The English Spy by Daniel Silva

Once again Daniel Silva has written a book which enthralls.  This book is very contemporary and the writer certainly keeps abreast of the political situation and world events almost as they are happening though this book was published in 2015.

It is almost uncanny the book seems so realistic.

Gabriel Allon, the Israeli spy, who is also a famous art restorer,  is sent on a mission with his colleague, Christopher Keller.  This is a wonderful story of beautiful landscapes and scenes in Vienna, England and Ireland.  Also of the beautiful island of Corsica, where Gabriel Allon renews his friendship with Christopher Keller, an Englishman who resides in his villa there but is induced to leave the island with Gabriel Allon.   They get on well together and work in unison as a team.  There are often traces of humour as well.

There are moments of sentimentality in the book as many past events come to the fore and it is often a revelation to understand the motives of the characters and the compelling reasons for the situations and actions in which they become involved.

 This book is very insightful and gives detailed descriptions of the workings of MI5 and MI6 in London.  Of course this book is fictional but seems very authentic when reading of the exploits of Gabriel Allon and Christopher Keller.  These two characters also featured in The English Girl by the same author.  This was also an enjoyable book to read and I have previously written a review of this book.

  There are several books in the series now of Gabriel Allon and his adventures in the spy genre.  The books which I have read are excellent and make compelling reading.  Gabriel has  a wife in Jerusalem and Christopher has his parents in London and this makes for fascinating reading as the reader also learns about their personal lives and private sorrows.  The characters in many ways are quite complex and the lifestyle which they lead would not be suited to many people.

Hope and good can often come out of a bad situation as the story unfolds and comes to its conclusion with its redemptive  qualities which are shown clearly in the end.  Christopher returns to his parents in London after a lengthy absence and Gabriel returns to his wife where she is expecting twins.