Customer Reviews

Moscow Rules (Gabriel Allon Series)

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

(4.5 stars) In his eighth Gabriel Allon espionage thriller, Daniel Silva moves from investigating the historical crimes of the past, often related to the Holocaust, and their effects on the present, to crimes of the present and their possibly catastrophic effects on the future. In this intense and absorbing novel about uncontrolled arms sales, the biggest threat to the future comes from Russian arms dealers, aided by Russia's president and former KGB operatives who are now unimaginably wealthy independent brokers and contractors. These arms merchants operate with impunity, selling all manner of weapons to terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East and Africa.

Gabriel Allon, formerly with the Israeli Mossad, is on his honeymoon in Italy when he is contacted by Ari Shamron, the grand old man of Israeli security. Allon, a trained art restorer, has been working for the Pope, but the recent assassination of a Russian journalist who may have had information he wanted to reveal to the West brings him out of retirement and back into action. When the murdered man's Russian editor-in-chief is also murdered, Allon travels to Russia, where he learns the name of a Russian arms dealer, Ivan Kharkov, who has been supplying Hezbollah, and who now appears close to selling sophisticated weapons to al-Quaeda.

Kharkov and his wife are collectors of Mary Cassatt paintings, and the fascinating art world which has added so much life to other Gabriel Allon thrillers in the past is also a major aspect of this novel. Art dealers, down-in-their-luck gentry who own prized artwork, and, in the case, of Allon, restorers, all play unexpectedly major roles in this effort to prevent Kharkov from selling advanced weapons to al-Quaeda. As the high-stakes plotting by the conjoined security services of England, the US, Italy, and France builds to a crescendo, Allon follows the action through various countries leaving multiple murders, beatings, car crashes, and betrayals in his wake. Always, the fine hand of the Russian mafia is pulling the strings, purportedly with the aid of the Russian president.

Silva keeps the action moving briskly, and his ability to convey the atmosphere of disparate locations adds depth and drama to the plot. The characters, even the minor ones, are paradigms of the countries they represent, imbued with the cultures of their homelands, rather than mere stereotypes. His major characters are complex and carefully drawn, and the action and underlying themes of the novel are intelligent and thought-provoking. As always, Silva creates a complex and exciting story, but this time the focus is on contemporary politics, rather than on the past. Providing evidence that future catastrophes are shockingly easy to inspire, given the venal nature of unscrupulous international arms dealers, Silva employs his formidable talents to create a terrifying picture of a cynical world--and a warning for the future. n Mary Whipple

The Marching Season: A Novel

The English Assassin

A Death in Vienna

Prince of Fire

The middle book of my "Russia" trilogy (Child 44, this and then The Secret Life of Moscow), this happened to be my first Daniel Silva. While it follows a character--Gabriel--from his previous book and references some connections, characters and scenarios from it, I didn't find it difficult to follow Moscow Rules at all without having read the others.

Moscow Rules begins with Gabriel on holiday in Italy with his new wife. He's trying to get some downtime in after what was apparently a rather stressful experience from the last book, and is working diligently on restoring a painting for the Vatican. He gets an urgent call from his boss from the Israeli counter terrorism unit that a member of the much-oppressed Russian press has requested a meeting with Gabriel--and only Gabriel--to give him information about a possible impending attack on Israel and the U.S. They agree to meet, but the journalist is murdered before he can tell Gabriel anything, forcing Gabriel to travel to Russia to learn what the journalist died trying to tell him.

Although this is a spy novel, it's in no way a James Bond- or Jason Bourne-esque book--it's not about some superman taking down the world's biggest supervillians (or the world's biggest quasi-evil omnipresent secret government organizations, in the case of Bourne). It is a mystery thriller--although you learn fairly early on who the "villain" is, it takes most of the book to figure out what he's really planning--but Gabriel is no martial-arts gun-toting killing machine. It's much more a thinking man's game, and Gabriel is genuinely helped, not hindered, by his organization. The elaborate ruse set up to meet with the crime bosses' wife has that Thomas Crowne Affair/Ocean's Eleven type of feel to it, which I enjoy just as much as a good Bourne fight scene. Although I can't say how this book compares to his others, I can say it was entertaining enough to make me want to read more.

There are abundant reviews that describe the story line, some in great detail; so that's covered. I would like to throw my hat on the side with those who view Moscow Rules as one of Silva's best to date. All are excellent, and I completely enjoy the Gabriel Allon series for multiple reasons, so perhaps I am biased at the outset. But I do believe that Silva spins a tale here that at least matches the intrigue, and suspense of the others. This book fosters the "I just couldn't put it down" reaction of his previous efforts.

