The Defector (Gabriel Allon Series #9)

Worth the Wait

I'm in love with Gabriel and await each new book and am so thrilled that they are all so good. It's impossible to put this one down. I read it in one day and now want to kick myself because whatever I pick up can't be as good as this. He's worth the wait!

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Finally, A NEW DANIEL SILVA BOOK!

A year is too long to wait! Thank you for posting a sneak preview on your website! The first chapter is fabulous! Thank you for writing another Gabriel Allon book! How can I wait until July for the rest? For those of you who have never had the pleasure, I have posted a few links to some of Daniel Silva's books here. I read them over and over and you are in for a special treat. No one writes like this. Smart and entertaining. You will be up all night.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Gabriel Allon series reaches his exhausting, incredulous, but thoroughly entertaining pinnacle in The Defector

Successful series books depend usually on magnetic characters that pull you inexorably back, like a scent or flavor provoking a fond memory that has aged ever so gracefully. Gabriel Allon, the art restorer and preeminent Israeli secret agent is not that character, nor is any member of his entourage, but the vivid settings, the detailed plots, the covert mission planning details, and the action are more than enough to provide readers of this genre a compass point to which they can repeatedly navigate. This latest offering from Daniel Silva will thrill and captivate and will not disappoint.

Followers of the series will fall right into a comfortable pace as Allon and his team enlist the help of Americans, Brits, and dissident Russians to bring a Russian bully and illegal arms dealer to a street-wise type of justice. New readers need not worry. Enough perspective is provided to make sense of the motivations and emotions that drive the action and the plot devices that set the stage. While this book easily stands on its own and will satisfy even the most hard-core action/adventure fan, enjoyment will be enhanced by reading its immediate predecessor, "Moscow Rules."

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Gabriel Allon Rules

Daniel Silva is our generation of John LeCarre much like Vince Flynn is Tom Clancy's successor. Everyone of Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series never fail to disappoint. Why Hollywood doesn't make a Gabriel Allon movie I don't know.

4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

The Defector

In Daniel Silva's latest thriller featuring art restorer/Israeli spy-assassin, Gabriel Allon, The Defector picks up where Moscow Rules left off (but be advised that while it would be beneficial, it is not critical that you read Moscow Rules first). Without going into detail, the plot involves Allon having to return to Moscow when he learns that the former Russian intelligence officer who saved his life in Moscow has vanished without a trace. In typical Silva fashion, The Defector's plot is one of slow-building but non-stop tension and suspense that will keep your eyes glued to its pages. Further, Silva provides new dimensions into his already multidimensional, interesting cast of characters, as well as some very thought-provoking insights into the New Russia. While some reviewers have criticized The Defector for being too formulaic, thus making it somewhat "same-old, same old," my opinion is that Silva's successful formula, which he's used now in most of his twelve books, is kept fresh and interesting through the topical events and settings on which his books are based -- and this certainly is the case with The Defector. As a matter of fact, Silva's ability to continue to successfully execute his winning formula is at the heart of what makes me consider him to the "gold standard" of thriller writers. For me, there has never been a risk involved in reading a Silva book, with the only unknown being whether the book will be very good or excellent; and The Defector is an excellent read.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

ANOTHER WINNER

DANIEL SILVER HAS BECOME MY FAVORITE WRITER THE PAST 3 YEARS.HIS WRITING STYLE DEALS WITH MUCH OF TODAYS PROPLEMS, AND ISSUES.TOGETHER WITH AN ALL-STAR CREW GABRIEL ONCE AGAIN IS FOUND IN THE MIDDLE OF A HUGE COVER-UP AND MUST FIND THE TRUTH IN SHORT TIME.THE DEFECTOR WILL KEEP YOU READING, AND WANTING ANSWERS. AS YOU TURN THE PAGES, THE MORE INVOLVED YOU BECOME.UNTIL THE END COMES, YOU TOO WILL BE A HUGE FAN OF DANIEL SILVA...

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Why Hollywood hasn't made a Gabriel Allon movie

As per Daniel Silva at a Barnes and Noble reading/book signing in Manhattan last summer he has been approached but has yet to read a screenplay he will approve.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

$8.99 for a book full of errors?

