Author | Daniel Silva |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Gabriel Allon series |
Published | 2015 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | June 30, 2015 |
Media type | Hardcover |
Pages | 475 |
ISBN | 978-0-06-232013-1 |
Preceded by | The Heist |
Followed by | The Black Widow |
Website | The English Spy |
The English Spy is the fifteenth in Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series. [1] It was released on June 30, 2015, and reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list on July 19. [2] With the ever-changing political climate, he faces challenges in writing an Israeli protagonist. [1]
In an elaborate plot to lure Gabriel Allon into a trap, an English royal princess is killed by a bomb. The princess's life story includes elements based on that of Princess Diana (who died in 1997), as Silva points out in his "Author's Note," but, as he also notes, the bombing of a royal personage on a boat is based on the 1979 death of Lord Mountbatten at the hands of the IRA. [3] The plot is engineered by the Russian government in vengeance for Allon's interference with their plans in The English Girl (2013).
The bomber is a former Real IRA member who turns out to have been a friend of the Palestinian bomber who, about 25 years earlier, killed Allon's son, so the pursuit becomes personal for him. Silva notes that the history of his fictional bomber is based on the careers of real ex-IRA bombers who taught their skills to various terrorists in the Muslim world. [4] This relationship between bombers links The English Spy to the first Allon novel, The Kill Artist (2000) in which Allon avenges his son's death.
The "English spy" of the book's title is Christopher Keller, who was the eponymous English Assassin of the second book in the Allon series (2002), and who accompanied Allon on his operations in The English Girl (2013) and The Heist (2014). In this book, Keller confronts old enemies from his stint in Northern Ireland as a member of the SAS Regiment. At the end, Keller agrees to renounce his life as an expatriate gun-for-hire and join MI6. Gabriel Allon becomes the father of twins and is on the verge of becoming the director of the Israeli Intelligence Services.
The Little Drummer Girl is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré, published in 1983. The story follows the manipulations of Martin Kurtz, an Israeli spymaster who intends to kill Khalil – a Palestinian terrorist who is bombing Jewish-related targets in Europe, particularly Germany – and Charlie, an English actress and double agent working on behalf of the Israelis.
Daniel Silva is an American journalist and author of thriller and spy novels.
Patrick Joseph Magee is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer, best known for planting a bomb in the Brighton Grand Hotel targeting Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet, which killed five people. He is often referred to as the Brighton bomber.
The Secret Servant is a 2007 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It spent six weeks as a New York Times Bestseller.
The Prince of Fire is a 2005 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It spent four weeks as a New York Times Bestseller.
The Messenger (2006) is a spy novel by Daniel Silva. It spent six weeks as a New York Times Bestseller and was the winner of 2007 Barry Award for Best Thriller.
The Kill Artist is a 2000 spy novel by American author Daniel Silva. It's the first book featuring Gabriel Allon. The Kill Artist was released in the UK on 20 June 2002.
Moscow Rules is a 2008 spy novel by Daniel Silva.
The English Assassin is a 2002 spy novel by Daniel Silva.
The Confessor is a 2003 spy fiction novel by Daniel Silva. It is the third book in the Gabriel Allon series. In this novel, Gabriel Allon is asked to investigate the murder of Holocaust scholar Benjamin Stern in Munich. As Allon follows Stern's research, he becomes the target of a larger conspiracy to hide damaging information about the role of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust.
The Defector is a 2009 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It spent four weeks as a New York Times Bestseller, reaching the list's top spot. It's the 9th book in the Gabriel Allon series. Released July 21, 2009, the cover depicts the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in London The cover of the paperback printing by Signet depicts St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
A Death in Vienna is a 2004 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It is the fourth in the Gabriel Allon series.
Gabriel Allon is the main protagonist in Daniel Silva's thriller and espionage series that focuses on Israeli intelligence. The main characters refer to their employer as 'the Office', although it is not specified that it is Mossad. Allon's career began in 1972 when he, Eli Lavon and several others were plucked from civilian life by Ari Shamron to participate in Operation Wrath of God, an act of vengeance to hunt down and eliminate those responsible for killing the Israel athletes in Munich. Wrath of God is referenced in the books throughout the course of his life.
The Rembrandt Affair is a 2010 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It is the tenth in the Gabriel Allon series, based in the world of Israeli intelligence.
Portrait of a Spy is a 2011 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It is the eleventh title in the Gabriel Allon series.
The English Girl is a 2013 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It is the thirteenth Gabriel Allon series. It was released in July 2013. It reached the top of The New York Times bestseller list on July 25, 2013 and number 5 on the Wall Street Journal's list.
The Heist is a 2014 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It is the fourteenth in the Gabriel Allon series. It was released in July 2014 and within two weeks was a New York Times Bestseller. It focused on the recovery of stolen art work.
The Black Widow is a 2016 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It is the sixteenth novel in the Gabriel Allon series. It was released on July 12, 2016.
The Chinaman is a thriller novel written by Stephen Leather, first published in 1992. It is Leather's fourth novel. Its plot concerns a London-based Vietnamese restaurateur and skilled Vietnam War veteran who travels to Ireland to hunt the people responsible for a bombing that killed his family.
The Cellist is the twenty first title in Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series. It was released on July 13, 2021 and subsequently reached No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List and No. 4 on that of the Los Angeles Times. The book draws heavily from the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 American presidential election as well as the U.S. Capitol events of January 6, 2021. In addition to Allon and his stable of Israeli intelligence agents, The Cellist also features previous characters including Sarah Bancroft and Christopher Keller in Allon's quest to get retribution against Russia.