The Cellist by Daniel Silva

I’m very late in reviewing Daniel Silva’s most recent book. He always publishes his new novels of July, and I have a history of reading the new book within a day of it’s publication and usually finishing it during a single day. Then, I have to wait a whole year for the next installment. What can I say, the late summer and fall months were busy with my own writing project, as well as some other books I had committed to read. Finally came vacation, which I inaugurated by re-reading Silva’s last book, a brilliant plot, The Order. 

 

The Cellist is the 21^st Gabriel Allon novel. This is a a story about the international money laundering effort by Putin who is stashing his money in real estate in the West, including the U.S. and London. I must say that I think I understand massive money laundering in a way I had not previously appreciated, all of which was fascilitated by Deutsche Bank for which Silva substituted the fictitious RhineBank, “the dirtiest bank in the world.”

 

As usual, the book contains a cast of characters, most of whom we’ve come to know over the course of these novels. It was great to once again read about Christopher Keller, who we haven’t seen in a few novels, but who seems destined to take over the spy actions for the aging Allon. In a prior book, we met one of the two cellists in this. Anna Rolfe was an internationally renown player whose career was negatively impacted by the pandemic, but given the temporary easing of the virus, she was used as a draw for a charity acution for a recently discovered painting which had secretly been restored by Allon. This was Rolfe’s first public performance after being in isolation for nearly two years. The other cellist was Isabel Brenner, a brilliant woman with numbers who had won a major prize as a junior cellist. Although she chose to pursue a career in finance, she had kept up her cello chops. When Ms. Rolfe heard her play, she was impressed and got this unknown cellist to close the show for her at the charity. Importantly, Brenner had worked for RhineBank before she gave away some damning records to a reporter and was fired for it. But, because of her skill at laundering money, as she had been doing for RhineBank, she was hired by Martin Landesmann, known by all as St. Martin because of his remarkable work for various human interest charities, and the environment. However, he used the good stuff as a coverup for his clandestine banking. He really was all about profit.

 

It was Brenner, through Landesmann, who was pulled into the scheme to launder more Russian money, but she was placed there by Allon who wanted to hurt a prior enemy, Arkady Akimov, Russia’s largest oiler dealer. Putin had allowed Arkday to become monstrously wealthy. Arkady donated $20 Milion Swiss Francs just to get a seat for Rolfe’s performance. Allon was after $11 Billion of money that Putin wanted converted into Western real estate..

 

There’s lots of action in this story which takes place mainly in Switzerland, but moves swifty to Moscow, London, and Washington. The author just happens to be a gifted travel writer. Silva clearly follows U.S. politics as he weaves his story about the last two presidential elections and the divisive activity that came from the campaigns.

 

You won’t be disappointed in this book by Silva. He lives up to his own impossible high standards.

 

WCD