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The Silent Man by Alex Berenson is the 3rd John Wells novel. You can read my review of the 1st, The Faithful Spy, here. At some point, I will go back and read book 2, The Ghost War, though I plan to read The Midnight House, book (published Feb 2010), first.

Here is the setup for this novel: Wells and his fiancee are attacked, and his fiancee is badly hurt. The person behind this attack is from an earlier novel (one of the ways these books tie together in the series). Being a tough guy who cares about his family, Wells goes off in search of revenge. While this is going on, a couple of Islamists manage to steal 2 nuclear weapons from Russia. Their plan is to get the bombs to the US, disassemble them, and make their own bomb to blow up on US soil (they can't use the Russion bombs, because they don't have the codes needed to activate them). So, the main plot lines involve Wells, his revenge, and this nuclear threat on US soil.

Once again, I have to say I am a big fan of the Wells series so far. Like the first book, the main draw for me is the lead character, John Wells. He continues to be someone you want to root for. As the series progresses, his character gains more depth, and does his relationships..especially with his fiancee, Exley (most characters are referred to by their last names). You really understand how difficult it is for Wells to balance his love for his job, against his love for Exley. It is inevitable that they must break up at some point, I would think. They both have jobs with the CIA, and know that their job and protection of the US must come before themselves. So this internal conflict plays a major roll on their personalities. Especially Wells. Most every move he makes, he must think: "do I follow my instincts and do what needs to be done, regardless of risk" or "do I think about my future with Exley, and ask for help". There also continues to be friction between Wells and some of the higher ups, and I am interested to see how this plays out in future novels. I say all this to let you know this book is more than just a simple spy novel. Sure, the main focus is on the tension centered around the potential damage done if the nuclear weapon goes off in a US city..but the personal conflicts of the characters, and the choices they continually face, adds depth to the novel.

Once again I also like how the bad guys are handled. You understand their motivations for doing what they do. Of course, being the bad guys, I wanted them to fail. But they are more than just cardboard terrorists. And the sections dealing with the assembly of the new bomb are well done. As their plan unfolds, it feels like this is something that could easily happen in the real world..which is just natural, added drama for me. It brings the novel home to the real world. I think this is one of the biggest reasons I am enjoying espionage novels right now..after reading so much fantasy, having that "real world" threat (i.e. the plot of the novel feeling as if it could happen tomorrow) is a nice dimension I don't get with epic fantasy. I don't really worry about a dragon breathing fire on my house and burning it to the ground. But I could imagine the scenario that unfolds in The Silent Man.

The book bounces back and forth between Well's POV and the bad guy's POV. I thought the pacing was good throughout, though the ending was a bit too quick and neat (which is usually my biggest complaint with spy novels in general). If you are looking for a quick paced, believable spy novel, with well developed lead character, check out this book, or start with The Faithful Spy. While this is the 3rd book in the series, like most spy novels, this books stands on its own. Reading the earlier books will help you understand some of the personal conflicts between the different characters, but it won't affect your understanding of the central plot in this one. In other words, if you want a deeper understand of the characters, read the earlier books first. If you just want a quick, fun read, go ahead and read The Silent Man first. Of course, if you have read the earlier books, this is just more of the same, excellent reading.


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