Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue Books

Moscow Rules

Daniel Silva

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 63 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The extraordinary new Gabriel Allon novel from the “gold standard” (The Dallas Morning News) of thriller writers.

Over the course of ten previous novels, Daniel Silva has established himself as one of the world’s finest writers of international intrigue and espionage— “a worthy successor to such legends as Frederick Forsyth and John le Carré” (Chicago Sun-Times)—and Gabriel Allon as “one of the most intriguing heroes of any thriller series” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

Now the death of a journalist leads Allon to Russia, where he finds that, in terms of spycraft, even he has something to learn. He’s playing by Moscow rules now.

This is not the grim, gray Moscow of Soviet times but a new Moscow, awash in oil wealth and choked with bulletproof Bentleys. A Moscow where power resides once more behind the walls of the Kremlin and where critics of the ruling class are ruthlessly silenced. A Moscow where a new generation of Stalinists is plotting to reclaim an empire lost and to challenge the global dominance of its old enemy, the United States.

One such man is Ivan Kharkov, a former KGB colonel who built a global investment empire on the rubble of the Soviet Union. Hidden within that empire, however, is a more lucrative and deadly business: Kharkov is an arms dealer—and he is about to deliver Russia’s most sophisticated weapons to al- Qaeda. Unless Allon can learn the time and place of the delivery, the world will see the deadliest terror attacks since 9/11—and the clock is ticking fast.

Filled with rich prose and breathtaking turns of plot, Moscow Rules is at once superior entertainment and a searing cautionary tale about the new threats rising to the East—and Silva’s finest novel yet.

Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Sanction

Eric Van Lustbader

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Jason Bourne returns to Georgetown University and the mild world of his alter ego, David Webb, hoping for normalcy. But after so many adrenaline-soaked years of risking his life, Bourne finds himself chafing under the quiet life of a linguistics professor.


Aware of his frustrations, his academic mentor, Professor Specter, asks for help investigating the murder of a former student by a previously unknown Muslim extremist sect. The young man died carrying information about the group's terrorist activities, including an immediate plan to attack the United States.


The organization, the Black Legion, and its lethal plot have also popped up on the radar of Central Intelligence, where new director Veronica Hart is struggling to assert her authority. Sensing an opportunity to take control of CI by showing Hart's incompetence, National Security Agency operatives plan to accomplish what CI never could-hunt down and kill Bourne.


In Europe, Bourne's investigation into the Black Legion turns into one of the deadliest and most tangled operations of his double life-the pursuit of the leader of a murderous terrorist group with roots in the darkest days of World War II-all while an assassin as brilliant and damaged as himself is getting closer by the minute . . .

The Assassin: A Novel

Stephen Coonts

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The headlines only reveal half the truth. Here’s the real story. . . .

Abu Qasim, the ruthless and cunning Al Qaeda leader who nearly succeeded in blowing up a meeting of the G-8 in Paris, has escaped from the grasp of the Americans and is plotting his next move. A small band of powerful men, highly placed leaders of industry and politics in the West, have decided they need to target and destroy the terrorist and his inner circle before he can strike again. When a prominent Russian dissident is poisoned in London, however, it’s clear that there’s a very dangerous leak within the ranks of the Westerners, and that Abu Qasim has turned the tables on his rivals---it is now he who is pursuing, and his aim is to kill.

Admiral Jake Grafton dispatches special agent Tommy Carmellini to infiltrate the plot. He tracks the gorgeous and seductive Marisa Petrou, a Frenchwoman who may be Qasim’s daughter and who has her own reasons for wanting him alive---or wishing him dead. Qasim, meanwhile, has a trick up his sleeve---one that he’s been planning for years.

Who is behind the methodical assassinations of the wealthy and powerful Western vigilante team? Will Abu Qasim slip the noose once again? In this pulse-pounding thriller, Tommy Carmellini must put a stop to a master of terror before he unleashes even more death.

Blowback: A Thriller

Brad Thor

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Professional By-the-Book Book Writing, A Read and Leave on the Plane Book 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

It's all very professional but very much by the numbers and following some how-to-write-a-book template. It's worth a skim on a plane as a time-killer but beyond that - not very much.

The author tries to pull off emulating Tom Clancy, Daniel Silva & of course Dan Brown but is unconvincing. From Tom Clancy, he uses policy & intelligence-gathering wonk as his foundation but unlike Tom Clancy who manages to give you real insight in what feels like secrets (whether they are or not) and technology in driving the story, Brad Thor's delivery style is never quite convincing that he and his characters knows more than the reader.

This book is also filled with weakly defined characters (as no traits are revealed in the story-telling, just what he spells out for us) and some How-to-write-a-thriller class or book that says to be more deeply involved, we must have disturning backstories as motivation for the characters so we get them randomly shoe-horned with zero payoff. The inept dialogue between characters is never convincing because it's not dialogue but exposition.

The character travels around the world but you never get a feel they are anywhere other than inserting a random comment from a travel book.

The undelying premise is intriguing (while a stretch, but acceptable) and crosses into Dan Brown territory but is strangely buried after until about 80 pages into the story - mainly because the author is so convinced we want to read about DC politics and he wants his character to be a lone wolf against all odds "with no backup." but it seems there are less dull ways to set that up. The premise and the concepts are fine, they just need to be organized by a better editor and not be sidetracked by the author's bigger interest in DC politics.

