The Counterfeit Agent
Written by Alex Berenson
Narrated by George Guidall
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
John Wells returns for another deadly mission from New York Times bestselling author Alex Berenson...
In an Istanbul hotel, a deep source warns a CIA agent that Iran intends to kill a CIA station chief. Quickly, John Wells is called in to investigate, but before he can get far, the tip comes true. Which means that the next warning the source gives will be taken very seriously indeed. And it's a big one.
A radioactive one.
As the threat level jumps and the government mobilizes, Wells must figure out what's really going on. From a drug lord's mansion in Guatemala to a secret plastic surgery center in Thailand to the slums of Istanbul, Wells uses every skill he has-including his ability to go undercover in the Arab world-to chase down leads. But the enemy he faces is equally determined. And soon he may be too late to pull the United States back from the brink of war…
Alex Berenson
Alex Berenson is a former New York Times reporter and award-winning novelist. He attended Yale University and joined the Times in 1999, where he covered everything from the drug industry to Hurricane Katrina and served as a correspondent in Iraq. In 2006, The Faithful Spy, his debut novel, won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel. He has since written twelve more novels and a nonfiction book, Tell Your Children. Currently, he lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife and children.
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Reviews for The Counterfeit Agent
13 ratings14 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have been buying/ borrowing & catching up on ALL of Alex Berenson's John Wells novels since I read THE COUNTERFEIT AGENT because I was so interested in both the character of John Wells and the terrorists & politicians he is forced to deal with -- it is clearly well-researched and laid-out and I read this book overnight in a single sitting -- gripping, droll, suspenseful, thrilling. Berenson has a talent for bringing far away terrorist locations to life and making us care about his loved-ones and his friends. Highly recommended if you're a reader of David Baldacci, Harlan Coben, etc -- with a particular emphasis on Middle-Eastern locations and concerns.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Only an OK book -- struggled to get through it toward the end. The John Wells character was pretty well developed and the Glen Mason time in Thailand was believable.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Salome is a mystery woman who deals with a man who was in charge of South Africa's nuclear weapons program and stole some of the goods for himself. What she wants is unclear.John Wells is an operative who knows he's getting older. He's put on weight and isn't as fast as he was. He's thinking of asking the CIA for a transfer to a training section so he won't have so many dangerous assignments.He asks his girlfriend, Anne, to marry him but she tells him she wants a family and needs him there to raise the children so he'd have to leave his present job if he wants to marry her. She gives him 30 days to decide.Glen Mason was a CIA case worker who was fired for excess gambling and missed time on the job. He also had a dispute with another agent who Glen found was with the girl Glen had been sleeping with.Glen is approached by Salome who wants an operations manager. She tells him that the pay is good and her company works with assassinations and industrial espionage. He accepts her job offer.There is a threat to assassinate a CIA station chief and Wells is assigned to find out who is behind it and stop the threat.I enjoyed the book and the constant suspense. I found myself turning the pages eagerly to see the next exciting part of the action.The conclusion was well done with enough unanswered questions to leave room for a sequel.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I won this book from Early Readers. Well written, tremendous feel for espionage especially with a "right-now" slant. The only drawback I found with this book is the character development. I kept having to think, now who is this and where does he fit in. Because this is several books into a series I think the characters were developed earlier in the series. While the story line is something anyone could jump right into, it was difficult really getting a feel for the characters.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Someone is trying to convince the US that Iran has nuclear weapons. Is it a real threat or another WMD hoax? Former CIA agent John Wells is in a race against time to find out if the nuclear weapons are real. And if not, who wants to propel the US into a war with Iran? Definitely a page turner that will keep you glued to your seat! This is my first John Wells thriller and it was good enough that I will be back for more.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not a bad book, lots of action but it felt more like an episode of an ongoing saga than a full stand alone book. I think I would have enjoyed it much more if I had started at the beginning. The writing was decent but the characters other than the main guy were pretty flat. The end of the book was pretty much a 'until next time...'. There was no real finish to the book.John Wells is an interesting character who doesn't like taking time for introspection and it shows in his relationships. He likes his job and all other concerns come second if at all. Women don't appreciate it and he's just starting to realize why. He is put on the trail of a possible conspiracy to assassinate a CIA station chief and the more he looks into it the bigger the plot becomes.This is an interesting international mission impossible type book, entertaining and even a little thought provoking. Not a bad read.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Although the plot idea was intriguing, there were too many problems with the book for me to enjoy it or to seek out more by the author. I found the constant sentence fragments annoying, and the long detailed biography of every character was tedious. A lot of that information could have been worked into the events of the book. One reason I continued to read was to find out why the main part of the plot was happening, but the way the solution was presented was too contrived for my taste.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The best, most intriguing book in the John Wells series since the first book, The Faithful Spy. A must for thriller fans.