The Other Woman (Silva novel)

Last updated
The Other Woman
TheOtherWoman.jpg
First edition (US)
Author Daniel Silva
CountryUnited States
Language English
Series Gabriel Allon series
Genre Spy fiction
Thriller
Publisher Harper
Media typePrint (Hardback and Paperback)
Preceded by House of Spies  


The Other Woman is a 2018 spy novel by Daniel Silva. [1] It is the eighteenth book in the Gabriel Allon series. It opens in a remote Andalusian village, gradually unfolding the story of a Russian mole in British intelligence. [2] [3] It was released on July 17, 2018 and debuted at number 1 in the August 5 edition of the New York Times Bestseller list. [4] It remained on the list for seven weeks through September 16. [5]

Contents

Plot

This novel depicts modern European intelligence services such as the SVR and MI6 still playing out the antagonism between the Soviet Union and the Western Bloc. Kim Philby, the great mole in the historic MI6, exemplifies the dedication of Soviet sympathizers of the past. Gabriel Allon is framed for the murder of a Russian agent; Gabriel then accuses a British intelligence officer of being a Russian mole who set up the frame. He quickly realizes, however, that the man he accused was innocent. The story of Kim Philby guides him to a confrontation with the real mole, who is captured by the British but then allowed to defect, since a formal trial would embarrass them. Gabriel also learns of a Russian "handler" named Sasha who worked both with Philby and with the new mole.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Philby</span> British intelligence officer and Soviet double agent (1912–1988)

Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a British intelligence officer and a spy for the Soviet Union. In 1963, he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring which had divulged British secrets to the Soviets during World War II and in the early stages of the Cold War. Of the five, Philby is believed to have been the most successful in providing secret information to the Soviets.

Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligence agencies. It was given new impetus by the development of fascism and communism in the lead-up to World War II, continued to develop during the Cold War, and received a fresh impetus from the emergence of rogue states, international criminal organizations, global terrorist networks, maritime piracy and technological sabotage and espionage as potent threats to Western societies. As a genre, spy fiction is thematically related to the novel of adventure, the thriller and the politico-military thriller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge Five</span> British ring of spies for the Soviet Union

The Cambridge Five was a ring of spies in the United Kingdom that passed information to the Soviet Union during the Second World War and the Cold War and was active from the 1930s until at least the early 1950s. None of the known members was ever prosecuted for spying. The number and membership of the ring emerged slowly, from the 1950s onwards.

<i>Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy</i> Spy novel by John le Carré

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 1974 spy novel by British-Irish author John le Carré. It follows the endeavours of taciturn, aging spymaster George Smiley to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service. The novel has received critical acclaim for its complex social commentary—and, at the time, relevance, following the defection of Kim Philby. It has been adapted into both a television series and a film, and remains a staple of the spy fiction genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Jesus Angleton</span> Central Intelligence Agency officer (1917–1987)

James Jesus Angleton was an American intelligence operative who served as chief of the counterintelligence department of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1954 to 1975. According to Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms, Angleton was "recognized as the dominant counterintelligence figure in the non-communist world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick White</span>

Sir Dick Goldsmith White, was a British intelligence officer. He was Director General (DG) of MI5 from 1953 to 1956, and Head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) from 1956 to 1968.

Bill Haydon is a fictional character created by John le Carré who features in le Carré's 1974 novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He is a senior officer in the British Secret Intelligence Service who serves as a Soviet mole. The novel follows aging spymaster George Smiley's endeavours to uncover the mole. The character is partly modelled after the real-life double agent Kim Philby, part of the notorious Cambridge Five spy ring in Britain, who defected to the USSR in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Silva (novelist)</span> American writer

Daniel Silva is an American journalist and author of thriller and spy novels.

Konstantin Volkov was an NKVD agent in Turkey who vanished after wanting to defect to the United Kingdom. He disappeared after telling the British Consulate General in Istanbul he would name three high-ranking double agents working in London for the Soviet intellgience service. One of these agents was Kim Philby who tipped off the Russians about what Volkov and his wife were planning. It took Philby three weeks to arrive which was enough time for Soviet security agents to find the couple and take them back to Moscow.

Alice Friedmann, known as Litzi Friedmann, was an Austrian communist who was the first wife of Kim Philby, a member of the Cambridge Five. Records identify her as the Soviet agent with the code name Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora Solomon</span> British Zionist (1895–1984)

Flora Solomon, OBE was an influential Zionist. The first woman hired to improve working conditions at Marks & Spencer in London, Solomon was later instrumental in the exposure of British spy Kim Philby. She was the mother of Peter Benenson, founder of Amnesty International. She described her "personal trinity" as "Russian soul, Jewish heart, British passport".

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 Israeli athletes in Munich. Wrath of God is referenced in the books throughout the course of his life.

<i>The Rembrandt Affair</i> 2010 novel by Daniel Silva

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.

<i>The Fallen Angel</i> (novel) 2012 spy novel by Daniel Silva

The Fallen Angel is a 2012 spy novel by Daniel Silva. It is the twelfth in Gabriel Allon series.

<i>The Heist</i> (Silva novel) 2014 novel by Daniel Silva

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.

<i>Under Fire</i> (Blackwood novel)

Under Fire is a political thriller novel, written by Grant Blackwood and released on June 16, 2015. It is the seventh book in the Jack Ryan Jr. series, which is part of the overall Tom Clancy universe, as well as Blackwood's first solo contribution to the franchise. In the novel, Ryan must choose between his country and his mysterious friend Seth Gregory, who is involved in Dagestan's struggle for independence from the Russian Federation. The book debuted at number four on the New York Times bestseller list.

<i>The English Spy</i> 2015 novel by Daniel Silva

The English Spy is the fifteenth in Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series. It was released on June 30, 2015, and reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list on July 19. With the ever-changing political climate, he faces challenges in writing an Israeli protagonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portrait of an Unknown Woman (novel)</span> 2022 novel by Daniel Silva

Portrait of an Unknown Woman is the twenty fifth novel by Daniel Silva. It was released on July 19, 2022, and as with others in Silva's Allon series is a New York Times bestseller.

The Collector is a 2023 novel by Daniel Silva, the 23rd novel in the author's Gabriel Allon series. The book debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list.

<i>The New Girl</i> (Silva novel) 2019 spy novel by Daniel Silva

The New Girl is a spy novel by Daniel Silva. It is the nineteenth novel in the Gabriel Allon series. It was released on July 16, 2019 and debuted at the top of the New York Times bestseller list on August 4.

References

  1. Aciman, Alexander (2018-08-20). "Bookworm: Daniel Silva and the Art of the Beach Read". Tablet. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  2. Kannan, Sumitra (2018-09-09). "The Other Woman review: With a realistic touch" . Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  3. Donahue, Joe (2018-07-20). ""The Other Woman" By Daniel Silva" . Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  4. "Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  5. "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Sept. 16, 2018 - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-01-03.