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    The Night Ranger
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    The Night Ranger
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    The Night Ranger
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Night Ranger

    Written by Alex Berenson

    Narrated by George Guidall

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    John Wells enters new territory, as he goes underground in East Africa to track four kidnapped Americans and the Somali bandits who snatched them, in the tough, thoughtful, the electrifying novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.

    Four friends, recent college graduates, travel to Kenya to work at a giant refugee camp for Somalis. Two men, two women, each with their own reasons for being there. But after twelve weeks, they're ready for a break and pile into a Land Cruiser for an adventure.

    They get more than they bargained for. Bandits hijack them. They wake up in a hut, hooded, bound, no food or water. Hostages. As a personal favor, John Wells is asked to try to find them, but he does so reluctantly. East Africa isn't his usual playing field. And when he arrives, he finds that the truth behind the kidnappings is far more complex than he imagined.

    The clock is ticking. The White House is edging closer to an invasion of Somalia. Wells has a unique ability to go undercover and to make things happen, but if he can't find the hostages soon, they'll be dead-and the US may be in a war it never should have begun.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 12, 2013
    ISBN9781101604151
    Unavailable
    The Night Ranger
    Author

    Alex Berenson

    Alex Berenson is a former New York Times reporter and award-winning novelist. He attended Yale University and joined the Times in 1999, where he covered everything from the drug industry to Hurricane Katrina and served as a correspondent in Iraq. In 2006, The Faithful Spy, his debut novel, won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel. He has since written twelve more novels and a nonfiction book, Tell Your Children. Currently, he lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife and children.

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    Reviews for The Night Ranger

