Zagonetna žena

Gabriel Allon #18

by Daniel Silva, Neven Dužanec (Translator)

Iz pera uvijek odličnog Daniela Silve dolazi još jedna špijunska priča o legendarnom restauratoru umjetnina i ubojici na čelu najcjenjenije izraelske obavještajne službe, Gabrielu Allonu. Znanje s ponosom predstavlja roman Zagonetna žena (The Other Woman) u prijevodu Nevena Dužanca.
U zabačenom selu u andaluzijskim planinama zagonetna Francuskinja počinje pisati opasne memoare. Priča je to o muškarcu kojega je davno voljela u Bejrutu i izdaji zbog koje je ostala bez djeteta. Ta žena čuva najveću tajnu Kremlja, tajnu o krtici koju je KGB ubacio u sâmo srce Zapada i koja je upravo na pragu najveće moći. Samo jedan čovjek može razotkriti urotu: Gabriel Allon, legendarni restaurator umjetnina i ubojica na čelu najcjenjenije izraelske obavještajne službe. Gabriel se već jednom sukobio s mračnim silama nove Rusije i skupo to platio. A sad će se s Rusima obračunati u posljednjem, spektakularnom okršaju i tako odrediti sudbinu poratnoga svjetskog poretka. Okrutna bečka likvidacija njegova najvažnijeg čovjeka u ruskoj obavještajnoj zajednici, baš kad je pokušao prebjeći, namamit će Gabriela u lov na izdajicu. Potraga za istinom odvest će ga daleko u prošlost, do najveće izdaje dvadesetoga stoljeća, i naposljetku do uzbudljivog razrješenja na obalama rijeke Potomac u Washingtonu koje će čitatelje ostaviti bez daha.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Espionage, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

412 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 17, 2018

About the author

Daniel Silva was born in Michigan in 1960 and raised in California where he received his BA from Fresno State. Silva began his writing career as a journalist for United Press International (UPI), traveling in the Middle East and covering the Iran-Iraq war, terrorism and political conflicts. From UPI he moved to CNN, where he eventually became executive producer of its Washington-based public policy programming. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy, a surprise best seller that won critical acclaim. He turned to writing full time in 1997 and all of his books have been New York Times/national best sellers, translated into 25 languages and published across Europe and the world. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Series:
* Michael Osbourne
* Gabriel Allon

Reviews

[Malia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been looking forward to this book as a fun, fast-paced summer thriller, but I am sorry to say, I was left disappointed. The story felt disjointed, Gabriel boring and the pace quite slow until the last few hours. The writing is good, but the story just wasn't compelling for me this time, though I know I am in the minority feeling this way. I listened to the audiobook, and George Guidall's is, as always, a pleasant voice to have in one's ear, but apart from that, I didn't love this one.

Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com

[David Putnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Daniel Silva books and like John Sanford I can not in clear conscience rate them with your average Joe. So I compare them with their prior works. The last Silva, The Widow, was a fantastic read. This one (The Other Woman) however, was a good story but lacked the dynamic that made The Widow great. In the Other Woman, a good chunk of the story occurs in the past and without question is important to the plot. Too much of this historical story is "told" in narrative which dulls the immediacy and stops the forward motion of the story.
And in my opinion, the story should have ended at the climax to the crisis instead of the dreaded drone-on for forty plus pages.
Even so, I still enjoyed the book a great deal and I'm looking forward to the next one.

David Putnam the author of the Bruno Johnson series.

[Monnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did I love thee? When I counted the ways, I ended up with way more than 5 reasons. But since 5 stars is as high as most ratings go, that number will have to suffice - but it certainly isn't enough to do this book justice.

In the interests of full disclosure, Israeli intelligence chief Gabriel Allon ranks No. 1 on my top 10 list of all-time favorite book "heroes" - a place he's held for quite a few years now. This is his 18th appearance, and I'll say with no hesitation that he's in no danger of being knocked off that lofty perch any time soon. Of course, he didn't get there all by himself; he had considerable help from the author, who created not only him, but a cast of other interesting characters and put them in the middle of intriguing stories that make me, at least, reluctant to put them down.

