The Ghost War
Table of Contents
“A very sophisticated vision . . . Geopolitically savvy.”—
The New York Times
The New York Times
“A fast-paced story of international intrigue and espionage... Wells is a fine character who will likely propel Berenson’s thrillers to success for some time to come.”—
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
“Mesmerizing . . . an extraordinary achievement.”
—
The (Raleigh, NC) News & Observer
The (Raleigh, NC) News & Observer
“Terrific and relentless suspense and action.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
“Berenson marshals turncoats, the Taliban, and testosterone to produce a tautly paced, credible, and gripping scenario guaranteed to buttress Berenson’s niche as one of the stars in the suspense firmament.”
—
Library Journal
Library Journal
“Stellar . . . Wells is a fascinating, tortured soul, and his attempts to live a normal life create a gripping narrative. The authenticity Berenson brings to his ripped-from-the-headlines stories makes them seem as vividly real and scary as nonfiction or the nightly news.”—
Booklist
Booklist
“The author’s plausible scenario distinguishes this from most spy thrillers.”—
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Praise for
THE FAITHFUL SPY
Winner of the Edgar
®
Award
THE FAITHFUL SPY
Winner of the Edgar
®
Award
“A well-crafted page-turner that addresses the most important issue of our time. It will keep you reading well into the night.”—Vince Flynn
“One of the best espionage books of all time.”
—William Stevenson, author of
A Man Called Intrepid
A Man Called Intrepid
“An intriguing thriller studded with alarming possibilities.”—
New York Daily
News
New York Daily
News
“The best spy thriller in a long, long while.”
—
The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star
“Berenson offers a very American story—a sort of terrorist
High Noon
. . . Exciting.”—
The New York Times
High Noon
. . . Exciting.”—
The New York Times
“A hold-your-breath thriller. . . a grabber.”
—
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Mounting suspense, a believable scenario, and a final twist add up to a compelling tale of frightening possibilities. It’s not for the squeamish, though: the torture sequences and bombing descriptions are graphic and chillingly real.”—
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
“Berenson has done a sharp job of pulling together possible what-ifs and combining them with a journalist’s knowledge of how government and the military operate.”—
Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
“[An] unsettling first novel. . . Dirty bombs and biological contamination riddle this novel with paranoia and the frightening realization that an attack on the United States, as it’s laid out in
The Faithful Spy,
appears highly plausible, even inevitable.”—
USA Today
The Faithful Spy,
appears highly plausible, even inevitable.”—
USA Today
“A thriller worthy of Le Carré . . . The payoff is tremendous.” —
Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)
Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)
“A well-informed, often chilling look at how al Qaeda might launch a major new attack in the United States—and how one intrepid undercover agent might do his darnedest to foil it . . . A timely reminder of the extremely precarious way we live now.”
—
The Washington Post
The Washington Post
“Berenson is clearly a go-getter . . . [His] debut is gritty and fast-moving.”—
The Observer
(UK)
The Observer
(UK)
“This is New
York
Times reporter Alex Berenson’s first novel, but you wouldn’t know it by the writing or the plot, both of which are razor sharp . . . Crisp writing, understatement, and an aversion to the sort of caricatures that have sunk other books without a trace make this story sing . . . This high-voltage thriller has major motion picture written all over it.”
York
Times reporter Alex Berenson’s first novel, but you wouldn’t know it by the writing or the plot, both of which are razor sharp . . . Crisp writing, understatement, and an aversion to the sort of caricatures that have sunk other books without a trace make this story sing . . . This high-voltage thriller has major motion picture written all over it.”
—
Minneapolis
Star Tribune
Minneapolis
Star Tribune
“Berenson is a crackerjack researcher and possesses a seemingly native ability to write entertaining fiction. He quickly sets his story in motion, creating engrossing scenes.”
—Chicago Tribune
—Chicago Tribune
“As a reporter for the
New York Times,
Alex Berenson has spent time in Iraq. He draws on his experience in writing this taut and quite chilling thriller . . . Berenson has written a solid debut novel notable for its relevancy and great sense of reality.”
New York Times,
Alex Berenson has spent time in Iraq. He draws on his experience in writing this taut and quite chilling thriller . . . Berenson has written a solid debut novel notable for its relevancy and great sense of reality.”
—
The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
“This is one of the most unusual and engrossing spy-action books I have read in many decades of perusing such books, starting with the original James Bond novels . . . All this is written in the most realistic style, giving us a very good picture of life on that side of this ongoing war . . . This is a good one. It is action packed, but it is also a sophisticated view of the new and unusual kind of warfare that America and the West face.”
—
Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln Journal Star
“Alex Berenson [has] concentrated on building suspense, maintaining thrills, and plotting a frighteningly plausible scenario... a worthwhile first effort . . .
The Faithful Spy
brims with knowledge, especially about the frightening tactics used in the name of war.”
The Faithful Spy
brims with knowledge, especially about the frightening tactics used in the name of war.”
—
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
“A complex idea and a multilayered story . . . Berenson takes readers across the world, unveiling al Qaeda’s brilliant and evil plot slowly. For sheer drama, no one can fault Berenson’s plot. His daring leaps in many directions almost always pay off. Scenes of torture and attacks are so clearly written, readers will be able to feel the pain.”—
Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
“In his debut thriller, investigative reporter Berenson has come up with an intriguing premise . . . Well written.” —
Library Journal
Library Journal
“A fast-moving, timely thriller with interesting characters and believable events—all ably narrated by Dean, who appears to know just how to tell the tale. His deep, rich tones set just the right mood for CIA agent Wells.”
—KLIATT
—KLIATT
“Berenson paints a realistic picture of a modern-day terrorist attack inside America. His theme is worthy of a John le Carré novel . . . this is a page-turner of a book, putting gripping drama into an all-too-believable cautionary tale.”
—The London (Ontario) Free Press
ALSO BY ALEX BERENSON
The Faithful Spy
The Number
(nonfiction)
(nonfiction)
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
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South Africa
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
THE GHOST WAR
A Jove Book / published by arrangement with the author
The
Silent
Man
copyright © 2009 by Alex Berenson.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form
without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in
violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form
without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in
violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
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