    4/5

    26 ratings23 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Good book, absolutely recommend reading it
    • 4/5
      John Wells has long been a favorite of mine. "The Night Ranger" is an interesting, fun read but not the best in the John Wells' series. This story takes place in Africa with Wells tracking down four, kidnapped college aid volunteers. Small potatoes compared to some of John's previous adventures but still and interesting and new venue for our super spy. As other reviewers have mentioned, the author is meticulous with his research and the many of the scenes in the book could have just as easily been seen on the six o'clock news. If you are a John Wells fan then this book should be a fun read, if you have not read any John Wells' novels then I suggest you start with the first novel, "The Faithful Spy."
    • 4/5
      The lead character in this book, John Wells, is on my list of fave guys, along with Jack Reacher, John Corey and several others. Once again, an action-filled adventure with Wells getting into situations that you may find inescapable. Does he successfully complete this latest assignment? Give it a read to find out. If you like down and dirty action, you'll love this one.
    • 4/5
      This book was an interesting read. On one hand, it was an exciting, action packed thriller that was hard to put down. On the other hand, the author wrote in some loose ends and his portrayal of women in general leaves something to be desired, much to my surprise.In previous books, former CIA agent John Wells saved the country and maybe the world from biological weapons, nuclear war, etc. Big stuff. So this one is on a smaller scale. He gets a call from his estranged son, Evan, who pleads with him to go to Kenya and Somalia to track down four college age aid volunteers who have been kidnapped. Doesn't sound like much, does it? But it is. He discovers a conspiracy on the part of the leader of this aid group to kidnap his own nephew and three others, hold them for awhile, and release them with the release of his new book, making him a best selling hero. But things don't work out that nicely. First, the young people are all very unlikeable. Scott is a frat boy dick who gets away with anything. Owen wants Gwen, a vapid, beautiful blond sorority girl. And the other girl just seems to be along for the ride. So a Somali warlord finds them, kills the fake kidnappers, kills Scott when the kid mouths off to him, and takes the remaining three to his camp in Somalia to hold them for ransom. Wells figures this out. Problem. Corrupt Kenyan police arrest him for nothing at all, so he has to escape and now he's being hunted by them. He's trying to use his old CIA contacts for help locating the camp, which works out, and he goes there, one against 60 or 70 armed militia men. Seems a little unbelievable, but Berenson is such a great writer, he can have you believing just about any scenario he writes. And so he saves the day. As you knew he would. It's more exciting than that, but I don't want to give the plot away.My problems are these: Wells went to Africa as a favor to his son, yet we never hear anything that results from this action. Do the two draw closer? Does his son forgive him for "deserting" he and his mom when he was little? We never find out. Additionally, John's girlfriend Ann just seems to be a minor plot device that is literally useless. We never get to know her, so we really don't give a crap when Wells is kissed by an African woman who's after him (or so it seems). Screw Ann! I couldn't care anything at all for her because the author hasn't given her a remotely significant role to play in these books. Also, the women all seem to be pretty stupid in this book, led by the two college girls. Absolute airheads. If I were a feminist, I think I would be pretty ticked about this representation of women in the book. Moreover, there's the Evan problem. He turns from this total nerd in love with Gwen into this vicious monster, willing to kill just about anyone and anything and it seems completely out of character for him. I had a hard time believing it.So how do I rate this book? Considering all of the problems, it probably deserves three stars. But considering the action and how exciting this book is, it probably rates five stars. So I'm giving it four and going with that. If you like the John Wells character, you'll probably like this book. Recommended.
    • 2/5
      I received this book as part of LibraryThing Early Review program. When I requested it the story sounded exciting and action packed, but when the title arrived and I started reading the first chapter I was very disappointed. The is the first Alex Berenson novel I have read and was unaware of his plot building process. So after several chapters of reading about poor little white girls whinning and crying about being in Africa, I put the book down and never picked it up again. In fact, this has discouraged me from requesting more books for several months. I was not going to write a review for I did not think I could be this wrong about a popular author. I decided to read the other reviews and discovered that there were others like me, not many for sure, so I felt I should add my comments. I am sure Mr. Berenson is an excellent author and I just happened to pick up this book at the wrong time for this kind of story.
    • 5/5
      Loved this audiobook. Excellent main character. Will be looking for more of these books!
    • 5/5
      This is a LibraryThing Early Review. If you don't know who John Wells is then you are missing out on an Real American Hero. Wells, the hero of several past books in which he has tracked down terrorists throughout the Middle East and into America is working in Africa for the first time. A group of relief aid workers are kidnapped by a group of Somali fighters. John goes native and tracks down the bad guys and rescues the aid workers. Like all Berenson novels this one is rich in local culture and gives you a good understanding of African politics and social issues. I could not put this book down. The action is non stop. Alex Berenson is the best at this genre.
    • 4/5
      After a overly-long intoduction, this story got moving and kept my reading. Wells outside of his usual habitat was fun (especially his reactions to a few incidents in particular). 
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I have liked, to some degree, all of Alex Berenson's John Wells novels, but this one actually stands out for me because it is different. The setting and plot are so much different than the regular ever day routine thriller out there, that I found myself unable to put it down.Very Good Book!
    • 4/5
      This was a great read. I really enjoyed learning about Africa, Somalia specifically. John Wells makes a great hero. It was nice to read a book where the hero makes mistakes too, it made his character seem more real. This is the first I have read from this author and am planning to read the other books with John Wells in them. I definately recommend this book to others.
    • 4/5
      Another good John Wells book by Alex Berenson. The story is centered around the kidnapping of aid workers in Kenya. John Wells assists in their rescue at his estranged son's request. He uses his old contacts at the CIA to assist. There are several plot twists along the way.
    • 5/5
      I would like to say that Mr. Berenson has written another fine book, but can't as this is the first book by Alex Berenson that I have had the fortune of reading. I found John Wells to be a very realistic character!! I enjoyed reading 'The Night Ranger' so much that I am now adding Mr. Berenson to my favorites list. Not only would I recommend this book to others, but in fact I gave my copy to my Mother for her enjoyment.
    • 5/5
      In Eastern Kenya near the border of Somalia there are multiple refugee camps set up by world care organizations to help feed, clothe and provide basic medical care for thousands of Somalis. One such organization is “WorldCare” founded by James Thompson. Having been accused of diverting excess funds to administrative costs rather than direct care Thompson is attempting to improve his and WorldCare’s image.Thompson’s nephew, Scott, and three friends - Gwen, Hailey and Owen are taking a trip to go to a seaside resort for a break from the daily work of providing help to the refugees. Unfortunately they are kidnapped by bandits for ransom. There is a huge response from the USA and other countries.Enter John Wells, ex CIA agent, who has been asked by his son who is a friend of Gwen and her family to save and return her. Wells asks Ellis Shafer his old boss at the CIA for assistance, which Shafer agrees to do. Soon Wells lands in Kenya and the action begins. I have read several Alex Berenson’s John Wells adventure. The stories, characters, suspense, and action never disappoint. The Night Ranger is no exception. Great read.
