Alex Berenson

Alex Berenson is a New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award-winning novelist whose career spans investigative journalism and espionage fiction. Berenson began his career at The Denver Post as a business reporter, later joining TheStreet, a financial news website, before moving to The New York Times as a business investigative reporter. At The New York Times, Berenson covered topics including the occupation of Iraq, the flooding of New Orleans, the global pharmaceutical industry, and the financial crimes of Bernie Madoff. This diverse reporting experience provided Berenson with a foundation for storytelling that combines geopolitical authenticity with narrative skill.

Before writing fiction, Berenson authored a significant work of financial journalism. In "The Number: How the Drive for Quarterly Earnings Corrupted Wall Street and Corporate America," he examined the influence of quarterly earnings on corporate scandals involving companies such as Enron, WorldCom, and Halliburton. The book, featuring a foreword by Mark Cuban, established Berenson as an incisive analyst of institutional failure.

While embedded with troops in Iraq, Berenson developed the ideas that led to his first novel, "The Faithful Spy." The book became the cornerstone of the John Wells series and won the Edgar Award for best first novel. "The Faithful Spy" also reached No. 1 on The New York Times Bestseller List for paperbacks. The John Wells series, including titles such as "The Ghost War," "The Silent Man," "The Midnight House," "The Secret Soldier," and "The Shadow Patrol," has consistently appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. "The Shadow Patrol" was named a finalist for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award by Britain's Crime Writers' Association.

The twelve John Wells novels address a range of topics central to American foreign policy, including al-Qaeda, North Korea, nuclear terrorism, CIA black sites, Saudi jihadis, the war in Afghanistan, terrorism in Somalia, conflict with Iran, ISIS, the U.S. relationship with Israel, and tensions with Russia. Berenson's work is recognized for its detailed research and exploration of national security, intelligence, and global conflict, appealing to readers interested in contemporary spy fiction and real-world geopolitical issues.