“Gabriel had been cursed with an exaggerated sense of right and wrong. His greatest professional triumphs as an intelligence officer had not come by way of the gun but through his unyielding will to expose past wrongs and make them right.”

Book Review:

Review by Eleanor Bukowsky (AUG 8, 2010)

As Daniel Silva’s The Rembrandt Affair opens, Gabriel Allon, expert art restorer and former Israeli intelligence agent, is enjoying a well-earned vacation in Cornwall, England, with his beautiful wife, Chiara. Alas, he will be soon be dragged out of retirement because of a missing painting, a series of outrageous thefts dating back to World War II, and an international financier with a great deal to hide. The work of art is a striking portrait of Rembrandt’s mistress, which was once owned by a Dutch Jew. It subsequently passed through a number of hands until it suddenly resurfaced and was put up for sale.

Julian Isherwood, proprietor of Isherwood Fine Arts, was planning to have the forty-five million dollar painting restored before its unveiling with great fanfare at Washington’s National Gallery. Unfortunately, a thief has absconded with the Rembrandt and Julian is beside himself. In despair, he turns to his old friend and colleague, Gabriel Allon. Although his immediate reaction is to reject Isherwood’s plea, Gabriel confers with Chiara who urges her husband to look into the matter. While checking the painting’s provenance, he makes some startling discoveries that broaden the case’s scope and importance. “Cursed with an exaggerated sense of right and wrong,” Gabriel is “a restorer in the truest sense of the word.” He not only repairs paintings. He also exposes misdeeds and tries to restore justice to a world where it is sometimes little more than a lofty concept.

This is Silva’s finest novel since The Prince of Fire. The author brilliantly and seamlessly explores such themes as the lucrative world of art theft, the tragic fate of Jews living in Holland after Hitler’s invasion, international smuggling of sensitive equipment to rogue regimes for profit, and the ways in which Israel, England, and the United States reluctantly work together to protect their vital interests. There is the usual tradecraft, including surveillance, safe houses, and interception of communication and computer data, but the personalities take center stage. They include Lena Herzfeld, a survivor of the Holocaust who is wracked by guilt and agonizing memories; Zoe Reed, a prominent and attractive investigative journalist who may be the ideal person to assist Allon; Alfonso Ramirez, a fiery Argentinean human rights activist and dissident; Maurice Durand, a disciplined art thief with a conscience; Paul Voss, the son of a vicious and unrepentant Nazi; and Martin Landesmann, a philanthropic billionaire whose “shiny image is nothing but a carefully constructed cover” designed to hide his corrupt business dealings.

One of the qualities that set The Rembrandt Affair apart is its careful construction and restraint. For all of its length, complexity, and variety of settings (England, America, Holland, Switzerland, France, Israel, and Argentina) this is a well-researched, lucid, and logical book. The dialogue is lively and natural, and there are a number of eloquent and exceptionally moving passages. This perfectly paced, timely, and suspenseful story moves briskly towards its nicely calibrated conclusion–one that is free of over-the-top theatrics and melodrama. Although there are episodes of violence, they do not dominate the narrative. This is a literate, enlightening, witty, and entertaining work of fiction that will delight Daniel Silva’s ardent fans and earn him a legion of new admirers.

AMAZON READER RATING:	from 357 readers
PUBLISHER:	Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (July 20, 2010)
REVIEWER:	Eleanor Bukowsky
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK?	YES! Start Reading Now!
AUTHOR WEBSITE:	Daniel Silva
EXTRAS:	Excerpt
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION:	Read our review of: Portrait of a Spy Moscow Rules The Prince of Fire A Death in Vienna

Bibliography:

• The Unlikely Spy (1996)

Michael Osbourne series:

• The Mark of the Assassin (1998)
• The Marching Season (1999)

Gabriel Allon series:

• The Kill Artist (2000)
• The English Assassin (2002)
• The Confessor (2003)
• A Death in Vienna (2004)
• Prince of Fire (2005)
• The Messenger (2006)
• The Secret Servant (2007)
• Moscow Rules (2008)
• The Defector (2009)
• The Rembrandt Affair (2010)
• Portrait of a Spy (2011)
• The Fallen Angel (2012)
• The English Girl (July 2013)

