CIA agent John Wells refuses to let a privileged businessman walk away from a crime in this novel of modern suspense from the #1 New York Times -bestselling author.   John Wells has just barely managed to stop an operation designed to drive the United States and Iran into war, but the instigator himself disappeared behind an impenetrable war of security. Now it’s time for him to pay, and Wells has made it his personal mission. There are plenty of crosscurrents at work, though. The White House doesn’t want anybody stirring the pot; his old CIA bosses have their own agendas; other countries are starting to sniff around, sensing something unusual. It is when Russia and China enter the mix, however, that the whole affair is set to combust. With alarming speed, Wells is once again on his own...and the wolves are closing in. Praise for The Wolves “Masterful... The Wolves  is driven by a terrific and well-executed plot, but where Berenson truly shines is in his explanation of how certain parts of the world work. These would include spycraft and the dark tradeoffs made by governments at the highest and lowest levels. Its conclusion sets up enough potential issues to keep things going for as long as Berenson wants them to. If what has gone before is any indication, let’s hope that he keeps going for a very long time.”—Bookreporter.com “As always, Berenson brilliantly blends global politics into an adrenaline-pulsing spy novel.  But, most of all, there is Wells, a stone-cold killer who nevertheless does what we all wish we could do: stand up to the powerful and make them pay.”— Booklist   "[E]xhilarating... when the call of duty summons, Wells rises to the occasion.”— Publishers Weekly “Berenson’s style is as seductive as his storytelling, and The Wolves has a bite that doesn’t let go from the first page straight through to the last.”— Providence Journal Praise for Twelve Days “Lots of thriller writers know how to work a ticking clock, and lots more come to the genre with some experience in international politics, but few put the two together as effectively as Berenson does in this compelling, globe-trotting time bomb of a novel. Action fans will get all they came for . . . but those looking for genuine insight into the subtleties of the geopolitical chess game will be equally satisfied.”— Booklist (starred review)   “This well-written and fast-moving novel delivers more than a good plot. It illustrated how in the midst of regional chaos, a great power can jump to calamitous conclusions. This one is well worth the thriller enthusiast’s time, which holds true for all the novels Berenson has written to date.”— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)   “A fast-paced, enthralling fight to the finish . . . the sort of spy thriller that locks you in a fast and ferocious grip and won’t let you go.”—Associated Press   “An extremely suspenseful read that fans will not forget any time soon.”— Suspense Magazine   “All espionage thrillers should be this good. This is a series that you should— must —be reading.”—Bookreporter.com This is Alex Berenson’s tenth novel featuring John Wells. As a reporter for The New York Times , Berenson covered topics ranging from the occupation of Iraq—where he was stationed for three months—to the flooding of New Orleans to the world pharmaceutical industry to the financial crimes of Bernard Madoff. He graduated from Yale University in 1994 with degrees in history and economics, and lives in New York City. The Faithful Spy won the 2007 Edgar Award for best first novel. Prologue WASHINGTON, D.C.   The President wanted to see John Wells. The feeling wasn’t mutual. Wells sat in the emergency room at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, waiting for a doctor to set the foot he’d broken a day before on another continent, when his phone buzzed. A blocked number. “Mr. Wells?” “If you say so.” “Steve Lipsher at the White House. The President would like to invite you to a meeting in the Oval Office. Four p.m.” “Shafer gonna be there?” Ellis Shafer, a CIA lifer and Wells’s closest friend. Currently stuck inside a federal jail not five miles from this hospital, his reward for helping stop a war. “Just you, the President, and Ms. Green.” Donna Green, the National Security Advisor. “Then no. I can’t.” The silence that followed suggested that no one had ever turned Lipsher down before. “Someone will call you,” Lipsher finally said, and hung up. Wells was tempted to turn off the phone. Five minutes later, it buzzed again. “John. It’s Donna Green. Justice is drafting the release order, but we have to find a judge, and it’s Sunday, remember?” “You locked him up easy enough.” “We’ll get it done. Promise.” “What about the senator? He coming, too?” Wells meant Vinny Duto, the former CIA director, now senator from Pennsylvania. For the last month, Wells, Shafer, and Duto had secretly worked together against a billionaire casino mogul nam