This one is no exception; in fact, I'd call it the best of the series I've read in recent years. Maybe that's because the story mirrors, at least to a certain extent, what's going on in the real world. Readers get more than a passing glimpse at the tenuous relationships among the intelligence communities of Israel, Great Britain and the United States as they all try to get the drop on the Russians and save their own reputations without stepping too hard on each other's toes.

The book begins with Gabriel in Vienna, where he and his cohorts are directing the defection of a known spy. Just as they're about to reel him in, he's unceremoniously murdered - and initial evidence points to Gabriel as the killer. While the tabloids keep the incident in the news, Gabriel and his team realize there must be a leak within their own ranks (in which agency remains for them to determine). So it is that they set out to "out" the mole, prove Gabriel's innocence and restore order to what's become an embarrassing situation that threatens to ruin already shaky alliances.

From that point on, the story gets more complex with even more far-reaching implications (all the way back to the 1950s and 1960s). Admittedly, therein may be one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much; I'm old enough to remember the events that are such an integral part of this story. There's not much more I can reveal without giving too much away, though, except to say that the details are so intricately woven that as a whole it's totally mesmerizing. Oh, and one other thing: If you have but one book to read for the rest of this year, you won't go wrong if you make it this one.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

All that's missing in this latest novel is an excellent ending. 8 of 10 stars

[Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

4_Stars - I Really Liked It!
I have returned to Daniel Silva's "Gabriel Allon" series and I was delighted by listening to "#18, The Other Woman".
I do not remember, or understand why I 'paused' this series, but I am back with a vengeance😄.
Review to follow...

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is #18 in a series that is one of my go-to reads every year. Gabriel Allon, the MC, is a compelling character & the author always surrounds his tales of espionage with real life current & historical events & people.

In this outing, intelligence services in several countries become involved in the hunt for a Russian mole. There are connections to the Cambridge Five & its most infamous member Kim Philby.

Silva’s books are smart, fast paced & topical & this is no exception. I’ve become so fond of the regular cast & enjoy catching up on their personal lives just as much as trying to figure out who-dun-it as they race around the world on their latest mission. You may have favourites among his books but as with authors like John Sandford or Michael Connelly, if you enjoy one you’ll enjoy them all. It’s an engrossing & very timely read.

[Skip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another disappointing novel by Daniel Silva. Is Gabriel Allon now too old and family-driven to be the vivacious spy, strategist and art restorer of the past (or is it Silva himself who has aged dramatically?) This one is repetitious, unoriginal and downright dull, especially the first half. Basically, this one centers around a senior mole in the British intelligence community, where they have to rely on Gabriel because they cannot admit they have been duped for many years (think of Kim Philby, a famous Russian spy of the 50's, who successfully escaped England to live out his life as a hero in Russia.) Sadly, Silva has become formulaic, pretty much copying and pasting Allon's team, with little character development and no deaths, despite the hazards of the spy business. Shorter, with more action in the next installment please and how about some art history too?

[Ryan Steck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this review and more at www.TheRealBookSpy.com


Gabriel Allon, the wayward son of Israeli intelligence who for many years has enjoyed the respect of people around the globe, especially other intelligence agencies, is experiencing a minor, unexpected fall from grace in Daniel Silva’s (House of Spies, etc.) latest novel.

The legendary spymaster who first joined the Office in 1972 to carry out operation Wrath of God, a mission put in place to respond, in force, to the terrorist group Black September, who murdered eleven Israeli athletes at the Munich Games, has since gone on to be the most revered assassin the Mossad has ever produced.

Hand-picked to run the Office, Allon’s promotion and official return to Israel’s vaunted foreign intelligence service was viewed, by many, like the prodigal son finally returning home. Much like the parable, Gabriel’s journey was long and full of pain and heartache before returning home to the outstretched arms of his fellow people, who have since slept easier at night knowing that Allon is manning the offices of King Saul Boulevard around the clock to protect them.

