by Daniel Silva. Silva's thrillers bring readers the best of all spy worlds. The action roars along, touching down in both glamorous settings and godforsaken outposts. However, unlike conventional spy novels, which tend to throw so many locations at readers that the overall effect is like glancing at an airport's postings of arrivals and departures, Silva keeps a steady center with his intriguing hero, Gabriel Allon. Allon, whose parents survived the Holocaust, is an artist and specialist in restoring Renaissance paintings. He is also a spy and trained assassin for Israel's Special Operations Unit, distinguished for carrying out the most secretive, perilous, and exacting missions. Allon is conflicted over what he does but driven to do it nonetheless. This is the ninth in the series and the sequel to last year's Moscow Rules, which explored the murky world of Russian arms dealing. This time Ivan Kharkov, an oligarch and arms dealer, seeks revenge for Allon's costly discoveries. The first step in his revenge plan, according to Israeli intelligence, is the kidnapping of a Russian defector in London (which Silva cites as a Russian city). Silva juxtaposes scenes of great beauty, as when he details the Umbrian villa in which Allon does his restoration work, with shuddering scenes of violence. For readers who crave both deft characterization and old-fashioned, spy-novel action. --Booklist (Check Catalog)
Friday, September 18, 2009
The defector
by Daniel Silva. Silva's thrillers bring readers the best of all spy worlds. The action roars along, touching down in both glamorous settings and godforsaken outposts. However, unlike conventional spy novels, which tend to throw so many locations at readers that the overall effect is like glancing at an airport's postings of arrivals and departures, Silva keeps a steady center with his intriguing hero, Gabriel Allon. Allon, whose parents survived the Holocaust, is an artist and specialist in restoring Renaissance paintings. He is also a spy and trained assassin for Israel's Special Operations Unit, distinguished for carrying out the most secretive, perilous, and exacting missions. Allon is conflicted over what he does but driven to do it nonetheless. This is the ninth in the series and the sequel to last year's Moscow Rules, which explored the murky world of Russian arms dealing. This time Ivan Kharkov, an oligarch and arms dealer, seeks revenge for Allon's costly discoveries. The first step in his revenge plan, according to Israeli intelligence, is the kidnapping of a Russian defector in London (which Silva cites as a Russian city). Silva juxtaposes scenes of great beauty, as when he details the Umbrian villa in which Allon does his restoration work, with shuddering scenes of violence. For readers who crave both deft characterization and old-fashioned, spy-novel action. --Booklist (Check Catalog)
