The Faithful Spy: A Novel (A John Wells Novel Book 1)

Alex Berenson's debut novel follows John Wells, a CIA agent who has spent years undercover in Pakistan as the only American operative to penetrate al Qaeda. Since before the 2001 attacks, Wells has been building his cover in the mountains while following orders from al Qaeda leader Omar Khadri to return to the United States. During his years abroad, Wells has converted to Islam and developed conflicted views: he finds the United States decadent and shallow, yet opposes al Qaeda's use of Islam to justify violence against innocents. When Wells returns home, his superiors at Langley—including his handler Jennifer Exley—struggle to determine whether to trust him. The CIA, still recovering from intelligence failures surrounding 9/11 and weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, largely freezes him out in favor of technological intelligence gathering. As Khadri prepares a devastating terrorist attack, Wells and Exley must work to stop him, often operating without official government support. The novel moves between secret military bases, interrogation facilities, and al Qaeda laboratories developing biological weapons, exploring the personal and political complexities of modern counterterrorism.