“In his imagination he locked the door, chose an illuminated manuscript, and carried it to his favorite reading chair. He sat with the book on his lap and savored the hammered gold and glistening gems. Then he opened it and turned pages, absorbing the brilliantly colored drawings and exquisite lettering. He could read none of the foreign languages in the library, but he did not need to. Just seeing the books, being able to touch them, recalling the sacrifices and care throughout the library’s history helped to banish his ugly childhood, the hardscrabble life, the missing father, the angry mother. The sense of loss he felt as he had witnessed Langley spiraling downward in a wash of political bullshit. ”

Book Review:

Review by Ann Wilkes (JUL 9, 2010)

Special –> interview with Gayle Lynds

The Book of Spies would make a great edge-of-your-seat movie. But I’d hate to see a single scene cut. Gayle Lynds’ first book of her new spy series begins with an assassination. Tucker Anderson’s former colleague is picked off by a sniper before he can tell Tucker what has him so rattled. The dead man’s son was in army intelligence and wants to help Tucker find out who killed his Dad and why.

Discovering that the Library of Gold, an ancient library of priceless, jewel-studded manuscripts really exists and its keepers are behind Jonathon Ryder’s murder, Tucker enlists an expert. He finds rare book expert Eva Blake in jail for the death of her husband – an act which Blake has no recollection of. Eva and Ryder’s son Judd follow a lead that takes them first to the British Museum. Tucker remains at his covert CIA unit, Catapult, locked down for the duration.

It soon becomes apparent that something big is brewing in the Middle East in connection with the library’s elusive “book club,” involving terrorists and a large bank account. Tucker must find out what and when while Eva and Judd dodge bullets, don disguises and leave dead bodies in their wake.

Tucker’s concerns about sending Eva, an untrained civilian, into the field turn out to be unfounded. She has martial arts training and is a natural-born spy. And, unlike Judd, she enjoys it. Eva has a personal axe to grind with the book club as well when she learns they framed her for her husband’s murder. She and Judd make a good team, although at times, they struggle with their mutual attraction and their thirst for revenge.

Meanwhile, a mole within Catapult is making things still more dangerous for all three of them.

A member of the Association for Intelligence Officers, and co-founder of International Thriller Writers, Lynds writes completely convincing spies with complex motivations and personalities. The characters travel through several countries, bringing the reader with them to see, feel, smell, hear and taste exotic locales.

The ending is full of surprises and satisfying without being sappy. I can’t wait for the next novel in this series.

AMAZON READER RATING:	from 54 readers
PUBLISHER:	St. Martin’s Press (March 30, 2010)
REVIEWER:	Ann Wilkes
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK?	YES! Start Reading Now!
AUTHOR WEBSITE:	Gayle Lynds
EXTRAS:	Excerpt Our interview with Gayle Lynds
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION:	Read our review of: The Last Spymaster

Bibliography:

• Masquerade (1996)
• Mosaic (1998)
• Mesmerized (2001)
• The Coil (2004)
• The Last Spymaster (May 2006)

Robert Ludlum’s Covert-One Series:

• The Hades Factor (2000)
• The Paris Option (2002)
• The Altman Code (2003)

New Spy Series:

• The Book of Spies (March 2010)
• The Spy’s Apprentice

“The first rule of Tourism is not to let it ruin you, because it can. Easily. The rootless existence, keeping simultaneous jobs straight in your head, showing no empathy when the job requires none, and especially that unstoppable forward movement…. It leaves no time for questions that do not directly relate to your survival.”

Book Review:

Review by Eleanor Bukowsky (MAY 11, 2010)

The Nearest Exit, Olen Steinhauer’s follow-up to The Tourist, brings back Milo Weaver, a covert operative for the CIA. Miles is one of the elite spies known as Tourists because, like visitors to a foreign land, “they appeared and disappeared.” Tourists are “a secret sect of American agents that required none of the comforts of normal humans. No steady identity, no home, no moral center beyond the virtue of work.” Milo claims that he would rather spend quality time at home with his wife and daughter than traipse around the world robbing, maiming, and killing people. As espionage enthusiasts know, however, it is not that easy to get out of the game.

