We moved and lost track of this book - didn't get far.

Finishing this book brought me full circle to where I started the series (with #8). It's been like reading a prequel series, waiting for the various events mentioned in Moscow Rules to happen.

The only knock I have against this book is the lackluster detail on a supermax prison. Silva rolls deep on details for so much of his series, I was surprised not to have the same for his prison scene.

As always, read this if you like a good spy novel. If you don't like the "men's romance" genre (Clancy's Jack Ryan, Lee Child's Jack Reacher, et al) then you'll want to take a pass. ( )

Gabriel has had enough but he can't refuse a personal request from Shamron to a quick in and out to Amsterdam to clean up the files of one of Shamron's off the books informants who has been killed after being very useful. Gabriel finds himself locating the informant's source who had helped avert a tragedy and was thus considered reliable. Now the source points Gabriel to the immanent kidnapping of the daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to the UK. Naturally Gabriel gets to London to almost intervene but winds up blowing his cover and fails to prevent the kidnapping. Now he feels responsible. What follows is a fast paced search to rescue the woman.

Returning to Amsterdam he pushes the source. He learns it's the source's son who is leading the kidnappers. The source had been a university professor in Egypt and one of the founders of the radical group, The Sword of Allah responsible for the kidnapping. The source had been brutally tortured by the Egyptian security police giving up associates to stop the torture. He left Egypt for a life in Holland where he avoided politics until his son became radicalized. The source lets Gabriel know his son calls his wife every day. Then the body of one of the kidnappers who Gabriel had wounded is discovered with a ticket for a ferry to France in his back pocket. These leads to a chase across Europe ending with an explosion killing the kidnapper's father, wounding Gabriel seriously and the realization they've been on a wild goose chase.

The kidnappers start making demands. Since the Ambassador is a billionaire and desperately wants his daughter back safely, they demand millions. Now that Gabriel has gotten involved they want him alone to deliver it. Everyone including Gabriel realizes this is a trap but Gabriel decides to go ahead as it's the only way to rescue the hostage. He is taken hostage and brutally beaten. Of course the office is martialing their forces to rescue Gabriel. Of course they find him, killing the driver and causing the truck Gabriel's in to roll over down a hill, but he's free. They put together the kidnappers goal is yet another mass casualty, Easter Sunday at Westminster Abbey. As the kidnappers are walking her into the square, having told her she'll be released, Gabriel and Uzi rescue her by killing the kidnappers who have guns trained on her.

All this with the normal back and forth with the CIA, Egyptians security, and the police of the various countries that Gabriel had promised never to operate there again. Eventually the real story of Israeli involvement is made public.



The Happy Ending here is a surprise wedding ceremony where Gabriel and Chiara finally make it official, with Leah's blessing. ( )

Excellent espionage novel. Both a page turner but also a fairly in-depth and astute observation of the complexities of middle-eastern politics and how they have infiltrated the world. Thought provoking and entertaining then. ( )

Daniel Silva wrote a good spy book but even more gave readers a very real look at just how strong the Islamic terrorists have infiltrated Europe.
Israel's top spy,Gabriel Allon,becomes caught up in the kidnapping of the daughter of the U.S. ambassador to the U.K. by a cell of The Sword of Allah. The secret services of the U.S.,England, Israel and several other countries finally share information in a rescue attempt but run into different jihadist cells working in Europe. Read the book with an open mind but read it. ( )