The Silent Man

Alex Berenson

Penguin,  February 2009

From the number-one New York Times-bestselling author comes another remarkable novel of espionage, adventure, and radical extremism "as vividly real and scary as the nightly news" (Booklist).

Alex Berenson's The Faithful Spy was declared "one of the best spy stories ever told" (The Wall Street Journal), and The Ghost War "mesmerizing . . . an extraordinary achievement" (Raleigh News & Observer). Berenson's third novel, however, is his most masterful yet.

Stealing warheads from the heart of Russia's nuclear complex isn't easy. It requires money, coordination, ingenuity, sleight-of-hand, and just a touch of luck. But if you're determined enough, if you're willing to die -- and to kill -- to get inside, anything is possible.

CIA agent John Wells thought he'd reached his limits when he nearly died while stopping a plot that could have drawn the United States and China into war. Wells is exhausted and his nights are filled with disturbing dreams, but he knows he must gather his strength. He has made many enemies, and the world won't stay quiet for long.

Nevertheless, he is not prepared for what is about to happen.  Wells and his colleague -- and fiance -- Jennifer Exley are on their way to work at Langley when traffic comes to a standstill. An accident has blocked the bridge ahead. Wells begins to get a bad feeling, a feeling that gets worse when he spots the motorcycle zooming up between cars toward him. Within a few minutes, several people will be dead or severely injured, Exley among them, and Wells will be a man possessed.

Wells believes he knows who is behind the attack. He wants revenge for himself, despite the pleas of his bosses at the CIA, and even of Exley, that he wait. But as he tracks his adversaries to Russia, and then Europe, he will find much more than he expects. An Islamic terrorist plan of unimaginable consequences is in motion. As he tries to stop it, Wells will have to decide how much his honor is worth -- and whether he can face losing the woman he loves.

Real-world threats, authentic details, a scenario both dramatic and plausible -- Berenson's new novel is another "timely reminder of the extremely precarious way we live now" (The Washington Post).

hardcover | ISBN: 9780399155383 | Publication Date: February 2009