They came for her in late August, on the island of Corsica. The precise time would never be determined - some point between sunset and noon the following day was the best any of her housemates could do. Sunset was when they saw her for the last time, streaking down the drive of the villa on a red motor scooter, a gauzy cotton skirt fluttering about her suntanned thighs...
In Daniel's Silva's latest adventure starring Gabriel Allon, we return to the Russian subplot that was first introduced in the eighth book Moscow Rules. Daniel Silva deals with the fallout of those events and others introduced in the later books in an exciting adventure that takes Allon from Israel to Corsica to London to Moscow and back.
I have only recently caught up with the Gabriel Allon adventures (having read the entirety of the series over the past two years) and yet I am still to read one of his books that bores me. Although Daniel Silva does return to some familiar elements in each, there are always enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning. Beyond that, though, he has made all of these characters so damned attachable, whether it be Allon himself or his wife Chiara, Shamron or Graham Seymour, Mickael or Uvi Navot. Every single one of them I am glad to see back in this new novel.
The English Girl itself refers to a young political activist who is kidnapped off Corsica. Allon is hired by MI5 director Graham Seymour to find and get her back. However, nothing is what it seems and Allon soon finds himself playing by Moscow rules once again. If you have read any of the other novels, though, you will know that Allon rarely plays by the rules.
Once again, Daniel Silva expertly juggles his world, his characters and his plot, providing enough info on Allon and his modus operandi to keep new readers up to speed, but constantly giving a new spin on it so that older readers don't feel bored.
A fantastic read, I personally cannot wait for next year's novel!
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Hugh Hewitt
For guys that have followed Allon in the past - this book gave more personal insights to the older characters than any of the other novels. I know many writers who entertain series', it's all too easy to fall into the trappings of a winning formula, but you're right again saying that there are enough twists to constantly keep things fresh. I listened to him talking to Elaine Charles from the Book Report radio show (found the archived interview on the show's website bookreportradio dotcom), and was slightly taken aback by my ignorance of what is actually happening in the world (Russian spies in the US + the Snowden drama). Silva spoke with some passion about dealing with the issue, and how much powers the NSA should have.
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