Having got totally hooked on the Gabriel Allon series, I am rattling through Mr. Silva’s books way too fast for comfort. But they are so addictive, and the stories are so compulsive, that one really doesn’t have that much choice.
“The Defector” is the 9th in the series, and it is with pleasure that we meet the by-now central cast of characters, who are all well and truly at the heart of every story.
Gabriel, of course, a caring, thoughtful, artistic, sensitive man who just happens to be a trained assassin. Gabriel works for The Office, which one I presume to be based somewhat on Mossad, the Israeli intelligence outfit. Ari Shamron, Uzi Navot, Dina – all these brave and dedicated intelligence operatives have by now impress us, frightened us and (in my case) impressed me by their degree of ruthless commitment to their cause – protecting Israel and Israelis from the force of global terror that seem to ravage our world.
Although there is a continuation of characters, both Israeli as well as operatives from the CIA and MI5, from one thriller to the next, and references aplenty to previous operations, “The Defector” is the first book which carries forward the story line directly from the preceding novel. Where “Moscow Rules” ends, “The Defector” picks up.
Heart-stopping.
Page-turning.
This is a smashing, exciting read, with the fascinating, complex Gabriel pitted against an implacable enemy, as he resolutely defies odds to honour a promise.
A great read.