What continues to amaze me is the obvious depth of knowledge that Silva possess about the ins and outs of the cities and towns, and countryside of Europe, and Isreal, and now two major cities in Russia. Such depth of knowedge adds solid foundation to his stories, and depth to the images of imagination.

This is yet another excellent Gabriel Allon series, and I do believe you will love it, start to finish.

Being a former Soviet I had high hopes for this book as I am used to the large amount of research Daniel Silva usually goes through for his novels. Having read most, if not all, of the Gabriel Allon series, and, at the same time, having read about some of the operations described in Silva's books (operation Wrath of God, etc) I was looking for an accurate assessment of today's Russia. Sadly, while the story was good enough and moved at the usual pace that Allon novels do, I was very much let down by the author/editors of this book in a variety of ways.

First, the Russian newspaper represented in the book is entitled "Moskovsky Gazeta", it should be "Moskovskaya Gazeta." The character Olga Sukhova has a grandfather with the same last name, Sukhova. Sukhova is the feminine form, if it is a man, it should have been Sukhov. I also noticed that the AK-47 is purported to have been one of the reasons the Soviets won against the Germans. I could only interpret this as a reference to WWII, yet, the AK-47 was not developed until after WWII. These are just a few of the errors I found, there weren't many more, but they did take away from the usual interest I have when delving into the world the author is trying to create.

The major "mistakes" that I noticed, and, to a degree, one might not be a mistake per se but rather something I do not agree with the author on. Russian journalists feature highly in this book and there have been a number of journalists killed, from a variety of causes. Yet I cannot agree that all the journalists killed, Silva claims 14 have died during Putin's time as President, died because of the work they have been doing (be it against the government or a government agency). In truth, few have been killed in such a way as to raise suspicion that they might have died under "professional" hands. Others have been made to seem that way for a variety of propaganda purposes. What I vehemently disagree with the author on is the idea that a character like Ivan Kharkov, a gun runner and former KGB operative, could be one and the same and an oligarch to boot. The oligarch's in today's Russia (and of the 90's) are not former KGB (Berezhovsky, Gusinsky, Abramovich, Khodorkovsky, Smolensky, Luzhkov, Chubais, etc) but they do have former KGB and spetsnaz forces as their security. These men made their money through banks, speculation, natural resources (gas, oil, etc), TV channels, real estate, etc. I'm more than sure that all of them took illegal steps in one way or another, but that is the natural order of things in capitalism.

Lastly, I resent the fact that just because Russia is using her resources as a bargaining chip means she wants to become a super power once more. Russia has a sphere of influence just like the US, their actions in foreign policy are dictated by self interest - just like every other country in this world. While it is true that they helped arm the Middle East during the cold war when the Soviet Union was in existence, it was the US that helped arm Islamic extremists the world over (especially those who flooded Afghanisan during the 80's to take up the war against the USSR, this of course doesn't take into account all the other covert operations undertaken by the US). I am not here to preach if what either country did/does is right or wrong, I just hate seeing a double standard at work.

My apologies if this review didn't cover the book as others have, I figure they did a good enough job and there was little I could add as to what the book was about/encompasses. But I do feel what I mentioned above will take away from the usual accuracy Silva tries to delivery in his books. Russians want and can live normal lives, otherwise how do you explain the millions living around the world? But it won't happen so soon, especially in a nation which has been around for less than two decades and has been living off of perverted capitalistic ideals that the west helped usher in.

I have read all of Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon stories with great enjoyment but found that he has fallen into a formula approach with predictable plot elements that are pretty much the same from book to book. Substitute Russia for Saudi Arabia, one villain for another and it's pretty much the same story. The Vatican is always there, so is the damsel in distress, as is the obligatory scene where Allon is brutally beaten but survives. It is enjoyable but now very predictable and thus dissapointing.

In the vacuum of Cold War thrillers and WWII espionage, a new breed of authors has risen to keep suspense novels alive. Daniel Silva has been on the crest of this movement, providing dependable, solid, well-written stories year after year. Gabriel Allon, Israeli secret servant, is a strong character upon which to build a series. "Prince of Fire" and "The Confessor" showed the subtlety and richness that Silva can bring to a genre best-seller.

