Daniel Silva is my go-to author when I want a well crafted, complex, entertaining, and mind expanding novel. With the coronavirus lock down, it has been good to read some books that have been on the to read shelves for a few years. Because Silva books are not short novels, one needs a block of time to really digest and enjoy them.
In The Other Woman, Silva builds on his previous Gabriel Allon stories. This time he assembles his team to ferret out a mole within the MI6 bureau in London. He pulls in much of the story of Kim Philby, who was a double agent for the British Intelligence. Silva interweaves the fictional characters, including a daughter of Philby into his novel to provide the thrilling escapades of a new mole in the intelligence venue.
The book's premise to aid with the defection of a Russian agent in Vienna ends tragically and Allon is blamed publicly for the blunder. In order to save his reputation and that of the Office, he becomes aware of a traitor who has ingratiated him/herself into the intelligence agency of a foreign service. The key to the operation is an elderly woman, who in Andalusia is writing her memoirs, The Other Woman.
With his sometimes rival Graham Seymour, the two embark on a quest to find the mole that has been supplying the Russians with sensitive information. They set their sites on Alistair Hughes, who was the MI6 head in Vienna. They realize that this was the impression that the Russians wanted to give and so the two plod on. They pour over file after file until they realize the Philby connection. With that knowledge, they launched a plan that would uncover the mole's identity and bring him/her into custody.
As in all of Silva's novels, the twists and turns keep readers on the edge of their seats. He is so gifted in the way that he allows Gabriel Allon to showcase brilliance and resilience. To detail any more of the plot, would be to spoil it for those who want to read it for themselves. The reader sits on the fence between dying to know what will happen and not wanting the book to end. A must read for all spy novel fans.
I finally had the chance to read/finish The English Spy by one of my favorite authors, Daniel Silva. This is the 15th book in his Gabriel Allon series and may be one of his best. Allon is the renowned art restorer who is about to take over as Chief of the Israeli secret intelligence service. His wife Chiara is pregnant with twins and he is enjoying some quiet work as he awaits their birth.
But the reader knows that this will not last. A yacht explodes with the future queen of England on board. This act precipitates a world wide manhunt to find the killer. It doesn't take Allon long to figure out that the man behind the act is Eamon Quinn, the chief bomb maker for the IRA. It would seem at first that this is a crime against the crown, but the real story evolves that it is merely a way to "out" Allon and his friend, the former British commando, Christopher Keller. Quinn is committed to avenging the role they played in uncovering the blackmail plot the Russians attempted in order to control the North Sea oil rights. Keller was also known to Quinn from the days of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and was present at the bombing in Omagh that killed 29 people.
From London to Belfast to Vienna to Portugal to Hamburg and back to London, the 3 play a cat and mouse game of intrigue and terror. If the reader has been to any of the cities that appear in Silva's books, s/he knows that his research is spot on. You can picture the street scenes, the airports, and even some of the restaurants. In The English Spy Silva calls on many of his characters ( Madeline Hart, Grahaham Seymour, Uzi Navot, Ari Shamron, and Eli Navon) from previous books to aid him in his pursuit of Quinn. To divulge any more would give away plot lines and the twists that Silva weaves into his books. Suffice it to say that this author can write and thrilling, page turning, and provocative book. Next summer's installment can't come soon enough.
If it is July, it must be time for a new Daniel Silva book. And July, 2012 was no different. I finally have had a break in my "required" reading schedule to sink my teeth into The Fallen Angel, which has been teasing me from my to-read shelf for 7 months. Silva manages in his books a synthesis of plot twists, travel books, and art history. This book is no exception.
Gabriel Allon, the renowned art restorer and Israeli intelligence operative, is restoring a Caravaggio for the Vatican when he is summoned to St. Peter's Basilica. A woman's, Claudia Andreotti, body has been discovered on the floor. Is it suicide or murder? True to the spirit of Silva's novels, the incident is merely the tip of the iceberg and calls, once again, Allon out of retirement. He and his wife, Chiara, are thrust into the investigation that leads them to an operation that stretches from the Vatican to the Middle East, a side trip to San Moritz, from antiquities dealers to Hezbollah. There are infinite twists and plot thickeners that keep the reader nearly breathless as the pages turn.
In order to get to the root of the matter, that of course means the money trail, Allon summons the familiar cast to the safe rooms of King Saul Boulevard. They are Ari Shamron, Uzi Navot, and the erudite archaeologist, Eli Lavon. As the Pope makes an historic visit to Jerusalem on Good Friday, what is going on underground becomes even more earth-shattering, literally. The climax and denouement provide a guided tour of Temple Mount and perhaps the discovery of the first Temple of Jerusalem. What follows is shocking, heart-rendering, and pure Silva.
Daniel Silva remains one of my favorite authors to read. He never disappoints in his plot machinations. descriptive passages, or character development. He also seems to be clairvoyant in his political story lines. The involvement in The Fallen Angel of the Vatican bank and antiquities curation, seems to have foretold the scandal marking the end of Pope Benedict's reign. Silva is a master of research and attention to detail to which I am drawn. For this book, however, I really wished I would have had a map of the city of Jerusalem and its landmarks to help guide me along as I followed Allon and Lavon in their attempt to disarm the ticking time bomb. The book ends with a shocking conclusion that will make us wait until July 16, 2013 in The English Girl to unravel.
It has been a very hectic couple of months for me with lots of classes in the library so it has taken a while to finish this incredibly crafted novel. To assign a genre to the book would prove most difficult as it is a combination of gothic, historical fiction, mystery, satire, and philosophical and social critique. The setting is fin de siecle Vienna with a cast of well-known characters that include Edith Wharton, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and of course, Henry James. A mysterious manuscript that details the story when it is delivered to an isolated cabin in Maine. Women in Vienna are being murdered and notes have been left that add further intrigue to the story. And then another murder, a corpse is found at 91 Bergstrasse, the home of Freud by his wife and the hysterical maid and disappears as fast. Was it really there? Special Investigator Maurice LeBlanc is recalled from Paris to investigate the murders and arrives on the scene that leads him to the Countess von Gerzl's house and a family from the states that is staying with her. The characters become so intertwined that eventually they are all suspects in the murder. Deeper into the novel are the themes of feminism, antisemitism, nihilism, and even a prediction of Hitler's rise to power. The ending was totally unpredictable and had me guessing right to the end.
I was fascinated with the historical setting and am curious to read further about Henry James and Edith Wharton. It really was great read packed with literary, philosophical, scenic references. Carol De Chellis Hill includes scholarly footnotes of explanation that are really a part of the manuscript that professor relates. Definitely a stimulating read and one that will rank among my favorites.
