Daniel Silva: The English Spy, 9780007552344, Harper Collins

I came across Daniel Silva several years ago when working for Penguin Books, he was then a new thriller writer we had just started to publish, Gabriel Allon being the chief protagonist in his novels, art restorer come Israeli spy.  What a great combination I remember thinking.  Daniel Silva has turned into one of the best spy thriller writers in my book and the latest “The English Spy” is no exception, a true page turner keeping you on your toes the duration of 482 pages.

The beginning feels all too familiar - a female former member of the Royal Family is killed in a bomb attack, heavy borrowing from Princess Diana’s fate I thought and in his author notes Silva readily admits to this.  British Intelligence turns to the one man capable of tracking down the killer – legendary spy Gabriel Allon who has no desire to leave his wife who is about to give birth to their twins.  A tour de force of twists and turns begins - the killer responsible for the Royal death is none other than a former IRA bomb specialist who now sells his talents to whoever is willing to pay for them - Eamon Quinn.  Since I had not read the previous two novels, this is the first time I encountered Christopher Keller, also a former IRA fighter,  now working as an assassin to a mafia connected Don in Corsica, Keller has become a friend of Gabriel.  He has a very personal score to settle with Quinn and readily agrees to aid Allon in taking him down and whoever the people are behind employing him.  The English Spy is a fantastic spy thriller set in in England, Ireland, Portugal, France, Corsica, Caribbean, Austria and of course Russia. The only regret I have is that Allon’s art expertise plays no role in this book.

What I particularly enjoy about Silva’s thrillers is that they are so intricately woven that you have to stay very focused reminding yourself constantly where exactly the person now appearing in the plot resurfaced the first time. Secret intelligence facts are always part of his plots, some appear in Silva’s novels years before they are common knowledge, he is obviously very well informed undertaking excellent research. One comes out smarter and more informed about political facts after reading his superb spy thrillers.

Piper publishes him in Germany right now. 

Sam Eastland: Red Icon, 9780571312290, Faber & Faber, UK

During the Frankfurt book fair a few years ago,  a friend at Faber & Faber gave me their proof copy of a then unknown author, Sam Eastland. I took it home, it sat on my reading pile for a while and I eventually started reading “Eye of the Red Tsar” and became an instant fan.

Ever since reading the first of now 6 books, I make sure I read the latest plot spun by Sam Eastland, always starring Pekkala, the former Emerald Eye to the last Russian Tsar and now the most trusted, incorruptible investigator of Stalin. “Eye of the Red Tsar” introduces him  in an unforgettable story of Russian history, the rise of the Bolshevik revolution, the last days of the Tsar family and everyone in their service, Pekkala’s death sentence to life in one of the most terrible Russian gulags, his miracle survival and his rediscovery by Stalin. 

Six books later, in “Red Icon” it is the year 1944. Two Russian soldiers seek refuge in a German church when their tank catches fire during an enemy attack, finding a dead priest in a coffin clutching one of the most priceless Russian Icons, The Shepard.  Pekkala is called in by Stalin to unravel the secret past of the icon soon discovering a band of self-mutilating radicals to whom the icon is worth dying for.

Sam Eastland always weaves a tight thriller, using fact and fiction leaving the reader with more historical understanding after finishing his novels.  “Red Icon” follows in this track; all books are page-turning thrillers for anyone interested in this brutal part of Russia’s 20^th century history. 

In Germany Droemer Knaur publish the books in translation.