REVIEW: The Silent Man by Alex Berenson

So the love affair continues between me and Alex Berenson. No, not THAT kind of love affair. The I-continue-to-love-his-books kind. See, I was recently burned by an author who I long ago fanned, and the feeling of betrayal was as acute as if she was a longtime friend in real life and she told me she'd become besties with the girl who bullied me in high school.

Anyway, back to Senor Berenson: His most recent book, The Silent Man, came out early this month. A short plot synopsis thusly:

We continue where we left off (this is book 3, I forgot to mention) in the life of CIA spy John Wells who is now trying to live a domestic life with his domestic partner. Of course Mr. Wells finds all this domestication intolerable, but he gamely attempts to chug along despite some lingering PTSD and a sense that he still has some contributions to make in the fight against al Qaeda.

Naturally the bad guys couldn't leave well enough alone. In this world of pseudo-domesticated bliss, they ambush Mr. & Ms. Wells' convoy to work and nearly kill our intrepid hero's significant other. Of course that just won't do. Despite warnings of dire consequences, Wells tries to get revenge. He fails, but it turns out his attempt and subsequent failure make the real bad guys scared shitless enough that they offer him a carrot. And thus the plot to stop a nuclear bomb from detonating in D.C. ensues.

Good shit all around.

And now, for the review:

THINGS I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK:

1. Roland. I like it when my hero gets to act out his inner bad guy. I can just picture Wells in this persona -- all black Armani and dark sunglasses and sexy as hell. And don't forget about that accent.


2. The humor. Best parts of the book all involved something funny -- Ellis rescuing Wells at the airport after the revenge trip, Ellis giving Wells shit for not buying Jen a ring, Ellis Googling the Penn State women's soccer team in the middle of a tense chase scene. Actually, come to think of it, one of the best things about this book is...


3. Ellis. Love this guy. Does he deliberately spill ketchup on his suits? Is that absentminded persona real or fake? Things that make you go hmmmmm...


4. The bad guys. Great backstories, believable motivations.


5. The freaking plot. My gawd, this book scared the living shit out of me because everything sounded real. It's like Two Bad Guy manuals in one: "How to Steal Two Nuclear Bombs From a Top Secret Russian Weapons Depot," and "How to Make a Nuclear Bomb 101." The best part about all this technospeak is that it was so clear and compelling and believable it didn't make me want to skim over, unlike Clancy.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK:

1. I read a review of TSM where the author said that Berenson said the story this time around is about revenge. I said, "Uh oh." A lot of revenge stories are also lone wolf stories. You know, the kind where the hero, against all sane advice, goes after the killer/perp, endangering not just himself but also the mission and those around him. Yes, Wells did go off on a revenge trip, but he failed (good thing). AND, best of all, his bosses end up sanctioning his mission and gets the power and support of the CIA without dangling by his lonesome.


2. The ending. I know Berenson is setting me up for a 4th book, but man! The mission is successful, but the man is broken. John better get some lovin soon. And I don't even mind that it might be from Ms. Universe.


3. The doctor's death. Poor guy. I thought this character's purpose all along was to be the bridge between the bad guys and the good. That he'll see the error of his ways (which did happen) and he'd be at least partially successful in reaching out to the kaffirs. That his character represented the enlightened, redeemed fundamentalist. But no. He dies after realization but before redemption. When I got to the part of his death, I thought, "what a waste of a good character. He could have been so much more compelling.

BEST LINES IN THE BOOK:

• "You really don't know anything about women, do you?"
-- Ellis to Wells after Wells tells him Jen doesn't want a diamond engagement ring.


• "In the desperate weeks to come, [Kowalski] would ask himself more than once whether he would have made a different decision if he hadn't been so damned hungry.

OVERALL RATING: 4.5 out of 5. Loved this book. Fantastic read, pulse-pounding action, great characterization, exciting and believable end-of-world scenario. I highly recommend. But only after you read books 1 (A Faithful Spy) and 2 (The Ghost War).