The Prisoner

A John Wells Novel, Book 11

By: Alex Berenson

Narrated by: George Guidall

To unmask a CIA mole, John Wells must resume his old undercover identity as an al Qaeda jihadi - and hope he can survive it - in the new cutting-edge novel from the best-selling author.

It is the most dangerous mission of John Wells' career.

Evidence is mounting that someone high up in the CIA is doing the unthinkable - passing messages to ISIS, alerting them to planned operations. Finding out the mole's identity without alerting him, however, will be very hard, and to accomplish it Wells will have to do something he thought he'd left behind forever. He will have to reassume his former identity as an al Qaeda jihadi, get captured, and go undercover to befriend an ISIS prisoner in a secret Bulgarian prison.

Many years before, Wells was the only American agent ever to penetrate al Qaeda, but times have changed drastically. The terrorist organizations have multiplied: gotten bigger, crueler, more ambitious, and powerful. Wells knows it may well be his death sentence. But there is no one else.

©2017 Alex Berenson (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Berenson delivers some surprises along the way...Another strong mix of finely turned suspense and subtle character development.” (Booklist)

“Deeply researched, fast-paced, and believable.” (Kirkus Reviews [starred review])

"The Prisoner reinforces Berenson’s status as one of today’s steadiest practitioners of quality spy fiction...The action culminates smartly [and] Wells is an appealing combination of brains and brawn.” (Publishers Weekly)

And yet... I hope John Wells is killed off soon

(whining ahead) I really enjoy Alex Berenson's writing, and I have enjoyed getting to know John Wells, having loved "The Faithful Spy" and all that followed. That being said, his luck does need to run out. Or he needs therapy. Or Evan needs to die in his first posting with the CIA. I don't know. It can't just be the Ellis, Vinnie, and John show much longer.
One thing that really rubs me the wrong way: If you had a female protagonist flashing back to high school, it would never pass the sniff test. So I am frustrated that John Wells loving his days playing football continues to be a touchstone for his character. It seems incredibly out of place. I want John Wells to evolve into something more, I'm just not sure what. Heck, bring Exley back and make her his manager. Make him do counterintel in the USA. Something... please.

Another great addition

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed this great addition to the John Wells series. I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series, but believe you should start with the first book in the series, The Faithful Spy.

You can’t go wrong with John Wells

Alex Berenson knocks it out of the park again. At least for me, the John Wells series has risen to the ranks of the Harry Bosch reads. This is a good one.

Another hit

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Great characters and a great story line

What does George Guidall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His ability to make all the characters come to life. Outstanding

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The birth of his daughter

Any additional comments?

Keep them coming.

Solid Listen

Rated a solid 4 stars! This was my first Berenson novel and I doubt it'll be my last. I listened to this book on a 16 hour trip and found it to be a slow starter but definitely intriguing once it got going. It lacked the continuous action that I typically look for in these types of stories but when it did have action...it was spot on! The writing is heavy in facts that may or may not be meaningless. You'll get all the background on certain historical sites and atmospheric tone but feelings are not easily given in this story for the main character. The story follows a man, a hired assassin, who helps his old team find out who a mole is inside the federal government. The jihad-symapthizer is very clever throughout the story in making sure he isn't caught but in the end, the reveal and the "takedown" did little to satisfy the reader. The in-between seemed to be the most interesting...the jail fights and takedowns were the most exciting while the fact finding and posturing was a little meh for those who like typical spy/espionage thrillers. The pace while moderate was sufficient and in the end, I finished feeling good about it, but went straight into the next book on my list without much of a pondering.

Recommended for those that enjoy the slow whodunit with a backdrop of spy work.

Raging Book Reviews Recommended!

Loved It!

Thank you Mr. B - Another smashing book! Looking forward to the next one!

another well crafted spy thriller...

another well crafted, solid spy story. set apart by the muslim protagonist, it is told with humanity and skill. The motivation of one key character never quite convinced me, but it was a valiant attempt. discouraging that i learn more history and.philosophy of the conflict in a spy novel, but there you go.

favorite line? "flesh.into air." I also suspect John Wells will not have any more children, but that was realistic as well. given another favorite author's character decision on the crazy old guy? im pleased Shafer lives . Greatest and longest car bomb suspense ever!

and the 4 star overall is due to that motivation issue.

Alex's best yet.

Another book I had to make myself put down so I could do something else. I love listening to George as well.

Excellent

Loved it Berenson is funny and writes a thrilling book akin to Greaney's Gray Man. Read them all and this was top 20, top 2-3 in series.

Love these books and the reader 100%

Any additional comments?

John is getting a little old for having the crap kicked out of him and I think it's about time to modify his role a bit like Silva did with Gabriel. That said there are few authors and characters I like as well. Mitch, John, Gabriel and Dewey. What a team that would make.