Sunday, December 9, 2007

The Ghost War-Alex Berenson

The Ghost War
Alex Berenson
Putnam, Feb 2008, $24.95
ISBN 9780399154539

The CIA knows the best way to insure that North Korea’s nuclear weapons aspirations is slowed down considerably is to abduct leading scientist Dr. Sung Kwan from the rogue state. The snatch plan is perfect and the team succeeds in a grabbing Kwan; however, the CIA unit and the Korean scientist are killed during the escape. Someone from within the intelligence community sold out the mission. Agent Jennifer Exley is assigned to find out whom.

As she works the impossible task of uncovering the mole her lover CIA Agent John Wells returns to Afghanistan where he previously uncovered an al-Qaeda plot to destroy Times Square (see THE FAITHFUL SPY). This time his assignment is to determine who are the outsiders abetting the Taliban return to power as the political answer of blaming Iran makes no logical sense after being brutal enemies for years.

Uncovering a mole has been used many times, but Alex Berenson keeps it fresh due to the plausibility of the North Korean gambit; the Afghan subplot also feels possible. Thus readers obtain a great espionage thriller as Mr. Berenson uses international headlines to write an exciting action-packed novel focusing on two CIA operations.

Harriet Klausner

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