Twelve Days by Alex Berenson

And this was what I was waiting for . . . don't this short review fool you.

Word of warning. Where The Counterfeit Agent left off, Twelve Days continues almost immediately. My advice is to read The Counterfeit Agent first before picking this up. Too many details.

John Wells has tracked the highly enriched uranium, that was the primary issue in the previous book, and the data suggests that the Iranian's first nuclear bomb would be ready is very short order. The American security apparatus' interpretation  has convinced the Joint Chiefs and the President who now issues the order to prepare for war. Get the military on the Iranian borders and wait for the attack order. The President has told the world that the Iranian government will open their nuclear facilities peacefully or in twelve days, the Americans will forcibly open them and leave nothing but dust in their wake.

Wells, Senator Vinny Duto (former DCI), and Elis Shafer (aging spook, all from the previous book) are still trying to track the source of the HEU and who, if it isn't the Iranians, is behind this insanity. The US is being taunted. Three passenger jets are blown out of the sky. Again, it appears that Iran is behind the attacks.

Wells crisscrosses the Middle East, eastern Europe, Russia, and South Africa following clues (and leaving bodies) to who is behind the plot and the source of the HEU. At each stop, he experiences the espionage version of 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. And all the while a clock is ticking towards the Presidential deadline.

For those who aren't Berenson converts . . . you really should be. Since his outstanding rookie effort, The Faithful Spy, Berenson has ratcheted up the tension with each John Wells book (now up to 9). Absolutely first rate thrillers. On a par with the best thriller writers of today. So if you are up to 8 Berenson books, prepare for #9. You won't be sorry. If you are new to Berenson, start with his first. Once hooked, it'll be a quick ride through Berenson's catalogue. Trust me.

East Coast Don