The Other Woman

by Daniel Silva
476 pgs  (Gabriel Allon series #18)

There's a mole in Britain's MI6, and not one merely within the ranks of the intelligence officers. This mole is among those of the highest levels of power within the agency.

The Other Woman begins with a rescue operation. A Russian agent, whom Israel's intelligence division turned years ago, and who had been providing valuable information for years, has been blown and needs to be brought to the U.K. for sanctuary. But the operation goes bad and it soon becomes clear that someone within MI6 tipped the Russians off. It's up to Gabriel Allon to root out who that someone is and hold him or her accountable.

It's good to see Allon back on the front lines of the action again. In the last couple books, he's been behind the desk orchestrating the operation, but this time he's back carrying it out.

The Other Woman is a great example of why Silva's series has such staying power with me. His plots are fascinating and complex, and the action and intelligence tactics keep me turning the pages.

An interesting real-life event from the 1960s plays a role in this book, and some familiarity with it adds valuable context to Silva's story. In 1963, Kim Philby, a British intelligence agent, defected to the Soviet Union. It was soon learned that he had been working as a double agent for years.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