Library's review
Israeli spy/assassin Gabriel Allon is living quietly in Italy with his wife Chiara, retired from the Israeli intelligence service in all but name. When a Russian spy, Grigori Bulganov, whom he helped smuggle out of Russia in an earlier book in the series (Moscow Rules) goes missing from his London
Silva's plots are always very intricate and meticulously detailed, and that along with the characterization of Gabriel and some of the other regular characters are the highlights of this series for me. The downsides are the extreme graphic violence and the quick use of torture to extract information even though it's been proven that in reality the information obtained in this way is often bogus (a lesson the US learned much, much too late, if indeed it actually has). In Gabriel's world, torture always works and it's always the first resort, not the last. Gross.
So I don't love those aspects of the plot at all, and I'm tempted to give the rest of the series a pass except that I own several of the upcoming books. It will be a while before I feel moved to pick another one up, though.
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home, the British assume he was a double agent all along, while the Israelis think he's been kidnapped by the Russian oligarch whose downfall was orchestrated by Gabriel and Gregori. The Israelis draft Gabriel into investigating and rescuing Grigori if needed.Silva's plots are always very intricate and meticulously detailed, and that along with the characterization of Gabriel and some of the other regular characters are the highlights of this series for me. The downsides are the extreme graphic violence and the quick use of torture to extract information even though it's been proven that in reality the information obtained in this way is often bogus (a lesson the US learned much, much too late, if indeed it actually has). In Gabriel's world, torture always works and it's always the first resort, not the last. Gross.
So I don't love those aspects of the plot at all, and I'm tempted to give the rest of the series a pass except that I own several of the upcoming books. It will be a while before I feel moved to pick another one up, though.
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Description
Gabriel Allon's idyllic world is once again thrown into turmoil with shocking news from London. The defector and former Russian intelligence officer Grigori Bulganov, who saved Gabriel's life in Moscow, has vanished without a trace. British intelligence is sure he was a double agent all along, but Gabriel knows better. He also knows he made a promise--a promise that leads to a deadly duel of nerve and wits with one of the world's most ruthless men: the murderous Russian oligarch and arms dealer Ivan Kharkov.
Media reviews
Associated Press
"The Defector" is the perfect book for fans of well-crafted thrillers to pack in their tote bags for a day at the beach, the kind of page-turner that captures the reader from the opening chapter and doesn't let go.
And yet, for all of its shortcomings, "The Defector" held me. Maybe it's Silva's skill in describing the flavor of such different places as London, Paris, Tel Aviv, Zurich, Washington, Moscow and more, or in making his plots deliciously complicated.
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2011)
Language
Original publication date
2010-07