Twelve Days (John Wells Series #9)

by Alex Berenson

Overview

New York Times–bestselling author Alex Berenson is back with another gripping tale.
 
John Wells, with his former CIA bosses Ellis Shafer and Vinny Duto, have uncovered a staggering plot, a false-flag operation to drive the United States and Iran into war. But they have no proof and only twelve days to find a way to stop the headlong momentum. They fan out, from Switzerland to Saudi Arabia, Israel to Russia, desperately trying to tease out the clues in their possession. And meanwhile, the forces gather.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780515155822
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/26/2016
Series:	John Wells Series , #9
Pages:	544
Sales rank:	277,146
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

This is Alex Berenson’s ninth novel featuring John Wells. As a reporter for The New York Times, Berenson covered topics ranging from the occupation of Iraq—where he was stationed for three months—to the flooding of New Orleans, to the world pharmaceutical industry, to the financial crimes of Bernard Madoff. He graduated from Yale University in 1994 with degrees in history and economics, and lives in New York City. The Faithful Spy won the 2007 Edgar Award for best first novel. He is also the author of The Wolves.

Read an Excerpt

PROLOGUE
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Twelve Days"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Alex Berenson.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for Twelve Days

“Berenson is a master at building tension, with a ticking clock that's built into the title—America's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is only 12 days away. This well-written and fast-moving novel delivers more than a good plot. It illustrates how in the midst of regional chaos, a great power can jump to calamitous conclusions. This one is well worth the thriller enthusiast's time....” —Kirkus Review

Praise for The Counterfeit Agent
 
“The Counterfeit Agent is as topical as any of Berenson’s books and, with its sharp details and knowingness, gives you the distinct impression that the author has talked to more than enough people to know of what he speaks... The plot is every bit the thrill ride it sounds like, [and then] there is Wells. He is, necessarily, a dashing, hard-to-defeat fellow. But he is deeply human, frustrated as often by love and his own personal demons as by the villains around him. He is a morally complex protagonist, an entertaining guy to hang out with. He alone makes The Counterfeit Agent worth the read.”—Associated Press
 
“Whatever real-world geopolitical threat you're following, chances are the fictional John Wells has already handled it in his ripped-from-the-headlines adventures.”—NPR books
 
“With each [book] Alex Berenson’s idiosyncratic invention, John Wells, a US secret-ops agent and convert to Islam, finds himself getting older and fighting harder for higher stakes in a novel that earns your attention and delivers an intriguing catch at the end . . . [Berenson’s] clean, clear prose and solid grasp of global geopolitics make for compelling, believable scenes and chapters.”—The Boston Globe
 
“[A] volcanic shocker  . . . Working with plot elements that are terrifyingly realistic, research that rings as true as today’s headlines, and characters that brim with integrity and swagger, Berenson puts John Wells right up there with the best of espionage fiction’s greatest heroes.”—Library Journal
 
“Berenson ratchets the tension ever higher, combining plenty of vividly detailed bloodletting with a fascinating look at geopolitics and the self-serving quagmire of governmental bureaucracy. Wells stands outside all that, a Rambo with a brain who can’t resist the call to action. The clock is ticking loudly this time, though, and fans will have to wait until the next book to see if Wells saves the world one more time.”—Booklist

 
 

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Twelve Days
“Lots of thriller writers know how to work a ticking clock, and lots more come to the genre with some experience in international politics, but few put the two together as effectively as Berenson does in this compelling, globe-trotting time bomb of a novel. Action fans will get all they came for . . . but those looking for genuine insight into the subtleties of the geopolitical chess game will be equally satisfied.” —Booklist (starred review)
 
“This well-written and fast-moving novel delivers more than a good plot. It illustrated how in the midst of regional chaos, a great power can jump to calamitous conclusions. This one is well worth the thriller enthusiast’s time, which holds true for all the novels Berenson has written to date.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
“A fast-paced, enthralling fight to the finish . . . the sort of spy thriller that locks you in a fast and ferocious grip and won’t let you go.” —Associated Press
 
“An extremely suspenseful read that fans will not forget any time soon.” —Suspense Magazine
 
“All espionage thrillers should be this good. This is a series that you should—must—be reading.” —Bookreporter.com

From the Publisher

12/22/2014
After an effective opening, in which bestseller Berenson makes the victims of a terrorist attack real enough to give their deaths an emotional impact, his ninth John Wells thriller (after 2014’s The Counterfeit Agent) settles into familiar terrain. Everyone onboard a United Airlines flight from Mumbai to Newark, N.J., perishes when the plane is struck by a surface-to-air missile shortly after takeoff. Other disturbing events include the murder of a CIA station chief and, most ominously, the discovery of weapons-grade uranium in Istanbul. While the U.S. president accepts the conclusion that the nuclear material was from Iran and intended for use in an attack on America, Wells, a former CIA agent, believes otherwise. Wells is sure that Aaron Duberman, a billionaire casino owner, is responsible for the uranium and is attempting to trick the U.S. into invading Iran. The desperate efforts to avoid war make for an exciting page-turner, but the characters lack subtlety and the plot holds few surprises. Agent: Heather Schroder, ICM. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

09/01/2014
Former New York Times reporter Berenson follows up eight previous John Wells novels, including the Edgar Award-winning The Faithful Spy, with a narrative hinging on a plot to compel the president to attack Iran. Wells has 12 days to prove that the whole thing is a setup.

Library Journal

George Guidall, with more than a thousand audiobooks to his credit, contributes his Golden Voice to the latest thriller in Berenson’s popular spy series. Guidall narrates with his usual élan, enough character differentiation to inform the listener, and that wonderful steadiness that moves the story right along. There’s a lengthy backstory in the early part of the novel and an unusually abrupt ending. A billionaire and his beautiful, scheming cohort work to drive the U.S. and Iran into a shooting war. There are acts of terrorism and ramped-up crises, with a twelve-day deadline. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2015 - AudioFile

★ 2015-01-08
John Wells returns in another exciting and entirely plausible verge-of-war thriller.The Iranians are apparently about to get the bomb, and the U.S. is ready to go to war to stop them. But is it true? Too late, ex-CIA agent Wells discovers a plot to dupe the two nations into a needless war. Two commercial jets explode, one of them over Mumbai. Almost 300 innocent travelers are killed. The Iranian government disavows responsibility, but perhaps it's sending America a warning: Don't mess with us. Readers of his earlier adventures know that Wells is a convert to Islam, adding one more layer of complication to a life fraught with danger. His deadly adversaries include an Israeli agent code-named Salome, an accomplished killer who wants the U.S. to believe that Iran has amassed enough highly enriched uranium to build an atomic bomb. If Salome gets her way, Israel's best ally will destroy its worst enemy. Wells will do everything in his power to stop the plan. So Salome wants Wells dead, but she finds him "harder to kill than a Negev spider." Despite her uncharitable opinion, Wells is a sympathetic hero who works with CIA agents to defuse a likely disaster. Eventually, "America's fate"—Iran's as well, obviously—"depends on three men in Bellville, South Africa. Two can't stand each other." Berenson is a master at building tension, with a ticking clock that's built into the title—America's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is only 12 days away. This well-written and fast-moving novel delivers more than a good plot. It illustrates how in the midst of regional chaos, a great power can jump to calamitous conclusions. This one is well-worth the thriller enthusiast's time, which holds true for all the novels Berenson has written to date.

Kirkus Reviews