"The Faithful Spy"

Alex Berenson is a reporter for the New York Times who has covered topics ranging from the occupation of Iraq to the flooding of New Orleans.

He applied the "page 69 test" to his debut novel, the Edgar Award-winning The Faithful Spy, and reported the following:

Page 69 is as good a place as any to see the soul of The Faithful Spy. Not much is happening. No car crashes, explosions, bugs being planted, or diplomatic intrigue. Just John Wells, the lonely CIA agent who is The Faithful Spy, making his way back to Montana to see his family, after 10 long years living with the Taliban in the mountains of Afghanistan -- though when he finally does get home he'll discover that his mother is dead and his ex-wife no longer wants to see him. And the saddest part is that Wells won't be surprised.

Learn more about The Faithful Spy at the publisher's website, and read an excerpt.

Visit the complete list of books in the Page 69 Test Series.

--Marshal Zeringue