The narrative opens in Budapest in 2007. A young and not terribly successful journalist named Henry Gray is enjoying the company of his Hungarian girlfriend, Zsuzsanna Papp, when he receives a surprising letter from Thomas Grainger, Weaver’s former boss. The letter states, “The story I’m about to tell you is dangerous to know.” Since Henry is a dyed-in-the-wool conspiracy theorist, this communication feeds into his paranoia. He hopes that writing about the scandalous information contained in the letter will jump-start his foundering career.

And so the roller-coaster ride begins, as Steinhauer embarks on a tale of double agents, lies, intrigue, torture, and murder. Milo’s new boss orders to him to vet the statement of a potential defector, who claims that a mole working for the United States government is passing on vital secrets to China. Weaver endangers his already tenuous relationship with his wife, Tina, to ferret out the truth. He would like to close this chapter in his tortured life, but developments ensue that make an early exit strategy unlikely. Only the most tenacious individuals will be able to navigate the labyrinthine but carefully constructed plot. Those who persist will ultimately have the pleasure of watching each piece fall into place. By the time the last page is turned, it is clear that someone’s need for revenge has brought about untold chaos and horrific carnage.

Steinhauer’s characters are indelible. Milo has a soft spot for children, but he kills adults without remorse and commits countless illegal acts in order to survive and carry out his mission. His long-suffering spouse, for some inexplicable reason (love, perhaps?), has not yet divorced her unreliable and enigmatic husband. Cynicism is at the novel’s core. Most of the men and women who work for various intelligence bureaus have no clear ethical code; like Milo, they do whatever is expedient. In addition, a powerful American politician pulls strings behind the scenes to further his own agenda. In Germany, a massively overweight, alcoholic, and brilliant woman named Erika becomes entangled in an operation that could have long-range consequences for both Germany and the United States.

The Nearest Exit is dispiriting; the author implies that if you want to live in blissful ignorance, that is your choice. However, those who wish to face reality should accept the fact that in the real world, anything goes. Riots are fomented, governments are destabilized, women and children are slaughtered, and wars are waged, often for reasons that have nothing to do with national security. As Henry Gray says about his favorite subject, conspiracies, “If it can be imagined, then someone’s already tried it.” This book is filled with duplicity, violence, and innumerable twists and turns. It is a riveting tale about a man who would probably come in from the cold if only circumstances did not keep dragging him back to the addictive occupation that he claims to despise.

AMAZON READER RATING:	from 123 readers
PUBLISHER:	Minotaur Books; 1st edition (May 11, 2010)
REVIEWER:	Eleanor Bukowsky
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK?	YES! Start Reading Now!
AUTHOR WEBSITE:	Olen Steinhauer
EXTRAS:	Excerpt
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION:	Read our review of: The Cairo Affair The Tourist And also check out: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

Bibliography:

Cold War Eastern Europe Series:

• The Bridge of Sighs (2003)
• The Confession (2004)
• 36 Yalta Boulevard (aka The Vienna Assignment) (2005)
• Liberation Movements (aka The Istanbul Variations) (2006)
• Victory Square (2007)
• The Cairo Affair (March 2014)

Milo Weaver trilogy:

• The Tourist (2009)
• The Nearest Exit (2010)
• An American Spy (2012)

“Money,” he said wearily, looking out of window as though he was seeing a golden age go by.  “All the world is now convertible to money.  Power, influence, peace and war.  It used to be that the sole determinant was the number of men you could march out to meet your enemies.  Now more depends on the convertibility of your currency, its reputation among the bankers.”

Book Review:

Reviewed by Eleanor Bukowsky (MAY 18, 2009)

Iain Pears’s Stone’s Fall opens in France in 1953 with the burial of Madame Robillard, who passed away in her eighties.  The first part of the book is narrated by Matthew Braddock who had met Robillard (then known as Elizabeth, Lady Ravenscliff) when she was in her forties.  The year was 1909, and twenty-five year old Matthew was a crime reporter for a London newspaper.  Elizabeth summons Matthew a fortnight after the death of her husband, John Stone, Lord Ravenscliff, who died after he fell or was pushed out of an open window in his study.  She offers Matthew a great deal of money to look into her husband’s professional and personal affairs.  There are a number of questions that she wants answered:  Was Stone’s death accidental or a result of foul play?  Why did he leave a huge bequest to a child, whom, he states in his will, “I have never previously acknowledged?”  