Now, for the first time, there are questions swirling around Gabriel and his ability to lead as chief.

A high-ranking Russian officer codenamed Heathcliff, who has spent the last few years working with Israel in secret (who then, in turn, supply any relatable information to their allies) is ready to officially defect. In a joint operation with Britain’s MI6, Gabriel Allon and a handful of his most trusted assets fly to Vienna, a place where Gabriel has experienced an abundance of personal grief, to bring the Russian spy in from the cold. (longtime fans will appreciate one touching scene that plays back certain events from The Kill Artist, reminding readers of the many sacrifices Gabriel has endured during his time as a spy.) Instead, all hell breaks loose, and Heathcliff is assassinated just before Allon is able to take him into custody for a much-needed debriefing. The operation is a resounding failure.

Unfortunately, media outlets around the world have taken note of the blunder in Vienna, which at face value appears as if Allon was in theater to personally oversee the killing of a Russian officer. While Gabriel is no stranger to seeing his name in various headlines (he made quite a few of them in The English Spy) both at home and abroad, this does mark the first time that the coverage around him is decidedly negative. Some, even in Israel, suddenly wonder if the former spy and world-renowned art restorer is, in fact, up to the task of running the Office. Especially with former chief Uzi Navot, who never suffered such a gaffe during his tenure and who is still deeply involved as Allon’s ready and willing second-in-command, standing by.

As the fallout continues to rain down around him, Gabriel turns his attention to the operation itself, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. Eventually, he realizes that a traitor has penetrated an allied nation’s foreign intelligence service. As a manhunt for the mole gets underway, a gripping series of events unfolds that sets Gabriel Allon on a collision course with Russia, a country he has a long and troubled history with, though things have never been quite this contentious. Meanwhile, a woman tucked away in a remote part of the Andalusian mountains has begun writing a tell-all book that proves to be unthinkably explosive once details and the woman’s identity are revealed.

It’s spy versus spy in Daniel Silva’s latest heart-pounding thriller, which is perhaps his most enthralling novel to date. Twists, turns, and nonstop action fill every page, and the stakes have never been higher for Gabriel Allon, who finds himself surrounded by conflict while facing the most dangerous and critical mission of his storied career. Silva, one of the finest writers working today, remains capable of creating the kind of conundrum where readers are dying to know what happens but don’t want the story to end. From Vienna to Washington D.C. to one of the most shocking conclusions of his career, The Other Woman is Daniel Silva at his very best.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy meets The Spy Who Came in from the Cold in The Other Woman, an instant classic from Daniel Silva, whose latest masterpiece puts him firmly alongside le Carré and Forsyth as one of the greatest spy novelists of all time.

Book Details

Author: Daniel Silva
Series: Gabriel Allon #18
Pages: 496 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 147678941X
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Book Spy Rating: 9.95/10
Order Now: https://amzn.to/2MbaQk5


Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck (“The Godfather of the thriller genre” — Ben Coes) has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 18th book in the Gabriel Allon series is contemporary with a little history included. Once again Daniel Silva turns his attention to Russia.

The story opens in Vienna. A city that Gabriel Allon knows well and which evokes strong and painful memories for him. He and his team are trying to bring in a Russian asset but he is assassinated before he can get to the safe house. News is leaked that Allon was in Vienna and Israel is blamed for the assassination of a Russian. Gabriel realizes that the Russians not only knew their asset was going to defect. They knew when. And where. Only a small group of people had this information. They have a spy in their midst. Someone who must be highly placed. Gabriel is pulled into a new mission. To identify the mole.

The Russian defector was to have been relocated to England. Only the Israelis and English were involved in the plan to bring in the Russian asset. Other than visits to Washington D.C. the United States is not included in events. Even events unfolding in the nations capital. The president is too unpredictable.

Graham Seymour, the head of MI6, and Gabriel Allon find that their relationship, both professional and personal, will be strained to the breaking point. Gabriel believes the mole is not with his agency. It is someone in MI6.

