The Night Ranger by Alex BerensonJohn Wells was a company man (read: CIA operative) for many years in the Middle East. His commitment to his job caused a very strained relationship with his son. So when his son calls for a favor, the first phone call between the two in a very long time, John gets on a plane to Kenya. Four aid workers in Kenya were on their way to a resort island off the coast when they disappeared. No ransom has yet been demanded, but authorities are convinced they were kidnapped by Islamic extremists in Somalia. Why is John getting involved? Because his son seems to be dating the sister of one of the missing aid workers.
This book is different from most covert ops books because John is flying under the radar and doesn’t really have ground support. (Air support is a TOTALLY different story…) He is completely unfamiliar with Africa but the skills he has developed over his lifetime more than make up for his regional ignorance. I always find the contrasts between the haves and have-nots in Africa, as well as the blatant corruption, very striking and it is not ignored in this book. I’m glad I listened to this book, because the Swahili that is interspersed sounds very musical as the reader relates the story.