Why did Stone grant a legacy to Mrs. Esther Vincotti of Italy?   After examining her husband’s papers carefully, Elizabeth finds nothing to shed light on these matters.  She tells Matthew that, even after twenty years of marriage, she and her husband were very much in love and that he had not been in the habit of keeping secrets from her.  That is why she is willing to pay Matthew handsomely to dig deeper and give her the information that she craves for her peace of mind.

Thus begins a lengthy narrative that moves backwards in time.  Pears takes us to London in 1909, Paris in 1890, and finally, to Venice in 1867.  Part Two is narrated by Henry Cort, a shadowy figure who crossed paths with John Stone and Elizabeth and knows a great many of their secrets.  Part Three is narrated by Stone himself.  The first part is not that compelling and some will be tempted to put the book down after the first hundred pages.  Initially, it is difficult to care about the deceased and his wife, about whom we know little, or about Matthew, who barely makes a living as a journalist.  Matthew eagerly accepts Elizabeth’s generous stipend, hoping to improve his lowly financial position.  However, when he starts investigating and finds anomalies in Stone’s business dealings, his curiosity gets the better of him.   What he learns shocks and alarms him, and his continued involvement in the Stone case will put him in grave danger.

Pears takes a huge gamble, expecting the reader to keep track of dozens of characters, some of whom are not what they seem to be, and an incredibly convoluted plot.  The author assumes that we will be willing to stick with a narrative that moves in many different directions, and that hinges, to a large extent, on arcane details of banking and politics; not everyone will finds this subject matter particularly compelling or comprehensible.  Does Pears’s gamble pay off?  Yes and no. Until part three, Stone’s Fall is a tough slog.  There is a great deal going on but, for quite some time, the point of it all is elusive.  It is only in the third section of the book that the tale at last comes to brilliant life.  We get to know Stone intimately, discover how he becomes a captain of industry, and watch him commit grievous errors for which he will pay dearly.  At last, this cipher becomes human and the final pages are riveting.  Many hitherto undisclosed facts are revealed, finally enabling us to make sense of what has occurred in the previous sections.  The ending of Stone’s Fall, although not completely believable, is deeply poignant.  Pears explores a number of themes:  Men who are familiar with the intricacies of making money and the inner workings of government wield enormous power (a timely topic in our troubled times).  Without love, wealth and social status provide scant satisfaction.  A person is revered after his death not for his power and influence, but for his good works, compassion, and personal honor.  Although determined readers will diligently plow through this dense novel, Stone’s Fall will, alas, bring less hardy souls to their knees long before they reach the final page.  Still, the magnificent part three almost makes the whole task worthwhile.

AMAZON READER RATING:	from 8 readers
PUBLISHER:	Spiegel & Grau (May 5, 2009)
REVIEWER:	Eleanor Bukowsky
AMAZON PAGE:	Stone’s Fall
AUTHOR WEBSITE:	Iain Pears
EXTRAS:	Excerpt
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION:	Review of The Portrait Another review of Stone’s Fall

Bibliography:

Jonathan Argyll, Art History Mystery Series:

• The Raphael Affair (1990; 1992 in US)
• The Titian Committee (1991; 1993 in US)
• The Bernini Bust (1992; 1994 in US)
• The Last Judgement (1993; 1995 in US)
• Giotto’s Hand (1994; 1997 in US)
• Death and Restoration (1996; 1998 in US)
• The Immaculate Deception (2000)

Other:

• The Instance of the Fingerpost (1997)
• The Dream of Scipio (June 2002)
• The Portrait (April 2005)
• Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears (May 2009)

” ‘Get out,’ she screamed and wheeled round to me, her face ablaze, picking up the blue bowl from the mantelpiece. That bowl, the one she had used to humiliate me, to put me in my place. It served its purpose again, as it crashed into the wall behind me and shattered into a hundred pieces. She was terrifying. I was terrified.”

