THE NEW GIRL

5 stars out of 5

In the interest of full disclosure, this series (more specifically, art restorer and accomplished Israeli spy Gabriel Allon) has held the No. 1 spot on my Top 10 "heroes" list for quite a few years now. This is his 19th book; and I assure you he's in no danger of losing that lofty perch. The story is intricately woven with enough suspense to make me hold my breath here and there and the writing is, as always, exemplary. Add in the appearance of several familiar characters from previous books and the result is, well, another winner in my book.

Despite the singular title, there are two characters here who are bestowed with that moniker; the first is a young lady who has been enrolled in a fancy private school in Switzerland (you'll have to read the book to learn the identity of the other one). It is this young lady, though, who kicks off the story with an unhappy event: She's been kidnapped. Conventional wisdom says it's by enemies of her father Khalid bin Mohammed, the soon-to-be king of Saudi Arabia. When he takes the throne, it's believed he will lead dramatic reforms that would bring his country and its residents into the 21st Century - not a place many of those residents want to be. Other outsiders are less inclined to believe his motives are genuine - after all, he's thought to be behind the recent murder of a dissident journalist (hmmm, now where have we heard something like that before)?

Gabriel's reputation for fighting terrorists (and killing more than a few) are legendary, and Khalid wants him to find his daughter. To bring Gabriel into the fold, he turns to common acquaintance, art expert (and former CIA agent) Sarah Bancroft, with whom Khalid has a professional relationship. Gabriel isn't exactly a fan, but for the sake of the argument, he's willing to believe Khalid's claim that he'll turn his country away from radical Islam. Only one thing is certain: Both Gabriel and Khalid have a lot to lose should something go wrong (not the least of which is their lives).

And go wrong it does, fairly early on with an unexpected and devastating event that changes the playing field and course of the story now focused on a Middle East power struggle. Along the way, Gabriel enlists help from colleagues old and new to work every angle he can to bring down political enemies old and new. The text is sprinkled with the author's political perspectives (I'm very interested with what's happening in that part of the world so that's fine with me, BTW). But I will carp a bit because Gabriel's beautiful wife Ciara and their young twins don't get enough mention to suit me.

Everything comes to a head at the end with a cliff-hanger that may well open the door for the next book. For that, I'm ready already: Bring it on!

The New Girl by Daniel Silva (Harper, July 2019); 497 pp.