by Daniel Silva
Part of Gabriel Allon, book 8
First published 2008
A journalist's murder draws Gabriel Allon into the heart of modern Russia. This is not the Soviet Moscow of old but a transformed city swimming in petroleum money and crowded with armored luxury cars. Power flows from the Kremlin once again, where a new breed of Stalinists dreams of rebuilding their lost empire and challenging American supremacy. Critics who speak against the regime disappear without a trace. At the center of this web stands Ivan Kharkov, a former KGB colonel who constructed a global financial empire from Soviet wreckage. Beneath his legitimate business operations lies a far more dangerous trade. Kharkov sells weapons to the highest bidders, and his next transaction will put Russia's most advanced armaments in the hands of al-Qaeda. Allon must navigate the treacherous landscape of Russian espionage to discover when and where this deadly exchange will occur. The stakes could not be higher: failure means terrorist attacks that will dwarf the destruction of September 11th.
Genres: mystery, thriller, action, espionage, political-thriller, russia
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, high-stakes
Setting: Moscow, Russia
Period: Modern
433 pages · Hardcover · Putnam Adult
Content warnings: violence