On occasion the story moves to a woman in an isolated village in Andalusia (Spain). A woman who is writing a memoir. The story of a man she once loved in old Beirut and a child that was taken from her. Who is this woman? Who are the man she loved and the child who was taken from her? What part does this play in the story? As the story unfolds we learn the answer to all of these questions.

This story delves into the past too. It revisits the Cambridge Five and its most infamous member ... Kim Philby. It fictionalizes the historical events with a "what if" scenario". It makes for a good story but the author goes to some effort to make it clear that this is all fiction and none of these events actually took place but it makes for one heck of a story.

I am not sure how I feel about the ending of the story. It didn't necessarily turn out the way I would have liked to seen but perhaps that is better. Life doesn't always turn out the way you want. I am looking forward, as always, to the next installment in the series.

[Cathleen Clements · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in the last two books but this one, most of all. It's the end of a magnificent run, and I've reread the earlier books several times. I'm sad.

[L.A. Starks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book in Silva's amazing, wonderful Gabriel Allon series. Silva deserves all the acclaim he receives as a professional thriller author. I particularly like his European settings, and the twists and turns in the espionage games he outlines.

Four stars for two reasons: another commercial author or his editor or publisher gets struck by TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) and can't resist telling us that fictional character Gabriel Allon, and others, don't approve of Trump.
Also the plot is much more historical than is typical for Silva, which is not to my personal taste. Readers who like historically-driven thriller readers may prefer this kind of plot.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great thriller from Silva ... this one with a unique plot twist

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give 10 stars I would. If ever an author was able to capture an atmosphere of breathless suspense with words and dialogue it is Daniel Silva. Silva is the Shakespeare of the spy genre. I don’t know what else to say about this book except “Read It”!!! And do not skip the Author’s Note at the end.
Read in 2018.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant!

[Alex Cantone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A part of Gabriel did not mourn Hughes’s passing, for it appeared he had met with the end he richly deserved. But why had Alistair Hughes died? It was possible that it was an accident, that Hughes had simply rushed into the street, into the path of an oncoming car. Possible, thought Gabriel, but unlikely. Gabriel did not believe in accidents; he made accidents happen. So did the Russians.

Israeli intelligence is “on the nose” with its allies following the aborted defection of Russian double-agent Konstantin Kirov, gunned down in sight of a safe house in Vienna. Recriminations fall squarely on the shoulders of intelligence chief, Gabriel Allon, former master spy and art restorer. Then, as Alistair Hughes, head of MI6’s Vienna station, is killed in an unauthorised trip to Bern, Switzerland and found to be the subject to a clandestine Israeli intelligence operation, the Swiss authorities are far from pleased.

“ISIS’s ideology endures, and it’s finally managed to seep into Switzerland.” Bittel fixed Gabriel with a reproachful stare. “And so I will overlook that you entered the country without bothering to inform the NDB, and on a false passport at that. I assume you are not here for the skiing. It’s been terrible this year.”

Hughes’ final movements points to the possibility of a Russian mole highly-placed in Britain’s MI6, and in an attempt to discover who is behind the leaks, businessman and SVR operative Sergei Morosov is snatched off the streets of Strasbourg for interrogation. But it is Allon’s predecessor, Uzi Navot, in discussions with Werner Schwartz in Vienna, who makes the vital link to cold-war operations in Beirut in the early sixties, and the “Other Woman” of the title.

From surveillance to safe houses, the Schweizerhof Hotel to Starbucks, from Andalucia to Washington DC, author Daniel Silva brings us a contemporary fictional spy-ring scandal reaching back to the infamous spy scandal of the early sixties surrounding the “Cambridge 5” – MacLean, Burgess, Philby, Blunt and Cairncross. Fact and fiction blur in light of recent true-life assassination attempts by the SVR; where the “fictional” head of MI6, Graham Seymour, was twelve-year old in the sixties when his father Arthur Seymour was stationed, in Beirut. Allon and Seymour work tirelessly through his reports sent to London in search of an identity. There are cameos of Office stalwarts, former spy boss Ari Shamron and Christopher Keller, now with MI6.

