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roastedsalted's review
A future Alex Berenson will deny the existence of a Pandemic.
matthew_p's review
3.0
I'm not sure I'd bother to read a seventh book in this series. The books were a pleasant summer read for sure, but didn't quite live up to the potential of the first installment to be something fresh in the genre.
timetoread_more2022's review
5.0
Really enjoyable. I also like the main character, he isn't like many of the cookie-cutter heroes right out of central casting. I also appreciate that Berenson includes a view of Islam in his stories that touch the Muslim world.
howjessicareads's review
4.0
As The Shadow Patrol begins, Alex Berenson's star agent is off to investigate the Kabul office of the CIA. Two years after a suicide bomber gutted the station, the CIA is still struggling to get back on its feet and reestablish its contacts in Afghanistan.
John Wells--agent, killer, faithful Muslim--is always willing to do what he can for his government. Going undercover to find the source of the problems in the Kabul office, he hears rumors of drug smuggling, and as he follows the trail, his suspicions soon fall on a team of Delta Special Forces stationed at Kandahar Air Base.
The Shadow Patrol is a fast-paced thriller with an insider's view of up-to-the-minute espionage techniques in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Refreshingly, Berenson's agents are all intelligent and quick-acting, determined to assist Wells in finding the source of the problems in Kabul. Through Wells's mission, Berenson explores what it means to be a soldier in a war that few support, and what the future of Afghanistan may be.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It was a lot of fun in a shoot-em-up Tom Clancyesque way.
John Wells--agent, killer, faithful Muslim--is always willing to do what he can for his government. Going undercover to find the source of the problems in the Kabul office, he hears rumors of drug smuggling, and as he follows the trail, his suspicions soon fall on a team of Delta Special Forces stationed at Kandahar Air Base.
The Shadow Patrol is a fast-paced thriller with an insider's view of up-to-the-minute espionage techniques in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Refreshingly, Berenson's agents are all intelligent and quick-acting, determined to assist Wells in finding the source of the problems in Kabul. Through Wells's mission, Berenson explores what it means to be a soldier in a war that few support, and what the future of Afghanistan may be.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It was a lot of fun in a shoot-em-up Tom Clancyesque way.
sheilasamuelson's review
5.0
Loved this book so much!! Suspense drama and mystery are what made it so great!! Think of Cbs's SEAL Team meets a dark mystery book as a crossover!!
If you love Thrillers this book is definitely for you!!
If you love Thrillers this book is definitely for you!!
brettt's review
3.0
The Shadow Patrol is the fifth novel by former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson featuring semi-retired spy John Wells, the only American undercover agent to successfully penetrate Al Qaeda.
Wells is called in by his former boss, Vinny Duto, to make a trip to Afghanistan and visit the CIA offices there. Two years previously, a suicide bomber succeeded in a ruse that killed several agents and the station has never fully recovered. Duto also wants Wells to poke around the military base where the CIA works -- information has been leaking to terrorists and he needs to know who's doing it. Drug smuggling, double-dealing and rival mountain tribes will only complicate his mission.
Berenson's prose flows smoothly and lets his story unfold at a walk or a sprint as his plot requires. Wells is a canny pro who questions his own willingness to rely on violence in his job -- has he seen too much to live a normal life? Berenson also gave the spy a twist. During his undercover time, Wells actually converted to Islam and considers himself a Muslim today, which is something that makes some of his former fellow agents question his loyalties.
Patrol is a well-crafted spy novel, but Berenson has started to wear some of Well's character traits a little thin. The agent has found comfort in his religious life, but again we see him with the same doubts caused by his failure to maintain his prayer and study. The situation stays static. The plot he investigates its twisty enough, but the resolution happens sort of offscreen, leaving a feeling of incompleteness.
Original available here.
Wells is called in by his former boss, Vinny Duto, to make a trip to Afghanistan and visit the CIA offices there. Two years previously, a suicide bomber succeeded in a ruse that killed several agents and the station has never fully recovered. Duto also wants Wells to poke around the military base where the CIA works -- information has been leaking to terrorists and he needs to know who's doing it. Drug smuggling, double-dealing and rival mountain tribes will only complicate his mission.
Berenson's prose flows smoothly and lets his story unfold at a walk or a sprint as his plot requires. Wells is a canny pro who questions his own willingness to rely on violence in his job -- has he seen too much to live a normal life? Berenson also gave the spy a twist. During his undercover time, Wells actually converted to Islam and considers himself a Muslim today, which is something that makes some of his former fellow agents question his loyalties.
Patrol is a well-crafted spy novel, but Berenson has started to wear some of Well's character traits a little thin. The agent has found comfort in his religious life, but again we see him with the same doubts caused by his failure to maintain his prayer and study. The situation stays static. The plot he investigates its twisty enough, but the resolution happens sort of offscreen, leaving a feeling of incompleteness.
Original available here.