on A Bookworm's World.

Fans of the television series 24 or of author Vince Flynn or Christopher Reichs would enjoy this series.