A reader might find a notebook handy to keep track of names and events. As always, the book starts slowly and momentum increases rapidly as the mole is cornered and seeks to escape via the Potomac River locks, undone by divided loyalties. Expect a twist in the tail as long-held friendships between British, American and Israeli intelligence services falter in the wake of scandal.

[kartik narayanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent entry in the Gabriel Allon series. This book had more old-school espionage in it than the earlier ones - almost like a LeCarre novel. The ending is pragmatic and it leaves the series at a point which is quite intriguing.

[David Rubenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Silva has written a long series of fabulous spy novels. They are centered on Gabriel Allon, a fictional character who is the top spy in the Israeli secret intelligence agency. He is also a renowned restorer of antique art, though this vocation does not enter into this particular story. The stories are always realistic, which is important for thrillers like these.

The novels in this series generally have slow-moving plots, but I do not find any of them to be boring. The reason is that each each story contains some fascinating aspect. In some of the stories, the art work is actually the interesting aspect of the book. In others, the interactions between the spy agencies of different nations are engaging. Here, the most interesting aspect is seeing the layers of the onion, as the true intentions of Allon's adversaries are wrapped in layers. Why was a particular spy assassinated? The reader thinks he knows--but there are deeper reasons, left to the imagination.

I didn't read this book--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by George Guidall. As usual, he is an excellent reader.

[Ruth Edenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spies, Traitors and Moles Well blended and Deftly Seasoned With a Dash of History

The Other Woman is Daniel Silva’s 2018 offering to his multitude of fans, and any lucky new readers who have started with the 18th book in the Gabriel Allon series. Some of us, myself included, were lucky enough to get a copy a few days in advance – the treat of all treats.

Compared to his last few books, The Other Woman is, in a way, a quieter book; there is less bling, fewer bombs, and if so inclined, one could actually track the body count, but don’t let that fool you. There are innumerable twists and turns, blown operations, dangerous gambits and missing puzzle pieces all of which strain several long time friendships and alliances.

"The Other Woman" reminded me in some ways of, “An Unlikely Spy,” the very first Silva book written before Gabriel Allon had been created. This is because it deals more with the line by line, hour by hour painstaking work of spy craft rather than the more glitzy glamorous rock’em sock’em aspects, but this book is anything but slow moving or bogged down in details. The author’s humor is allowed to shine through the tension, and his repetition of certain phrases reminds me of a composer’s leitmotif.

Mr. Silva brilliantly weaves the lives and perfidies of some comparatively recent, real life spies with his fictional figures, and the reader is drawn into this spider’s web smoothly and silkily. Prescient as always, Daniel Silva has turned away from the morass of the Middle East and dropped us into the arms of Mother Russia. We spend a lot of time in Vienna, a city that is a series of painful memories for Gabriel, who is now Head of the Office.

A standard scooping up of a Russian defector goes very wrong in a way that points to a mole. From there we are on our journey that brings us to several countries including brief visits to Israel where we catch a glimpse of favorites such as Shamron and Chiara, and those adorable twins, and longer visits to the UK and the US. Some of the regulars are more front and center than others, but just about all our old friends are there. The historical characters are a superb touch, and those who are in my age bracket will no doubt remember much about them.

The Other Woman is riveting right up to and including the Author’s Note at the end. Big bombs are not the only scary things in this world. The Other Woman may not end with a bang, but the whimper, if heard, was just mine at finishing the best book I will read until next July.

[Barry who enjoys well-written thrillers, mysteries , & espionage & loathes romance, horror & supernat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I freely admit that I love Daniel Silva, BUT only in the purest and most literary fashion imaginable. I thoroughly enjoy his characters - and his books are, indeed, character driven, wherever that means - I love his plot/stories including his politics with which I completely agree. Perhaps, most of all, I love the relationships that he creates between characters which is, to a large extent, expressed through their dialogue. Allon's Sardonic wit is such a treat to read and savor; I have found nothing to match it.

