NY Times reporter Alex Berenson has done an excellent job in neatly weaving together fiction with real life to produce a fast-paced thriller which will translate especially well to the wide-screen. Berenson's work is not perfect - the relationship between Exley and the protagonist Wells is not fully explored to the best of his capacity, but his writing marks an exultant entry into the literary arena. I look forward to more works by Berenson in the near future. For such a youthful writer, he is already giving le Carre a run for his money, and dealing with topics which are particularly pertinent to our time.