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The Other Woman

by Daniel Silva

Library Journal In the 18th installment in Silva's "Gabriel Allon" espionage series (House of Spies), Gabriel and his team are, at the request of Graham Seymour, on a secret hunt for a Russian mole inside of MI-6. As head of "The Office," Israel's secretive intelligence agency, Gabriel runs Mikhail Abramov and Christopher Keller in a joint operation, sending them (and his regular supporting team) from Paris to Spain, on to London and Washington, DC, before finally jumping back into action. He must then catch the child of Britain's most notorious defector, Kim Philby, before more secrets are spilled to the Kremlin but not without straining a long-standing friendship with the CIA. While Gabriel is not the main actor here, Abramov and Keller make a strong team and step up to usher a new generation of spies onto the world stage. Verdict While not the best starting point for new readers, this thriller won't disappoint longtime followers of this series.-Terri Lent, Patrick Henry H.S., Ashland, VA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list *Starred Review* Promotion to the top job in Israel's secret intelligence service hasn't changed Gabriel Allon's hands-on approach to spying one whit. He led the team that finally ended the run of ISIS mastermind Saladin (House of Spies, 2017), and now he's on the track of a Russian mole high up in British intelligence. His allies in MI6 don't like it, but even they know if anyone can ferret out the mole, it's Allon. Once again Silva follows the familiar structure his readers have come to love gathering the team, setting up the sting, laying on the tradecraft, dealing with the surprises but this time there is an even more elaborately detailed backstory than usual, and it is every bit as compelling as the tension-drenched drama slowly unspooling in the present and leading to a socko finale on the shores of the Potomac River. In a kind of homage to classic Cold War espionage, Silva draws on both history (the most famous spy of the twentieth century plays a role here) and fiction: there are strong elements of le Carré throughout, with the mole story itself echoing Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974) and Russian mastermind Sasha suggesting a contemporary version of George Smiley's nemesis, Karla. But Silva is never merely imitative; he uses these references and plot elements to add texture and resonance to his story, which puts a chilling, twenty-first century spin on the idea of Russian interference in global politics: Everyone loses, Allon concludes. Everyone except the Russians. Another jewel in the bedazzling crown of a spy-fiction master. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Silva's novels rarely dally on the lower rungs of best-seller lists. Expect this one, too, to leapfrog to the top.--Bill Ott Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.