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As mysteries go, this book moved pretty well. I found it harder to put down with each chapter. Didn't know much about John Wells previously, but liked his character. The plot was very busy and kept moving all around the world (had to keep your geography straight). Good read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I recieved an ARC from publisher from their First to Read program.Disclaimer this is my first experience with Mr Alex Benson's writing, so have not read other books in series.The book has everything you could want in a spy book.Storyline was good but was not attracted to any particular characters.(That is the main reason for rating)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Counterfeit Agent by Alex Berenson is another excellent novel in the John Wells series. The story is set around that the Iranians have acquired sufficient amounts of highly enriched uranium and are in the process of smuggling it into the US. A CIA agent is Istanbul is approached by an Iranian in the Revolutionary Guard. The Iranian gives the CIA several upcoming threats that will occur, but not enough information to thwart the attacks. The first is several attacks on Israeli embassies. The second is an attack on a CIA Chief of Station. Then the Iranian tells them of a weapon being smuggled into the US on a ship. Lastly the agent leads them to a cache of HEU in an apartment in Istanbul.During all of this time, the CIA is never able to get a picture of the agent, capture him for a debriefing, or get his true name. The White House is ready to start a war with Iran over the acquisition of the HEU.The previous CIA director and his right hand man still in the CIA, who is now a senator, are suspicious of this walk-in agent who has given all of this good intel. They start an unofficial search for what is happening using John Wells. The story leads around the world in the search for the group responsible for the attacks. Both the CIA and the unofficial search reach the conclusion that none of their allies are running a false flag operation to bring the US to war with Iran. The CIA makes the conclusion that the Iranians are behind it. The unofficial search does not believe this and is searching for a private group with unlimited funds. Both groups question how a private group could afford the money that is being spent on these attacks.The CIA refuses to believe the information that the unofficial search finds. This leaves it to the unofficial group to stop the private mission from causing a war.This is another good story that is well told. The author has given John Wells just enough of character that you really care for what happens to him.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is another great addition to the John Wells series by Alex Berenson. As is typical, there is lots of action. In this volume, I particularly liked the politics involved, which were very current and very believable. I also liked how the book went back and forth between locations and characters--it kept it interesting. Having read most of the other Wells books, I would strongly recommend this one. The one drawback in my opinion is that the book is clearly a set-up for another book picking up where this one left off, namely, the hunt for Salome and the casino owner. Thus, I thought that this ruined the ending a bit. Nonetheless, it was a good read.Thanks LTBob in Chicago
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The John Wells books get better every time out, and Alex Berenson has done it again with the latest book, The Counterfeit Agent. The stakes are as high as they’ve ever been in this installment, with an apparent nuclear threat from Iran and events escalating to a possible all-out war between the United States and Iran. While Wells has never faced a more critical mission, the influence of his allies at the CIA, Shafer and former director, (now Senator) Duto may be at an all-time low. The mechanics of how you can manipulate an entire government are both fascinating and frightening. The subtle ways to push people towards believing what they are already inclined to believe and the momentum that certain courses of events take once they’ve started makes for incredible reading.John Wells is one of my favorite characters. He’s smart, tough as nails, and incredibly resourceful. His weaknesses and self-awareness are what make him stand out from other action heroes. There is acknowledgement that with age his physical skills decline and there is further awareness that his own nature makes him prone to take action where prudence may serve him better. Furthermore, there are consequences to his actions that must be overcome. Berenson’s attention to the secondary characters, both allies and his adversaries, add realism and excitement to the story. The plot is intricate, but all too realistic. The details of intelligence gathering, the resourcefulness and the guesswork, are fascinating. The Counterfeit Agent races across the world from Istanbul to Guatemala to Hong Kong and Thailand. The tension and the excitement ratchet up throughout. This book builds to an exciting and satisfying conclusion, but it leaves the ultimate resolution to a sequel. I can’t wait to get my hands on it. This may be the most exciting John Wells story yet. A good book leaves you wanting more. A great one leaves you needing more. I need more John Wells. Highly recommended.I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The John Wells series provides a good measure of fact – the technology, trends in warfare, and understanding of terrorist cells – with fiction. In this latest edition, the off-the-books CIA agent/contractor is tasked with finding the source of a series of attacks, including one on a CIA station chief that may or may not be under the direction of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. It is standard fare. A group of current and former CIA officials battle against an entrenched politicized bureaucracy that is more concerned about protecting themselves rather than knowing finding the truth about the origin of the attacks. Still, despite the cookie cutter story line it presents an interesting scenario about the source of funding and the ends that some people would go through to get even with past “wrongs” as well as push the United States to war for “good” reasons even if it means setting up a straw dog. And this is just a prequel to the next John Wells novel.