The Other Women is the nineteenth book in the Gabriel Allon series. Allon has been an agent in Israel's famous Secret Security service known commonly as the Mossad and internally as the Office. Starting out as an artistically inclined young man, he was plucked from his life and trained to become an agent in the Wrath of God operation in which the assassins responsible for the deaths of Israeli athletes in the Munich Olympics were eliminated.

The series follows Allon's route as an art restorer/secret and later, not so secret agent for the "Office." I suspect that each can be read and thoroughly enjoyed as a standalone novel but I cannot say for sure since I have read them in sequence.

As has been the case for other books in the series, real world events and characters are woven into the fabric of the story. In this case, those characters, although central to the plot, are all long dead thus creating a bridge from the past to the present.

If you love espionage stories with tons of fights, lots of killings and an overall exceptional level of action, this ain't it. Look elsewhere. Rather, The Other Woman contains brilliant dialogue, exceptional maneuvering, cleverly crafted situations and but a paucity of blood and the total absence of gore.

It allows the reader to follow the thinking, plotting and conniving of several characters, only revealing bits and pieces at a perfectly tantalizing rate. If you love Allon and Silva, you will love this book. If you are one of the rare souls who hates them, don't bother with it and, if you are unfamiliar, god forbid, with the series, you would be well-served in starting in the beginning.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Daniel Silva to get his 'take' on current international events and players. I know it's not gospel, but his POV truly informs the news.

Now he's turned his laser onto Russia and Putin...for several books we've had Gabriel battling Putin's SVR, his version of the KGB. As always, events in the novel directly mirror what we see developing in front of our faces...and it's chilling. It's easy to see the events in his book happening.

Gabriel can't leave the field, and he even brings Ari back, which is funny to watch. But they are a good team.

There's a healthy dose of spy history in this one...Kim Philby, a notorious double agent, whose story still seems to stick in the craw of western spy agencies. And all that history is directly related to what Gabriel finds himself knee-deep in. Turncoats, secret romances, power and murder.

Another reviewer said this book is not littered with explosions and bodies...true. The action and the horror are close-up, personal, intimate even. And that makes it frightening.

I am chilled to the bone by Silva's observations about Putin and his goals...He makes the point that NOW Russia and Putin are leading the fight from the right...as fascists...not as Communists. Lord help us all.

"Like the tsars and Party chairmen who came before him, Vladimir Putin readily uses murder as a tool of statescraft."

"Russia under Vladimir Putin is both revanchist and paranoid, a dangerous combination. Economically and demographically weak, Putin uses his powerful intelligence services and cyberwarriors as a force multiplier."

"Putin and Putinism are on the march. The strong-man and the 'corporate state' -- by another name, fascism -- are all the rage. Western-style democracy and the global institutions that created an unprecedented period of peace in Europe are suddenly out of vogue."

[Judith E · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can always count on Gabriel Allon to flush out the mole and bring it to ground. When Israel’s Russian defector is gunned down, Gabriel and MI 5/6 work together to uncover the traitor. The trail leads to some very interesting Kim Philby history.

George Guidall was the narrator and the spy genre is not the best fit with his deep and bland voice. I thoroughly enjoyed this, my husband hated it, go figure.

[Cindy H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh! I know Daniel Silva can do better! Lots of repeating of backstory, too much page filler- took close to 300 pages before any real plot movement. I’ll always love Gabriel Allon but past two books have been disappointing.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a mole somewhere in Israeli or British Intelligence giving information to the Russians. One of my favorite special agents, Gabriel Allon is out to track that mole down. A good page turner. The story flows more slowly than his previous Allon adventures, but it was still a thriller!

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

“But not all secrets are created equal.”

THE OTHER WOMAN is very typical spy thriller fare. More so than most of Mr. Silva’s output. The story that Silva expands and connects to the world of his perennial protagonist Gabriel Allon was inspired from a true-life spy from the mid-20th century. The plot in short is that the Russians have a mole high up in one western intelligence service. Gabriel Allon and Israeli intelligence are caught up in the conspiracy, and we are off to the races. It’s a fun story, but it was not quite as good for me as many of the other novels in the Allon series have been.

