Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva

Nobody does it quite the way you do,
Why'd you have to be so good?
Carly Simon

When I want a good spy thriller, I can always count on Daniel Silva to deliver. For those of you who read my blog, come to the book discussions, stop by my desk to chat about books~~looking for a thriller? Do I have an author for you, the best...Daniel Silva.

Gabriel Allon and his lovely wife, Chiara, are retired from being Israeli spies, and living on the coast in Cornwall, England. Peace and retirement go out the window when old friend and art dealer Julian Isherwood shows up and needs Allon's help. Someone has stolen his Rembrandt, worth $45 million dollars, and killed the art restorer Isherwood had hired. While initially Allon resists Isherwoods pleas to help him find it, he figures how bad could it be....find a painting. Allon wouldn't being working for the Mossard, shouldn't take long to find the painting and return it. When Allon's lovely wife, Chiara, tells him he needs to do this, after all, Allon is an art lover and he has to be curious to see the Rembrandt. How long can it take? How hard would it be?

What should have been relatively easy ends up taking Allon to Amsterdam, Buenos Aires and Lake Geneva. It becomes a mad dash to stay ahead of the person(s) who also want the Rembrandt, and will do anything to make sure Allon never sees it. When Allon realizes he needs help, that there might be more to this Rembrandt then meets the eye~~he calls in his friends from Mossard. He also gets help from his  friends in the CIA and MI5. Looking for a lost Rembrandt has uncovered secrets that were long hidden, and now opened up unhealed wounds. As Allon discovers, this Rembrandt has a long and bloody history, and those who are in possession of it usually have bad luck.


I always like the way Silva immerses humanity into his thrillers. While Allon can kill someone without blinking an eye, we are reminded that he is not a just a cold bloodied killer. He feels deeply for those that work for him, and with him. He carries with him  ghosts of some of those he has killed, and when something happens to someone he cares about, he never forgets. Allon will also set out to right wrongs he comes across, no matter how old they may be.


I love the story Silva takes us on. We go behind the scenes of the art world that we wouldn't know about; we're reminded about world politics, which here is to keep a close eye on Iran and those that profess to disagree with what Iran is doing; the Holocaust, while several years ago, still carries scars; and remember, not everyone is really what they appear to be.

I have followed Gabriel Allon since Silva introduced him in The Kill Artist. The growth Allon has gone through, both personally and professionally, are not something I see many authors do. Kudos to Mr. Silva.


I know that when I read one of Silva's books I am in for a treat.  I am never disappointed.  Better yet, those patrons I have recommended him to (and continue to recommend him too) are never disappointed. Thank you Mr. Silva for writing books I am happy to give to people and have them come back and tell me, "What a great book! Thanks!"


Have I mentioned I am big Daniel Silva fan?

Moscow Rules

I've traveled the world twice over,

Met the famous; saints and sinners,

Poets and artists, kings and queens,

Old stars and hopeful beginners,

I've been where no-one's been before,
Learned the secrets from writers and cooks,

All with one library ticket

To the wonderful world of books.

Unknown

Great quote, and I think it fits my review of this book beautifully!

Moscow Rules

Daniel Silva

Moscow Rules is the 8th book in the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva. If you haven't read any of the series, let me introduce you to Gabriel Allon: one of the top agents in the Israeli-Intelligence agency, Mossad; talented, gifted, moody, but when he has to go on a mission his fellow operatives line up to work with him. His true passion is art restoration and Allon is one of the top art restorers in the world. The time, care, respect and love he gives his paintings overflows into his missions. No matter how many times Allon has told Mossad he is retired, when they need him, off he goes.

How has Russia changed since the fall of communism? Is Russia happier? Is life better? Besides Russia becoming a country of very wealthy people, how have they fared since the Cold War? Silva, who went to Moscow for his research, doesn't give that impression. Here he gives us insight on the current political climate, Russians are still anti-American, they smile at your face, but be careful turning your back. The new (rich) Russians have easy access to all of Europe and brought back to Moscow what they consider the best of Europe, but made it bigger. It is mentioned several times that Russia has to have the biggest of anything and everything in the world, the biggest this, the biggest that, so it would stand to reason that they would have the biggest arms dealer in the world.

In Moscow Rules, Allon is sent to bring down Russian businessman Ivan Kharkov, who is the world's biggest arms dealer. He sells to the highest bidder, no matter who they are. Kharkov is very wealthy, powerful and ruthless....and plans to stay that way. If anyone gets in his way, they won't be there for long. Two newspaper reporters who attempted to investigate him and his dealings have ended up dead. Since his current clients include al-Qaeda terrorists, America and Israel are very interested in him. To accomplish their mission it is decided to use Kharkov's wife, and luckily, she is an art lover.

It is very unusual, but we have the Israelis. Americans, British and French secret agencies working together to accomplish this very intricate, delicate, dangerous mission that takes the agents all over the world, and into Moscow, where people still can disappear. It seems there really are Moscow rules, every spy and intelligence agent knows them---no matter which agency they are attached to.

In the Allon series, when all the pieces have been put together, when it's time to put everything in motion, when the players are all in place and the clock has started ticking.... the pace picks up and I don't care what time it is, I am going to get to the last page....I just need to know how it ends.

I read Silva's first book in 1996, The Unlikely Spy, and he had me hooked. This is one of my favorite books to recommend to people and when they come back and rave about it I like the fact it is still holding up. For me, Silva is one of the best espionage writers today; he has been compared to Forsyth, Ludlum and le Carre. (Okay, personally....I don't think anyone can touch le Carre, especially his early stuff.)

Daniel Silva has another page turner. I enjoyed it, couldn't put it down. After reading this, I will not be going to Moscow...ever. (I don't think Silva should go back either.) Silva usually takes current events and entwines them in his thrillers. If you haven't read Daniel Silva, give yourself a treat and pick one up. I recommend him to anyone who enjoys thrillers and they come back and rave about him.

I am looking forward to Gabriel Allon's next adventure in The Defector this summer. From what I have read and heard, it will be a continuation of Moscow Rules. Someone Allon thought was a friend, well, let's just say that things aren't always what they appear.