This book needs a warning: contains graphic harm against children

I'm a fan of the author, but feel the need to flag this particular book for the gratuitous and graphic pedophilia and rape scenes. The amount of detail was so disturbing, if it had been a movie it would have been rated X. Totally unnecessary, these horrid and haunting scenes distracted from an otherwise solid John Wells book.

12 people found this helpful

Best Yet!

I got hooked on John Wells after the first book. The author has taken the time to create a full character instead of an action hero. While Wells loves his country deeply, he knows the things she asked of him having taken a huge toll on him. Wells takes the time to consider the emotional impact of his actions, but he also has developed the capacity to stuff his feelings into a compartment and move forward with his job when necessary. As Wells has matured over the series, I love that he now trust his own judgment and moral compass to take action, instead of following the lead of his mentor or even the presiding president. Good for him. I won't rehash the story line, its covered in the book summary. Not entirely plausible but then it is called fiction for a reason.

8 people found this helpful

Good spy thriller!

The Wolves is Book 10 in the John Wells series. It starts exactly where Book 9, Twelve Days, finished. I have rated all prior books in the Wells series either 4 or 5 stars. I'm rating this one 4 stars although is is clearly the weakest novel in the series. The plot is simply not as credible as the others.

George Guidall is one of my favorite narrators. I believe this is the first time I have rated him less than 5 stars.

I've been waiting to see if Alex Berenson is going to break into the elite group of espionage thriller writers (authors like Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, Brad Taylor, Ben Coes, Brett Battles, Brian Haig, Mark Greaney, Vince Flynn, Mark Dawson, Tom Wood, Nelson DeMille, and Tom Clancy). Berenson is not there yet, but he does show promise of the capability in his best John Wells novels. The Wolves is not one of his best.

14 people found this helpful

Very good!

My only complaint isn't with the book, but with the publishers and audible. I had no idea this was out until weeks after it was released. I am a die heard Wells fan, and was pissed that it had been out and I didn't know.
Every time I look up mundane items online some mind reading algorithm advertises that thing to me on random websites for weeks, but audible somehow missed the fact that I own every one of these books and listen to them all several times a year. Rant over. Good book!

2 people found this helpful

Great book / love series, but...

Discovered Alex Berenson a year or so ago when looking for more books read by George Guidall. Alex Berenson's books are in the same genre as many of the other spy / espionage books that Guidall likes to read - I've enjoyed them all. The Wolves is my least favorite of the series as it's more revenge and less espionage - a departure from his prior books. It's hard to give a proper review without giving away the plot but I think I can safely say that unless you read the prior book in the series then you really won't understand what's going on in this one. While I enjoyed this book, I look forward to Alex's next in the series and hope that he gets back to having the main character, John Wells, fighting the bad guys.

The writing is good but George Guidall carries this book. If you're considering this as your first Berenson book, pick a different one. If you're like me and have already listened to his other works, you can't not read this. You just may not enjoy it as much.

4 people found this helpful

Yes!

I was half way through listening to this before I came up for air. I enjoyed it a great deal. Suggestion - don't read this book until you've read TWELVE DAYS. This one picks up right where the previous one ends.

This is vintage Alex Berenson. I have been a bit disappointed in a few of his latest works but TWELVE DAYS and this one are back to what I've enjoyed about the John Wells books. The story was interesting and full of enough suspense. Wells is his normal self and this time he actually gets some Agency help. I just wish he'd figure out what's going on with his feelings about Anne and deal with it. He needs her.

I have a feeling we'll see at least one of the characters from this book in another one.

George Guidall is, as usual, brilliant!

4 people found this helpful

Good Read, Good Storyline

What made the experience of listening to The Wolves the most enjoyable?

Although is Guidall is a good narrator, you sometimes can't tell which character is speaking. But the story is good enough to keep you going.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Berensen does a good job of location description, so much so, that when I travel to the places he's written about, I can almost navigate from it.
Plot was such that it kept me listening. I wouldn't exactly call it a nail biter, but it was good.

Which character – as performed by George Guidall – was your favorite?

Guidall has to identify with Ellis the most. You can just tell when he speaks that he would be Ellis.

Any additional comments?

I've finished his series in about 4 months....it's going to be a long long time until The Prisoner in Jan 2017. :-(

1 person found this helpful

You have to like John Wells to like this book.

Any additional comments?

I have been listening to all the John Wells books for a while. I like books with strong characters who manage to save the day. It is escapist literature. With this character, John Wells, you have to also buy into the idea that the U.S.A. has guys out there whose job it is to kill people we don't like.

In this one, you have to like the idea that the government is corrupt from the top down, that it is okay to just kill people that we don't like, and that even though we have courts designed to deal with terrorists we shouldn't use them. You have to like the idea that revenge is a good motive for murder. Skip the courts, skip the rest. Just kill 'em. I know that I will hear from people saying why not, and this review isn't the place to say. I will say that I still give the book a good rating because, as I started with, it is escapist literature and I like it.

1 person found this helpful

Wonderful, Awesome and totally righteous!

A must John Wells. A great addition to the series. I hope John Wells doesn't stop.

1 person found this helpful

Cleaning up loose ends

Alex Berenson's The Wolves is the third installment of a pseudo-trilogy where John goes after the mastermind of the plot he disrupted in the previous two installments. After putting up with a bit of political dithering, John takes matters into his own hands only to be further stymied and hamstrung until finally being let loose.

Tradecraft is minimal with John frequently expressing serious reservations about his ability to continue. At the same time, this is a tale more about revenge, rather than espionage with action more in line with street brawling, rather than a master assassin.While major national security disaster is averted, it is more accidental or circumstantial, rather than intentional. John is angry at himself for tiring of the game and he's taking it out on any convenient punching bag.

The narration is superb with a great range of voices and perfect pacing. Although the setup for the next installment is likely to be a bit closer to home, John is gradually easing into retirement.

1 person found this helpful