One noticeable lapse in this text was that Daniel Silva is usually spot on with his geopolitical analysis. He is off his game in this book. He gets some things right, especially about Russian aggression, but he gets quite a bit wrong too, especially when he takes (what are coming to seem like the obligatory) shots at President Trump. Reading this novel six years after its publication (in 2018) it is obvious Silva’s instincts missed the boat on that account. He has several characters state as fact what we now know as the Russian Collusion Hoax. Whoopsie Mr. Silva. I hope he has not got caught up in politics clouding his judgment. In the previous 17 books in the series Silva made astute observations and made some harsh criticisms of the presidencies and foreign policy choices of republican and democratic presidents. But this time he makes obvious swipes not in service of the story, but out of dislike. It’s cheap and drags one out of the reality of the story. I hope he self-corrected in later books.

Quotes:
• “In matters of both intelligence and art, he was a traditionalist who believed the old ways were better than the new.”
• “This is Switzerland. Privacy is our religion.”
• “Truth is the only currency we accept.”

THE OTHER WOMAN is an average installment in a series that is usually much better than average. I’m no worse for the wear. On to # 19 soon.

[Noella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik vond dit een heel spannend boek. Door de korte hoofdstukken was het ook heel vlot leesbaar, en het was in erg toegankelijke taal geschreven. Dit aspect vind ik wel belangrijk, omdat het verhaal toch gaat over onderwerpen (politiek, geheime diensten etc.) die nogal ingewikkeld kunnen worden. Daarbij gaat het ook nog eens over Russen, Rusland en hun geheime diensten, namen die meestal ook niet zo gemakkelijk te onthouden zijn.
Omdat blijkbaar met al deze dingen--bewust of onbewust--rekening is gehouden, was het geen enkele moeite om het verhaal te volgen en bouwde de spanning zich op.
Heel goed gedaan!

[debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3-4*s Not my favorite of Silva's book. Rounded up for old times sake. ; ))

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

And what does anyone know about traitors, or why Judas did what he did?

------ Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea

The Other Woman by Daniel Silva was a spellbinding book about decpetion, espionage, and traitors. Once more Gabriel Allon is involved in situations involving treason over the years between England's MI5 and MI6, the Kremlin, and the Israeli's "The Office" now under the leadership of Gabriel Allon. There is a Russian mole that has infiltrated MI6 with possible ties to the United States of America so therein lies the problem of sifting out the truth in all of the lies and deception.

This was a fast-paced book that takes its narratives from the headlines and all of the international headlines as we first learn of a mysterious elderly French woman in the hills of Andulusia, Spain where she has lived in isolation for over forty years, only known in the small village as la roca or la roja, a reference to the color of her politics. And then there is the narrative of the infamous traitor, Kim Philby, a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union that is skillfully woven into this exciting book.

"Thus proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that MI6's Head of Station in Washington was the illegitimate child of history's greatest spy and a long-term agent of Russian penetration. In the jargon of the trade, a mole."

"He was that Kim Philby, the master spy who had betrayed his country, his class, and his club."

Without getting into spoiler territory, suffice it to say that this is a riveting showdown between Gabriel Allon and his Russian counterparts as he unravels the mysteries in a page-turning culmination on the banks of the Potomac with his usual cast of characters who know the world of espionage so well.

[Lynda Filler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried at the ending!

In the darkest hours of the night, another all-nighter—of the book kind. Just one more page...
Don’t be upset fans of Daniel Silva, but I was so emotionally invested in the ending that I cried! My life is far too busy right now to delve into a Gabriel Allon mystery, but, 24 hours later, I’m suitably blown away. Daniel Silva is the undisputed master of this genre.

[Mary Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

All done, until next year when we meet again, Gabriel, mazeltov.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner from Silva, although the last few chapters felt incredibly long and I could have done without all the traffic direction.