Book Review - The Walk-In by Gary Berntsen and Ralph Pezzullo
Category Book Review Gary Berntsen Ralph Pezzullo The Walk-in
A friend recommended The Walk-In by Gary Berntsen and Ralph Pezzullo as a good spy thriller. I picked up a copy from the library, and it made it to the top of my recreational reading list rather quickly. This ended up being an excellent story with elements that are all too imaginable in real-life...
Matt Freed is a counter-terrorism agent who is tasked to interview an Iranian thought to be a highly placed intelligence operative. He tells Freed that there are two major terrorist operations about to happen, and that Freed will be shot if he leaves the building. The first bombing is to be carried out in Qatar, while the second will be a significant strike on US soil. The officer says he doesn't yet have the details on the second threat, but he's still working with the terrorist group to find out what is planned. Freed obviously knows this is important intel... provided it's accurate and truthful. On the surface, the details seem to pan out, and authorities are able to minimize the damage of the first attack. But details of the second attack are still unknown, and the Iranian wants to be permitted entry to the US in order to save his own life. US authorities are mobilizing to fight this unknown threat, and they're willing to let the Iranian into the country. Freed isn't completely convinced that this isn't a set-up, and he nearly throws his career away to try and find out if the informant is actually the attacker. Frantic trips to Uzbekistan and Moscow reveal details that, if true, means that hundreds of thousands of US citizens will die. But if Freed is wrong, his actions may start another war in the Middle East...
Berntsen and Pezzullo have teamed up to create a very tight spy novel that could be happening right now for all we know. Berntsen was actually a CIA counter-terrorism agent, so his plot and characters have a ring of authenticity to them. Pezzullo ties the storyline together with excellent writing, and the net effect is a novel that's hard to put down, as well as uncomfortable to read and think about...
A friend recommended The Walk-In by Gary Berntsen and Ralph Pezzullo as a good spy thriller. I picked up a copy from the library, and it made it to the top of my recreational reading list rather quickly. This ended up being an excellent story with elements that are all too imaginable in real-life...
Matt Freed is a counter-terrorism agent who is tasked to interview an Iranian thought to be a highly placed intelligence operative. He tells Freed that there are two major terrorist operations about to happen, and that Freed will be shot if he leaves the building. The first bombing is to be carried out in Qatar, while the second will be a significant strike on US soil. The officer says he doesn't yet have the details on the second threat, but he's still working with the terrorist group to find out what is planned. Freed obviously knows this is important intel... provided it's accurate and truthful. On the surface, the details seem to pan out, and authorities are able to minimize the damage of the first attack. But details of the second attack are still unknown, and the Iranian wants to be permitted entry to the US in order to save his own life. US authorities are mobilizing to fight this unknown threat, and they're willing to let the Iranian into the country. Freed isn't completely convinced that this isn't a set-up, and he nearly throws his career away to try and find out if the informant is actually the attacker. Frantic trips to Uzbekistan and Moscow reveal details that, if true, means that hundreds of thousands of US citizens will die. But if Freed is wrong, his actions may start another war in the Middle East...
Berntsen and Pezzullo have teamed up to create a very tight spy novel that could be happening right now for all we know. Berntsen was actually a CIA counter-terrorism agent, so his plot and characters have a ring of authenticity to them. Pezzullo ties the storyline together with excellent writing, and the net effect is a novel that's hard to put down, as well as uncomfortable to read and think about...
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Posted by skip At 05:02:55 On 14/10/2008 | - Website - |