Book Review:

Reviewed by Kirstin Merrihew (MAY 18, 2009)

Iain Pears’ Stone’s Fall: A Novel traces back the lives of arms mogul John William Stone and his beautiful wife Elizabeth (aka Lord and Lady Ravenscliff), as well as others around them. The densely detailed novel opens in Paris in March of 1953 as a journalist attends a funeral and is given a package. This man, Matthew Braddock, then launches into his recollections of the momentous events he experienced in London in 1909 when, after the sudden death of John Stone, he was commissioned by Lady Ravenscliff to find a long-lost child who was bequeathed a sum in her husband’s will. Braddock, considerably younger than Elizabeth Stone, becomes quite smitten with her. At the same time, her secretive, strange actions spur suspicion in him. Had her husband’s fall from a high window been an accident or murder?

As Braddock tries to get to the bottom of these murky mysteries, a man named Cort also makes a shadowy entrance. In Part Two, this Henry Cort takes over as narrator from Braddock. Cort tells of his own initial meetings, in Paris in 1890, with John Stone and Elizabeth, the two of whom in turn met and began their courtship. And finally, John Stone himself (also through written record) explains his defining episode as a young man in Venice in the year 1867.

Elizabeth does not get an opportunity to tell her side of things. The reader must rely on the above-mentioned men for insight into who she might be at her core. It would have been fascinating to read her memoirs, but, then again, she probably wouldn’t and couldn’t have given an “accurate” portrait of herself because she lived on many levels and because, as Braddock observed, “She was always a good actor.” [Technically, Braddock ought to have called her an “actress.” The tendency to lose the feminine versions of English words established itself well after 1953.]  Elizabeth is, arguably more so that than her husband, the striking centerpiece of this novel; she is the more flamboyant of the two, the one, often, who draws attention. But they both conceal much from the world at large, and while they may have convinced themselves they knew the other, Elizabeth tells Braddock that they gave each other room to do what they thought they had to separately. Elizabeth and John are a literary couple one will not soon forget. She is far more than an alluring showpiece; she is an elusive and tempestuous force with which to be reckoned. Her life is one with many chapters, most not easily opened once they are closed. As Elizabeth explained it, she loved John because he was the one man she couldn’t control by sheer willpower and feminine wiles. John, a behind-the scenes capitalist of fiduciary genius and vision, for his part, declared, “I love Elizabeth more than anything else in my life….She could have asked anything, and I would have done it. She is my love.” Both husband and wife claim to find no faults in their spouses…a view through rose-colored glasses certainly, but touching. Readers can relish the opportunity to sink luxuriously into their convoluted lives and to soak up the intricately created ambience of the dangerous times (all times are dangerous one way or another) in which they made their marks.

Stone’s Fall recounts tales of financial wizardry and shell games; espionage among the restive and trustless European nation states forging industrial/military strongholds; and the vagaries of human love, lust and resulting violence. It is a novel that sometimes obscures its human beings with prodigious financial, legal, and other particulars that can even bore the characters. For instance, some readers may become a bit mind-numbed by the the nuts and bolts of financing a huge under-the-table undertaking. However, Pears’ fictional, deftly-layered reverse history will draw in and captivate anyone with the time and patience to take in the entire book (just as the author’s earlier bestseller, An Instant of the Fingerprint did so compellingly). Some may be tempted to stop after Part One which could, truth be told, stand as a complete novel. But persevere. The rest of Stone’s Fall immeasurably enriches the total picture, and Henry himself is revealed stunningly in the final section. Pears brilliantly supplies the coup de grace in the last few pages, so don’t, if you want to maintain the implicate suspense, read the conclusion before its time.

AMAZON READER RATING:	from 117 readers
PUBLISHER:	Spiegel & Grau (May 5, 2009)
REVIEWER:	Kirstin Merrihew
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK?	YES! Start Reading Now!
AUTHOR WEBSITE:	None
EXTRAS:	Excerpt
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION:	Read another review of Stone’s Fall Review of The Portrait

Bibliography:

Jonathan Argyll, Art History Mystery Series:

• The Raphael Affair (1990; 1992 in US)
• The Titian Committee (1991; 1993 in US)
• The Bernini Bust (1992; 1994 in US)
• The Last Judgement (1993; 1995 in US)
• Giotto’s Hand (1994; 1997 in US)
• Death and Restoration (1996; 1998 in US)
• The Immaculate Deception (2000)

Other:

• The Instance of the Fingerpost (1997)
• The Dream of Scipio (June 2002)
• The Portrait (April 2005)
• Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears (May 2009)