Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva

This book officially starts my five months of a planned focus on Russian reading, in one form or another, both fiction and nonfiction, all aiming toward a visit there in July. Can’t wait.

For me, this is a re-read. The first time was 3 ½ years ago, in the early months of the blog, and then, I wrote little about the actual plot. At the start of this story, Gabriel Allon, the Israeli assassin has finally married his long-time lover and fellow agent, Chiara. They are on their honeymoon in Umbria, Italy, sequestered in a private estate where he is restoring another painting. When old time spymaster Ari Shamron learns about a plot involving the newly rich and powerful from Russia, the source of his information is a Russian reporter who will only tell all of what he knows to Allon. All it requires from Allon is a quick trip to the Vatican where a meeting has been arranged – just a momentary diversion from his honeymoon and the painting, but of course it does not turn out that way. Instead, in the middle of the Basilica of St. Peter, the reporter dies in Allon’s hands before he can reveal any information. Allon is enraged and, despite causing significant distress to Chiara, he abandons the honeymoon to pursue this matter. The Israeli’s learn through another back channel that the Russian tycoon and arms dealer, Ivan Kharkov, is planning to sell missiles to Al Qaeda. Maybe the sale has already gone through. The back channel is Kharkov’s wife who accidentally discovered her husband’s evil intent and found herself unable to live with the notion that she allowed it to occur. Of course, by betraying her brutal husband who has no real interest than profit and expanding his own empire, she puts her own life at risk. Silva paints a most horrible portrait of President Putin and the FSB, the security force that replaced the old KGB. The plot unfolds from there, and that’s all you need to know.

As usual, Silva’s character development is superb, and the plot is entirely believable – it does not require any suspension of belief to think this story could actually take place. It’s not impossible to put this book down and get a good night’s sleep, but it isn’t easy to do so. In this international spy thriller genre, Silva stands alone as the best contemporary author at his craft.

Re-read and re-posted on 2/9/13