Shadow Patrol: MY Review

Shadow Patrol

 

Author: Alex Berenson

 

 

Infiltrating either side as a spy should not be that simple but often goes undetected. Somehow Marci Holm, agent seems to feel that one man might not be what he appears to be and she might be the one that is being set up. Feeding him information and hopefully what she receives back will help take down not only bin Laden but al Zawahiri too. But, suspicions fly high in her head and she is not sure whether he can be trusted or not. Supposedly the man called Rashid a doctor is one who is helping her with her mission. But something, let’s say a gut feeling tells her there is something she is missing and this man who claims to be a doctor just might be a double agent. As the story continues we learn more about this doctor. When instincts kick in it is really sad that no one listens as the end result is tragic and Marci’s instincts were right on track as Rashid comes face to face with her and what happens will set up a serious and explosive chain of events.

 

Rick Fowler was not really cut out for the army. He sensed that something was wrong as he and several officers were going in search of Taliban. Warning his commanding officer in charge of the search he said that one of the men he saw reminded him of someone he had seen before. Why did they want Rodriquez in their compound and what happened to them? When Rick looks into it further he sees something that would ultimately take his life. As he observes Rodriquez and Roman using drugs, he learns that they are working the other side selling it. But, why and how would this get Fowler killed and what did one officer know that would shed some light on the murder?

 

John Wells divorced his wife when his son was just a little over a year old. Meeting him as a teen was awkward and Evan was not that friendly when they met. John is asked to go undercover to find out just what happened to the men in the Kabul Station. How did the Taliban infiltrate and where will this lead him now. Serving as a freelance troubleshooter for the CIA he would uncover more than just the Taliban and the corruption within the agency and the military too. As a result of his meeting with his son, which did not go well at all, John Wells decides to take a freelance mission with his old agency. As a result of what happens to Fowler and the suicide bombing that killed some good agents and the station chief in the CIA’s Kabul station, he is asked to go to Afghanistan to find out what is really going on and report to CIA chief Vince Duto.

 

John is going over and his job is a morale mission and to find out just which CIA officer might be working for the other side and investigate the drug issue too. Realizing that his meeting with his son went worse than terrible, he saw no reason to remain in the states and not take the mission. A heroin drug ring was at the center of the murder.

 

John Wells gets a rude awakening when visiting the Kabul Station. Hoping to learn about the operation and uncover the drug ring operating within the agency, he gets stonewalled by some of the top officials. Meeting Peter Lautner the deputy chief did not really help or give him any real information as he was being cautious and did not trust Wells.

 

The author reveals the information about the agents involved in smuggling drugs, how and why the operation started and the enormous profits made on both sides. Moles on our side and the Taliban and many other plays that have yet to be revealed.

 

Speaking to a woman named Joanna Frey he learns more about the opium connection, the influx of money from heroine and opium and the connections to the Thuwani tribe. Wiretaps, transcripts and one man named David Miller who was tied to it all. But, who is he exactly and what is his connection? As Miller enjoys the money and the rush of getting the drugs and handing them over he receives a phone call that would change it all. Forced to continue in a different manner and being closely watched he no longer reaps the same benefits and now he has to watch out for his life.

 

As the threads start to be sewn together and the players on both sides are brought into the tapestry of deceit, lies and treason, some will walk away and others will pay the ultimate price. When Shafer learns who is behind the drug trafficking and who the moles are will he be able to stop them before someone else is killed? Will John make it out or will he pay too in more ways than one? Just how will Facebook draw these two moles out? Wait and see the explosive ending to this novel.

 

Author Alex Berenson takes the reader inside Afghanistan, Kandahar, and Saudi Arabia and allows the reader to hear the inside dealings on both sides, the moles and their drones doing the deals and the end result will definitely surprise the reader. Who is Stan and why is he the mole? Why would an American in a top position sell himself to the other side? How does the beginning relate to the end? This is one novel that will keep you wondering until you turn the last page and even past hoping to find out what the author has in store for John the next time he is called by the CIA.

 

Once again Alex Berenson penned a novel filled with history, explains the events directly to the reader through the narrator and definitely makes you understand the job of our soldiers, superiors and how many have given their lives for our country and how some turned a blind eye. So, who will win out in the end? Shafer or will Duto listen to what he has to say? What will John do when faced with the truth and how will it all turn out? Read The Shadow Patrol to find out.

 

Fran Lewis: reviewer

 

 

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