MWSA Review

The Rendition explodes into action when Alex Klear, a veteran U.S intelligence officer, is captured, imprisoned, and tortured while attempting a rendition in Kosovo—all before the first chapter ends.  Rescued by his partner Buck, Alex eventually mends and retires from service, only to get sucked back in for a related op by those who had poorly planned the initial rendition. Alex consents to the new mission in Germany despite misgivings but bolstered by the thought of payback to those who had nearly killed him in Kosovo.

Albert Ashforth spins this yarn flawlessly, using his extensive background in the military, his tours of duty in the Balkans, and his experience as a NATO trainer overseas. The plot drives this international spy thriller and keeps you turning the pages. The action is fast paced and the story line is believable. Perhaps too believable… Suspenseful to the end, this book has the ring of authenticity.

Ashforth’s characters in The Rendition are well developed and forceful. Protagonist Alex Klear brings ingenuity, knowledge, and persistence to his job, as well as a romantic love interest to his life. His faithful former partner, deceitful superiors, shadowy underworld bosses, drug lords, freedom fighters, terrorists, and prostitutes keep you guessing about what will happen and who will do what to whom until the very end.

If you enjoy international intrigue, political skullduggery, and military mysteries, put this book at the top of your list.

Reviewed by: Betsy Beard (2012)

Author's Synopsis

The brutal secret war to win Kosovo's freedom from Serbia is in full swing when The Rendition takes readers behind the headlines for an inside look at the United States' involvement. Alex Klear, a veteran intelligence officer, is sent to the Balkans on a hastily planned rendition which goes terribly bad. Alex decides it's time to retire. However, when he is persuaded to go to Germany as part of an operation connected to the rendition, he finds himself caught between two dynamic women, an old girlfriend and the female colonel running the 'op.' While there, he becomes a target of the Kosovo Liberation Army, a murder suspect to the German police, and for his superiors the perfect fall guy to take the heat for a badly botched secret operation. With Kosovo's independence declaration coming closer by the day, the secret war heats up and Alex comes to realize that he is at the center of a murky conspiracy aimed at making the United States an international pariah.