The Walk-In

by Ralph Pezzullo and Gary Berntsen

Book Overview

Gary Berntsen, longtime CIA operative and the field commander who cornered Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, writing with award-winning novelist Ralph Pezzullo, offers in this edge-of-the-seat thriller a terrifying vision of where the next threat to America may come from. When a highly placed Iranian intelligence operative walks into a U.S. embassy claiming to possess explosive information, counterterrorism officer Matt Freed is dispatched to interview...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307394816
• ISBN13: 9780307394811
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Good, Quick, Realistic Contemporary Novel

Gary, with his years of service in the CIA and Ralph have crafted a fine novel. It is an easy read, is entertaining at the same time it has a pertinence in the modern world. Who do you trust to pass secrets back and forth about the games nations/countries play? Gary and Ralph test your ability to determine who is a good source and who is a bad one.

The Walk In

Excellent book by the real deal. I hope he writes more fiction as I really enjoyed the read. Action packed based on very possible scenarios, very believable.

A tight thriller that sounds (uncomfortably) too possible...

A friend recommended The Walk-In by Gary Berntsen and Ralph Pezzullo as a good spy thriller. I picked up a copy from the library, and it made it to the top of my recreational reading list rather quickly. This ended up being an excellent story with elements that are all too imaginable in real-life... Matt Freed is a counter-terrorism agent who is tasked to interview an Iranian thought to be a highly placed intelligence operative. He tells Freed that there are two major terrorist operations about to happen, and that Freed will be shot if he leaves the building. The first bombing is to be carried out in Qatar, while the second will be a significant strike on US soil. The officer says he doesn't yet have the details on the second threat, but he's still working with the terrorist group to find out what is planned. Freed obviously knows this is important intel... provided it's accurate and truthful. On the surface, the details seem to pan out, and authorities are able to minimize the damage of the first attack. But details of the second attack are still unknown, and the Iranian wants to be permitted entry to the US in order to save his own life. US authorities are mobilizing to fight this unknown threat, and they're willing to let the Iranian into the country. Freed isn't completely convinced that this isn't a set-up, and he nearly throws his career away to try and find out if the informant is actually the attacker. Frantic trips to Uzbekistan and Moscow reveal details that, if true, means that hundreds of thousands of US citizens will die. But if Freed is wrong, his actions may start another war in the Middle East... Berntsen and Pezzullo have teamed up to create a very tight spy novel that could be happening right now for all we know. Berntsen was actually a CIA counter-terrorism agent, so his plot and characters have a ring of authenticity to them. Pezzullo ties the storyline together with excellent writing, and the net effect is a novel that's hard to put down, as well as uncomfortable to read and think about...

Writing so good, so real, I felt like I was there, with the characters

This novel was written by a former CIA operative that led counterterrorism initiatives in the Middle East, Latin America, and East Africa for over 20 years, even confronting Osama Bin Laden. Gary Berntsen, then, brings a degree of austere realism to an international spy drama that rings true and captivates the reader. I felt that I was in the room or on-site with each of the characters as they acted. Writing partner Ralph Pezzullo brings a flow and buildup of storyline that is uncommon and presents paramilitary operations in a gripping fashion. It is sometimes hard to tell what side some of the actors support, just as in real life, but the resolution of the storyline is satisfying. An important function of the story is to bring greater understanding of what is happening within global terrorism, making the book valuable public information. A high-level Iranian intelligence officer "walks in" the U.S. Embassy and meets with Matt Freed, delivering secret information that America will be attacked in its most vital spots within two weeks. The story could be false, but U.S. forces prepare for battle and counterintelligence. Feeling preparations are lacking, Freed organizes his own initiative. He leads his group to an Afghan prison in search of an important senior citizen, to an Uzbek biohazards dump of an arms facility, and to a Moscow hospital to see an arms dealer dying of bio-warfare results. Freed is left on his own in his wide ranging actions, the U.S. government not daring to avow knowledge of them. A mysterious white-haired operative repeatedly appears at each skirmish or point of intrigue, but what side does he represent? This book is full of action and the horrors of terrorism, but is good information with a minimum of harsh language. Anyone interested in America's position in the War On Terror should read The Walk-In.

Best Thriller Written in Years

For years all kinds of writers have been trying to tackle a realistic and fictional story related to the war on terrorism. Books and even movies, such as the The Sum of All Fears, failed in imagination and were tip of the iceberg doomsday concepts with few substantive ideas of where a possible threat to the United States might come from? Who are the perpetrators, and how do they plan on carrying out their plans for mass murder? Where all the other stories have failed, The Walk-In provides everything this kind of a story needs and more. The book is the story of Matt Freed, an aggresive counterterrorism officer, who receives a tip from a walk-in at a U.S. embassy. It is up to Freed to follow this lead, find out if this guy is for real, and chase down the people who are plotting to kill innocent lives. Bertnsen and Pezzullo have created a wild and plausible plot that shows exactly where and how potential threats may materialize. A lot of the reasons 9/11 wasn't prevented had to do with human failures and counterproductive beauracratic structures that impede the efforts of brave individuals who bear the brunt of having to protect America under extremely difficult circumstances. The Walk-In is written brilliantly and conincingly, and you will be surprised how much you can learn about the threats we face from a work of fiction. Anyone interested in this subject, or just enjoys a fun and exciting plot will do themselves justice by picking up this book.