    • 5/5
      The Night Ranger is the latest John Wells novel by Alex Berenson. Instead of Aghanistan and the Middle East, this time the action takes place in Africa, specifically Kenya and Somalia. Alex Berenson is one of the rare authors who seem to get better and better each time out. This book is exceptionally well-researched. I felt like I was in Africa. The complexities of both everyday life and the political situation in Africa were clearly conveyed while also being smoothly integrated into the story.John Wells is one of my favorite action characters. As it says in the book, “John Wells is awfully simple and awfully complicated.” He is not superhuman, bullets don’t bounce off him and he makes mistakes. He also makes choices that aren’t always the right or moral ones, but he questions those decisions himself and has to bear the consequences. He feels more “real” than just about any action character I can think of.Berenson also makes great use of Wells’ former CIA bosses (Shafer and Duto) and his complicated relationship with them and their complicated relationship with each other. The conversations between Shafer and Duto highlight the political considerations that take place and the dichotomy between loyalty and callousness. With limited page time, these characters are very well fleshed out. The plot and the action here are also top-notch. The plot moves forward steadily, punctuated with great action sequences combining both brute force and the latest in military technology. Berenson does a good job of conveying the limitations of both. You are left guessing as to what’s really going on and none of the characters are guaranteed to be safe. Some guesses may be right, but nothing is certain until the last page. Exciting plot and action with real depth both in the locale descriptions and the characters make for a page-turning thriller. Alex Berenson is at the top of my must-read list and The Night Ranger cements that status. Highly recommended.I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
    • 3/5
      "The Night Ranger" is Alex Berenson's 6th John Wells book. The first three were very good. The last three, not so much. This one suffers from the same affliction as the last two--John Wells is the protagonist, but for no other reason than because he's the recurring character.Here, four young Americans volunteering in an aid camp in Kenya are abducted. John Wells' estranged son knows one (or all, I can't remember) of the kids so he persuades his dad to go get them. (Wells is a former CIA operative who had been deep undercover infiltrating an Al-Qaeda camp back in the first book.) So of course to try to make good with his son, he flies to Africa to try and save the hostages. Along the way, he's in communication with other recurring standbys Ellis Shafer, a wizened analyst, and CIA director Vince Duto.Part of the plot revolved around exactly how the Americans--who were on their way to a vacation spot not too far from the camp--got abducted. We find out who's behind it, but the ending isn't very satisfactory. The book does give us what seems to be a pretty realistic, rugged look at life in this part of Africa, and some pretty gruesome scenes involving hyenas. But it lacks character development, has a thin plot, and doesn't really make us root for the hostages. Also, the end is quite abrupt with multiple loose ends still flapping in the breeze.Alex Berenson either needs to give Wells a break, or kill him off. What made him so unique early on in the series has faded terribly and become very stale. It's too bad. Because the first three books were top rate.
    • 3/5
      Tense, authentic and timely are hallmarks of Alex Berenson novels - and The Night Ranger maintains ths standard. Africa is the backdrop for this kidnapping plot, and once again I came away from this read satisfied on an entertainment level and having learned a little something as well.
    • 5/5
      Really enjoyed this one -- I've read all the other John Wells books and this one does not disappoint. Wells leaves his usual stomping grounds and heads to Kenya, where four young volunteers in a refugee camp for Somalis have disappeared. I stopped counting bodies after about the 5th one [nothing new here] but Wells keeps on killin' bad guys. There's a lot of interesting -- albeit superficial -- description of the area and the refugees, as well as of the Kenyans who merely tolerate the "invasion" of their borderlands by those fleeing Somalia, and more information than I needed about various weapons. But Berenson tells a good story and this one was hard to put down ... although I was pretty sure about what the "plot twist" was going to be by halfway through the book. Still, highly recommend it.
    • 5/5
      I was delighted to find I had won a copy of "The Night Rider" in the Early Reviewers program.John Wells is asked by his son, to help a family whose daughter is among a number of aid workers who disappeared from a refugee camp helping Somali refugees.He pretty much goes it alone and travels to East Africa to investigate and search for the missing people.The story shows the plight of the Somali refugees and the greed of those looking to get ransom for the kidnapped aid workers.There was good suspense and excellent descriptions of the East African area.John Wells is an excellent character who is entertaining and easy to like.
    • 5/5
      I was fortunate to win an early reviewer’s copy of The Night Ranger. I have been a fan of Alex Berenson and his main character, John Wells, since day one. The Night Ranger is one of his best.Four recent college graduates travel to Kenya to work in a refugee camp for Somalis fleeing the violent conflict in their country. After several tense weeks aiding the disenfranchised the four decide to take some time to themselves and go on a bit of R&R. They are hijacked and held hostage by unknown men in an unknown location.John Wells, ex-CIA and patriot extraordinaire, is asked to try to find them, but he does so reluctantly. He has never operated in East Africa and when he arrives in the strange country, after several stops and starts, he eventually unravels the reason behind the kidnappings, which is far more convoluted than he was led to believe. Fighting against the clock Wells must find the hostages before the U.S. invades Somalia—or they die. The action in this tense thriller equals that I found in Berenson’s first book in the John Wells’ series, The Faithful Spy—one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Get the book as soon as it hits the bookstore. It is a pulse-pounding read!
    • 4/5
      Like a couple of the other reviewers wrote the book started out slow. Maybe, the first third, but I wanted to give a fair review so I marched on. It got better as the story progressed. I learned some things about a part of the world that I know little about. And, I ended up thoroughly enjoying the book and will try another in the John Wells series. I would imagine the mundane, the setting up of a story, can be difficult for writers. When Mr Berenson got down to the business of action the story took on a new life.
    • 4/5
      Good book, easy read. Tells a story of a kidnapping in Kenya that started as being a setup/hoax. But a band of outlaw heard of the hostages, and decided they would like the ransom. Then it was a real kidnapping with one of the hostages being killed in the process. John Wells, and ex CIA operative goes in to find them and return them to USA and their families.
    • 2/5
      The only reason I continued reading after the first couple of dozens pages is that I got this book for review through Early Reviewers program - it was that bad. It got somewhat better later, becoming just mediocre thriller - similar to many others - set in exotic country (instead of totally lame writing at the start).
    • 4/5
      The hero of Alex Berenson's series is so much more appealing to me than a Dirk Pitt -- deeper characterization, at least somewhat more realistic, operating mostly thru experience & judgment rather than toys or gadgets, and not leaping from one lady to another in each book. I always enjoy reading one of these as a contrast to the nonfiction that can bog me down. Not splashy but highly distractring.