"Moscow Rules" takes a turn away from direct match-ups with al-Qaeda. This time, Allon is pitted against a ruthless arms dealer from Russia. After a Russian journalist becomes yet another victim to heavyhanded politics of the old regime, intelligence agencies begin to waken to a new threat. A deal has been rumored, one that would arm militants around the world with "the arrows of Allah." The only link Allon and spymasters seem to have to this deal is through Moscow, eventually leading them to the arms dealer's wife. She has the info they need. Yet she is under constant watch by her philandering husband.

As usual, Allon is up to the task, putting his art and espionage skills to good use. The story unfolds with serpentine stealth, tightening the coils. Though nicely paced and lucidly told, the suspense lacks some of the tension of earlier Allon novels, and certain bits of dialogue seem less textured than Silva's usual prose--"I already am a good guy, I just play for a very bad team." The ending is satisfactory, but failed to capitalize on some of the emotional aspects of the story, particularly between Allon and his new bride, and between Allon and the arms dealer's wife.

I'm glad to see Allon's international tableau widening, and I'm also thankful for Silva's willingness to call it like he sees it regarding the new Russian order. We get clear and unflinching glimpses into the zeitgeist of Russia and her present politics, made all the more apropos by the current conflict in Georgia. Silva does a masterful job of portraying people, motives, and politics. Although this wasn't my favorite of his thrillers, it still stands above many others in the genre, both with its writing craft and its intelligent machinations. Silva deserves his growing fan base.

I was so excited to read this book, but somehow it was tepid at best. Perhaps the push to publish novels each year means that even an author as good as Silva cannot keep up the quality. This book lacks passion, and on the Middle East and its horrid conflicts, he is always so very engaged and instructive. MOSCOW RULES is flat, and there is nothing in it that says the author really knows Russia. I have, however, loved all the other books starring Gabriel Allon. Perhaps the next one will return to form.

Daniel Silva is very proficient when it when it comes to taking current events and incorporating them into his thrillers. Moscow Rules, another Gabriel Allon mystery, follows this same pattern in this page-turning book.

Several Russian journalists are murdered when they try to uncover the truth about Ivan Kharkov, a former KGB agent turned "real estate developer, venture capitalist, and international arms trafficker." Kharkov is suspected of selling arms to African nations, knowing that they will in turn sell them to Al-Qaeda. One Russian journalist demands to speak with Gabriel Allon, an agent with the Israeli Secret Service. The only way to get proof of Kharkov's actions is to get information from someone close to him. But that is almost impossible as his entourage never goes anywhere without well-trained security. This mission will take Allon from Italy to Israel, France, Switzerland, and Russia. This mission also involves not just the Israeli Secret Service, but the CIA, MI5 and the French intelligence network. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Silva threw a real curve.

Silva obviously has friends in the intelligence business as he writes so convincingly about their jobs. When Allon is dining in a fine restaurant with a colleague, he thinks that "they did know all the best restaurants, but they also knew all the dreary airport lounges, all the stinking rail platforms, and all the moth-eaten transit hotels. The supposedly glamorous life of an Israeli intelligence agent was actually one of near-constant travel and mind-numbing boredom broken by brief interludes of sheer terror." Many of Allon's colleagues and associates make return appearances including Ari Shamron, Uzi Navot,

Chiara, Eli Lavon, Adrian Carter, Graham Seymour and Sarah Bancroft.

Moscow Rules is another entertaining book by Silva and unlike some authors, the quality of his work remains consistent.

I really thought Silva would develop his Allon character in this outing, but it was not to be. I had a feeling of deja vu throughout most of the book. "Been there, read that," the script was often repeated verbatim from previous novels. How many times must we read that Shamron "fingers his old Bic lighter?" This is a small thing, but it's repeated in a multitude of ways. I could have lived with these irritations (and skimmed) perhaps, but larger issues were present.

I thought perhaps my copy was missing a chapter at the end of the book. But no, the pages were intact. It seems that Silva met his quota of necessary pages and decided to tie the story up with a brief summation, much like a bad movie. He gave us the "what," and then cheated us out of the "how."

The other issue that I couldn't get past was that Allon was warned of multiple death threats at the beginning and again at the end of the book--all for naught. The only reason for these mentions are very obviously to set the stage for the next book. It wasn't necessary for the content of this story and it never evolved--what's the point???

I'll buy the next book, though, still hopeful that the character will evolve. He has to eventually, right???

(4.5) Daniel Silva continues the Gabriel Allon series with this book and he does so with his usual style and talent. Many here have recounted the story line of the book, some in more detail than necessary, however if you are a fan of this writer and character, you are in for an enjoyable time in following his latest escapade, much of which is set in Mother Russia. Silva asures us this is a work of fiction. Let's hope it stays that way.