The English Girl

This book by Daniel Silva was again the discovery of a new author for me. I have certainly heard of Silva but not read any of his work, although that will change now.  Apparently there are several previous installments that involve protagonist Gabriel Allon, described on the dust jacket as "master assassin, art restorer and spy." Here he is called in by no less than the British Prime Minister, whose mistress has ostensibly been kidnapped from Corsica by French criminals and is being held for ransom. Allon agrees to help only because he owes a favor to his British Secret Service counterpart. This is an intriguing plot grounded in current events surrounding control of the the world's oil supplies. At first this appears to be just a grab for money, but it is quickly revealed by Allon to be a "false flag" operation being run by the current day equivalent of the Russian KGB in an attempt to blackmail Britain into selling North Sea oil rights. Layer after layer is revealed as Allon digs deeper and brings in the resources of Israel's Secret Service to carry out a complex sting operation that will both stop the Russians and find the victim. Allon may be rescuing her from more than just a kidnapping, however. Well written, fast-paced, good detailed settings all make this a compelling thriller and I will definitely go back for more, starting with the first in the Allon series.