A terrorist plot in London leads Israeli spy Gabriel Allon on a desperate search for a kidnapped
woman, in a race against time that will compromise Allon's own conscience-and life...
Silva stalwart Gabriel Allon must head off KGB -colonel- turned-arms dealer Ivan Kharkov, who plans to sell weapons to al-Quaeda. With a national tour. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Gabriel Allon—art restorer, master spy, and sanctioned assassin—returns in Silva's 11th thriller about terrorism in our violent world. After the murder of an informant in St. Peter's Basilica, Allon is sent to the newly wealthy but corrupt Moscow to stop arms dealer Ivan Kharkov from selling sophisticated weapons to al-Qaeda. Allon is caught and expelled after some nasty nights in a Russian prison. If the Russians won't play fair, then it's up to Allon and the rest of Israel's intelligence network to do the job. The key to Kharkov is his wife, Elena, who collects the works of a particular American artist, and Allon's art background enables him to get close to her. This results in an intricate dance that is a masterwork of technology and human foibles. Like all plans, however, Allon's go awry, and this leads to a tense and exciting conclusion. Some long-running series get tired; Silva's just improves with each new book. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/1/08.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI
[Page 68]. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Short on moral complexity, bestseller Silva's eighth thriller starring Israeli master-spy Gabriel Allon (after The Secret Servant ) may remind some readers of an action-packed and suspenseful episode of TV's Mission Impossible . Allon's honeymoon with his second wife comes to an abrupt end on his learning that a Russian arms dealer, Ivan Kharkov, is involved in a weapons shipment to al-Qaeda for use in a major terrorist attack whose details are a mystery to the CIA as well as to British and Israeli intelligence. Since this tip originated with the death merchant's wife, Elena, Allon persuades his superiors and his American allies to authorize a complex plan to use Elena to gain access to Kharkov's secrets. Obvious good guys and bad guys, coupled with a straightforward plot in which Allon and Elena owe their lives to a lucky chance at the climax, make this one of the less satisfying entries in the series. (July)
[Page 37]. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
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