Book Review: the Midnight House by Alex Berenson

The Midnight House by Alex Berenson is the fourth book in the John Wells series and I must say that Berenson gets better with each book. This book starts off about six months after the end of The Silent Man. Wells has spent the last six months recovering from the trauma of losing Exley and the United States coming withing minutes of a nuclear attack. The six months he spends in New Hampshire allows him to breath and exercise and once again debate with himself the pros and cons of what he does and once again he is unable to come to a satisfactory decision.

A call from his old boss Shafer once again drags Wells back down to DC and back into the world of spies and intrigue and illusions and once again it is personal. Members of a secret force working out of Turkey are slowly and methodically being murdered one by one and the three that are left are all under suspension due to some fancy financing while on assignment. Like Berenson's other books this is a book that debates the rights and wrongs of the law and the current position that the United States is taking in the war on terror. Unlike books written by Vince Flynn. Wells is much more conflicted about his position to defend the United States and while he realizes that it truly is a fight for life and western society it is also one that is layered with ambiguity and self doubt and maybe a little bit more about Wells trying to look for redemption for his earlier crimes but the reality is that the earlier crimes were not truly crimes but actions that needed to be taken and actions that have caused extreme upheavals and loss in the personal and professional life of John Wells.

The story moves quickly and is fast paced. It is apparent that Berenson has a fair amount of insider information and is up to date on the current weapons and tools that are being used by the United States Government in the war on terror. He is also able to draw three dimensional characters that readers can understand and while they may not agree with the characters positions Berenson gives us the ability to look a little deeper into their psyches and while they are not actions I support or encourage it is obvious that Berenson believes in redemption and the power of education through entertainment.