The New Girl (Gabriel Allon Series #19)

by Daniel Silva

Overview

#1 New York Times Bestseller • #1 USA Today Bestseller • #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller

Now you see her.  Now you don’t.  THE NEW GIRL.  A thriller of deception, betrayal, and vengeance.

She was covered from head to toe in expensive wool and plaid, the sort of stuff one saw at the Burberry boutique in Harrods. She carried a leather bookbag rather than a nylon backpack. Her patent leather ballet slippers were glossy and bright. She was proper, the new girl, modest. But there was something else about her …

At an exclusive private school in Switzerland, mystery surrounds the identity of the beautiful raven-haired girl who arrives each morning in a motorcade fit for a head of state. She is said to be the daughter of a wealthy international businessman. In truth, her father is Khalid bin Mohammed, the much-maligned crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Once celebrated for his daring social and religious reforms, he is now reviled for his role in the murder of a dissident journalist. And when his only child is brutally kidnapped, he turns to the one man he can trust to find her before it is too late.

What’s done cannot be undone …

Gabriel Allon, the legendary chief of Israeli intelligence, has spent most of his life fighting terrorists, including the murderous jihadists financed by Saudi Arabia. Prince Khalid—or KBM, as he is known—has pledged to finally break the bond between the Kingdom and radical Islam. For that reason alone, Gabriel regards him as a valuable if flawed partner. Together they will become unlikely allies in a deadly secret war for control of the Middle East. The life of a child, and the throne of Saudi Arabia, hang in the balance. Both men have made their share of enemies. And both have everything to lose.

Filled with dark humor, breathtaking twists of plot, and an unforgettable cast of characters, The New Girl is both a thrilling, page-turning tale of entertainment and a sophisticated study of political alliances and great-power rivalries in a dangerous world. And it is once again proof that Gabriel Allon is “one of fiction’s greatest spies” (Kirkus) and Daniel Silva is “quite simply the best” (Kansas City Star) writer of foreign intrigue and suspense at work today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062834898
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/16/2019
Series:	Gabriel Allon Series
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	512
Sales rank:	14,887
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Daniel Silva is the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Unlikely Spy, The Mark of the Assassin, The Marching Season, The Kill Artist, The English Assassin, The Confessor, A Death in Vienna, Prince of Fire, The Messenger, The Secret Servant, Moscow Rules, The Defector, The Rembrandt Affair, Portrait of a Spy, The Fallen Angel, The English Girl, The Heist, The English Spy, The Black Widow, House of Spies, The Other Woman, The New Girl, The Order, The Collector, and A Death in Cornwall. He is best known for his long-running thriller series starring spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon. Silva’s books are critically acclaimed bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Date of Birth:

1960

Place of Birth:

Michigan

Website:

http://www.danielsilvabooks.com

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2019

No plot details, no problem. This is Silva's latest white knuckler involving international intrigue, with a 500,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal

08/05/2019

In bestseller Silva’s sophisticated 19th thriller featuring art restorer and Israeli intelligence director Gabriel Allon (after 2018’s The Other Woman), Crown Prince Khalid bin Mohammed, the future king of Saudi Arabia, secretly seeks Allon’s help to rescue his daughter, who’s been kidnapped from her school in Geneva, Switzerland. Though Allon is a former enemy, the prince believes Allon is the best man for the job. Allon reluctantly agrees for political reasons, only to have the rescue attempt come to a tragic end in Southern France. He soon realizes, however, that the kidnapping is part of a bigger plot involving members of the Saudi royal family and his old adversaries, the Russians, who hope to permanently alter the balance of power in the Middle East. Allon and his crew of veteran agents race around the world on a mission to thwart the bad guys. Though order is ultimately restored, the novel ends with an unexpectedly violent conclusion. As always, Silva delivers sharply drawn characters, a complex plot, and vivid backgrounds that add to the book’s realism, even if at times Allon’s own abilities seem too good to be true. Series fans will find plenty to like, and this is an excellent introduction for new readers. 10-city author tour. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Sophisticated .... As always Silva delivers.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Fascinating.... An irresistible thriller, built on the realpolitik of today’s Middle East but deepened by the universality of human tragedy.” — Booklist

“Enjoyable as ever. Allon is a smart creation…. There is a pleasing yin and yang here, of destruction and (re)creation.” — Financial Times

“[A] chess game of intrigue…. Daniel Silva spins an addictive yarn.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“At times a brilliant novel tells us as much about the times we live in—and the struggles of the world, the global deceptions and tragedies—as well or better than journalism. Daniel Silva’s The New Girl is such a novel.  Eye-opening and a joy to read.”  — Bob Woodward