Tell me why I should pay $8.99 for a book when broken up words bring the story to a crashing halt every 10 pages? And it's not returnable.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Love the History and Action

I love a book that keeps me flipping the pages. It's also so interesting to get the bits of history woven in.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Rehash

His writing is becoming far too repetitive. A third of this book was a complete rehash of the previous book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Silva is getting lazy.

Too wordy, too much like his other books, no plot excitement.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Love Daniel Silva did not think that this book was up to his norm

This was a sequel to his last book. Same characters, same bad guy, sub par ending and resolution of the story. This was a forgetable follow on to Moscow Rules. I love his books, but it seems that now that he has a following that the same passion for detail, plot originality and story telling has become perfunctory. I look forward to his books, but I was disappointed in the last two. I hope that he picks it up in the next book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Another success!

Silva has a unique ability to deeply intertwine his characters and events. Early on, he built strong foundations and in "The Defector", he continues to engage readers with Gabriel, Ari, Chiara, and other members of the Office. I would recommend reading "Moscow Rules" before reading this book, as it provides a good background and basis for what happens. All of Silva's books are engrossing mysteries that do not have 'cookie-cutter' plots that are dull and predictable. The vast amount of research he must do for each book is very evident and they leave you wanting to begin the next one as soon as possible.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Tops

Daniel Silva is one of my favorite authors, if not my most favorite author of espionage thrillers. This book, The Defector, was no exception. Could not put it down.
Bookworm

Another great book

As usual, I can't put Daniel Silva books down until I'm finished.

Intense and Exciting

Book 9 in the Gabriel Allon series

Daniel Silva provides once more an exciting and captivating tale that will keep the readers focused in an endless need to see what will come next, the series is very addictive. The 9th instalment is an edge of the seat thriller, able to compete with the best for the reader's attention. Although "The Defector" is a sequel to "Moscow Rules, there is just the right amount of background given so this novel can fly on its own, no doubt it will hook many new readers. Who knows it may pique their interest enough to read past novels.

The tale picks up 6 months after the dramatic conclusion of "Moscow Rules". Once again Gabriel is thrown into turmoil with the shocking news from London that defector Colonel Grigori Bulganov has disappeared without a trace. Colonel G.B., a known double agent, is now suspected of being a turn coat once again but Gabriel has another theory. Colonel G.B. had betrayed Kharkov, a billionaire arms dealer, on many levels and Gabriel suspects the time to get even has arrived. Many things have changed in Russia but punishment for treason remains the same. With this fact in mind, Gabriel realizes his team of operatives have a very small window to prove his theory.

At the pinnacle of the investigation, Gabriel's ability to multi task is put to the test with news of his wife's abduction. Could this be payback for his past history with Kharkov and his present theory, is there a link between the two abductions? The reader is quickly drawn into the escalating war between the two adversaries.....Did I use the adjectives addicted and hooked before??? :)...

Mr. Silva knows how to capture the reader's attention; intense and exciting action and scenes that are gut-wrenching and gruesome at times are all part of his plot and sub-plots. He uses a touch of romance along the route to soften the tone. The story although a little far-fetched is highly entertaining, all the characters have been well developed and have progressed beautifully with time. Mr. Silva has definitely created and adopted a style that works but I find Gabriel's character is on the verge of becoming one-dimensional and too predictable.

This novel is a page turner hard to put down

Highly recommended

Daniel Silva has done an excellent job of creating wonderful characters. His novels are filled with action, while also making the reader feel a part of the historical details that created today's events.

I have read every one of Danil Silva's gabriel Allon novels and am anxiously looking forward to Mr. Silva's next novel.

Great characterization and cat and mouse plot

You don't necessarily read Daniel Silva for blistering action - or at least I don't. You read him for the genius of his assassin/art restoration master Gabriel Allon character. This is another good one from Silva. Very atmospheric, extremely well-written on a sentence level compared to others in the genre.

SAME OLD

You've read it before.It's the same book he'written before. It must have taken all of two days to come up with new names.BAH!

Spellbinding, as are all of Silva's books.

I hope there is a Gabriel Allon somewhere in this world to take care of the bad guys. An utterly fascinating character.