The New Girl

I always enjoy Daniel Silva's "Gabriel Allon" series books. I have dipped in at the beginning of the series (e.g., The Kill Artist), and also towards the end (The Order, The English Girl).This installment was published in 2019 so there were 20 that preceded it and 3 more since; he has another coming out this summer (2022). No matter where you start, the plots are always fast-paced and compelling and the characters well developed. As with others, this one is taken from recent headlines as a 12-year old girl at an elite private Swiss school goes missing and her father turns out to be none other than the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Although the prince is a pariah in the media for the brutal murder of a journalist, and although he is a sworn enemy of Israel, Gabriel is convinced to take the case because he finds the crime so horrific and because, when push comes to shove, the Prince is a better alternative than the rest of the royal family. The Prince (KBM in this fictionalized account) eventually receives a demand to step down and remove himself from the next-in-line-to-the-throne spot or face the death of his daughter. Gabriel re-activates an American woman, Sarah Bancroft, a former CIA agent and now museum curator at MOMA, who is rumored to be KBM's private and secret art broker. Other characters from past books, along with their relationships to one another are important players here and one could justifiably feel one is missing background and context, but I didn't think it detracted significantly from the story.

Kirkus seems to think that Gabriel Allon is approaching the end of his literary usefulness as a protagonist. The New York Journal of Books proclaims it is "a decent spy story and little more...a story of international intrigue, fast cars, boats, planes, and high body counts." In contrast, Publishers Weekly concludes, "Silva delivers sharply drawn characters, a complex plot, and vivid backgrounds that add to the book’s realism, even if at times Allon’s own abilities seem too good to be true. Series fans will find plenty to like, and this is an excellent introduction for new readers." If you're seeking an escape from the woes of the world, read it and decide for yourself.