“#1 NYT bestselling author Daniel Silva always gives you a summer treat. This summer’s treat is The New Girl.” — Hugh Hewitt

“One year after producing what might be the best spy novel since John le Carre’s The Spy who Came in from the Cold, Daniel Silva is back with another riveting, twisting tale of espionage that further cements his legacy as one of the greatest novelists the genre has ever known.... It’s hard to fathom that Silva could ever top himself after last year’s The Other Woman, but he’s done just that. “ — The Real Book Spy

“First-rate.... For the person who likes a great story of espionage and intrigue, Daniel Silva’s art restorer and master spy, Gabriel Allon, is a great match for Ian Fleming’s 007.” — The Daily News

From the Publisher

Fascinating.... An irresistible thriller, built on the realpolitik of today’s Middle East but deepened by the universality of human tragedy.

Booklist

#1 NYT bestselling author Daniel Silva always gives you a summer treat. This summer’s treat is The New Girl.

Hugh Hewitt

At times a brilliant novel tells us as much about the times we live in—and the struggles of the world, the global deceptions and tragedies—as well or better than journalism. Daniel Silva’s The New Girl is such a novel.  Eye-opening and a joy to read.” 

Bob Woodward

[A] chess game of intrigue…. Daniel Silva spins an addictive yarn.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

First-rate.... For the person who likes a great story of espionage and intrigue, Daniel Silva’s art restorer and master spy, Gabriel Allon, is a great match for Ian Fleming’s 007.

The Daily News

One year after producing what might be the best spy novel since John le Carre’s The Spy who Came in from the Cold, Daniel Silva is back with another riveting, twisting tale of espionage that further cements his legacy as one of the greatest novelists the genre has ever known.... It’s hard to fathom that Silva could ever top himself after last year’s The Other Woman, but he’s done just that. “

The Real Book Spy

Enjoyable as ever. Allon is a smart creation…. There is a pleasing yin and yang here, of destruction and (re)creation.

Financial Times

Enjoyable as ever. Allon is a smart creation…. There is a pleasing yin and yang here, of destruction and (re)creation.

Financial Times

Fascinating.... An irresistible thriller, built on the realpolitik of today’s Middle East but deepened by the universality of human tragedy.

Booklist

Narrator George Guidall brings back the many characters we have come to know and appreciate in Silva’s Gabriel Allon series. Once again, Silva leverages current headlines to engage listeners, this time taking them into the intrigues of the House of Saud and the political ramifications of shifting alliances within it. Gabriel Allon, now having two years under his belt as director of Israeli Intelligence, is compelled to help the Crown Prince rescue his 12-year old daughter from kidnappers. Guidall provides perfect English, French, German, Israeli, and Arab accents. Though his tone remains calm, he conveys the high tension of scene after scene through his pace and cadence. Listeners are treated to a gripping story from beginning to end performed by a master narrator. E.Q. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2019 - AudioFile

2019-07-01
Gabriel Allon partners with a dubious ally in the Middle East.

When a 12-year-old is abducted from an exclusive private school in Geneva, Allon, head of Israeli intelligence, is among the first to know. The girl's father is Khalid bin Mohammed, heir to the Saudi throne, and he wants Allon's help. KBM was once feted as a reformer, ready to bring new industries and new freedoms to his country. When he makes his appeal to Allon, though, KBM is the prime suspect in the murder of a journalist. If KBM immediately makes you think of MBS, you are correct. Silva mentions Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's real-life heir apparent, in a foreword. But anyone who recognizes KBM as a fictional echo of MBS might find this book to be more old news than fresh entertainment. In his last few novels, Silva has turned his attention to current world affairs, such as the rise of the new Russia and the threats of global terrorism. In novels like The Other Woman (2018) and House of Spies (2017), the author was inventive enough that these works felt compelling and original. And, in The Black Widow (2016), Silva wrote much of the story from the point of view of the French-born Israeli doctor Allon recruited for an undercover mission while also expanding the roles of a few familiar secondary characters. Allon is a wonderful creation. In the first several novels in this series, he posed as an art restorer while working for Israel's intelligence service. He adopted a variety of personas and gave readers access to people and places few of us will ever see. Now that he's a public figure who can no longer invent alter egos, his world is smaller and less fascinating. The pacing here is slow, and any sense of urgency is undercut by the matter of what's at stake. Ultimately, this is a narrative about removing one horrible Saudi ruler in order to reinstate a less horrible Saudi ruler. This might be solid realpolitik, but it's not terribly compelling fiction.

It may be time for Silva's hero to retire from the field and let his protégés take over.

Kirkus Reviews