So, if you want more convincing wonk & intel details, read Clancy. If you want spy stores that are fully fleshed with real characters and simply better writing, read Daniel Silva or to a lesser extent, Barry Eisler ... and he's certainly no Dan Brown when it comes to mixing sci-mystery into intrigue ... it's all very professional by the numbers but ultimately instantly forgettable.

Editorial Review:

Scot Harvath's counterterrorism career has just crashed and burned -- thanks in part to a ruthless senator with her sights set on the White House. But when the war on terror takes a chilling turn, the president has no choice but to secretly bring Harvath back inside. Deep beneath an Alpine glacier, an ancient weapon designed to decimate the Roman Empire has been unearthed -- and a shadowy organization intends to use it for America's downfall. Racing across Europe, Harvath must secure the ultimate instrument of destruction before it brings the United States and the rest of the world to its knees.

State of the Union: A Thriller

Brad Thor

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good Thriller 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Brad Thor gave me exactly what I expected- a fast moving military and political thriller which was well written, mostly believable, and full of twists and turns. I read the entire story in one day (I was on vacation). I enjoyed every minute. The main character is unstoppable, hobnobs with the president, and has many miraculous escapes, but I am willing to tolerate that in a good thriller.

Dan Brown wrote a positive review on the cover of my edition, as well he might. Thor is a better writer in many ways. His characters are more believable, the action is more exciting, and the outcome was not easily predictable until near the end. There were no lengthy expositions of falsified history either.

Thor doesn't take pains to be politically correct, and I like that. This is a straightforward novel where the good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, and there is no ambiguity. It isn't deep or difficult, just plain entertaining.

Editorial Review:

America's worst nightmare has just become a brutal reality. The most unlikely terrorist enemy of all now holds a knife against the country's throat. With both diplomatic and conventional military options swept from the table, the president of the United States calls upon America's only hope, Navy SEAL turned Secret Service agent Scot Harvath.

With the fragile peace between the world's nations shattered, Harvath must unravel a brilliantly orchestrated, fiendishly timed conspiracy intent upon bringing the United States to its knees. Teamed with beautiful Russian Intelligence agent Alexandra Ivanova and a highly trained CIA paramilitary detachment, Harvath races from the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., to the streets of Berlin, the coast of Finland, and into the heart of Mother Russia herself before returning home for a final showdown with an enemy from America's past more sinister and deadly than has ever been seen before....

The Kill Artist

Daniel Silva

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 86 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Fans of Daniel Silva's well-received earlier novels, especially The Marching Season, will welcome his newest novel of espionage, revenge, and Middle Eastern politics. Gabriel Allon is an art restorer who's persuaded out of retirement by Ari Shamron, the crafty Israeli spymaster bent on a deadly mission: killing a Palestinian agent named Tariq before he can carry out his plan to assassinate an old comrade-in-arms, the treacherous peacemaker Yasir Arafat.

Tariq's role in the murder of Gabriel's wife and son draws both Gabriel and Sarah Halevy, the beautiful French model whose affair with Gabriel led to the assassination of his family. Still in love with Gabriel, Sarah allows herself to be set up with a cover and infiltrated into Tariq's inner circle. But before Gabriel can rescue her and fulfill his mission, Tariq turns the tables to get his old adversary as well as Arafat in his own sights. A particularly resonant scene in which Tariq and Arafat confront each other and discuss their former friendship, as well as the change in tactics that has brought Tariq to the ultimate betrayal, reveals Silva's deep comprehension of Palestinian rivalries. He puts a clever little fillip on the ending that adds to the brio of this strongly paced thriller. Silva creates complex, fascinating characters in Gabe, Ari, and Tariq, and more than fulfills the promise of his earlier books. --Jane Adams

The Last Jihad (Political Thrillers Series #1)

Joel C. Rosenberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 220 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Fiction, not education 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Anyone who says this book is educational is downright laughable. This author is paranoid. I guess people LOVE hype.

If you'd like an education, don't read FICTION. Take this book for what it is: a story.

Very realistic book - exciting! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book! Quite a bit like a vintage Tom Clancy or maybe Clive Cussler but more believable. I really liked it and am planning to read the rest of the series.

Great!!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Another great book using religious texts to provide wonderful insight into what may be going on in the world. Many of the fictional events have become actual reality!

Editorial Review:

The book that started it all, The Last Jihad is the first of Joel C. Rosenberg's New York Times best-selling series, with 500,000 in print. The first page puts readers in the cockpit of a hijacked jet on a kamikaze mission into an American city--but it was written nine months before 9/11/01. As the plot unfolds, White House advisors Jon Bennett and Erin McCoy are under attack in Jerusalem as the U.S. goes to war with Iraq over weapons of mass destruction--but The Last Jihad was published four months before the actual Iraq war began.

Takedown: A Thriller

Brad Thor

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 70 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

More Terror in New York City 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book is a bit how you would expect it to be. Islamic terrorists strike New York City killing scores of people and wreak havoc on Manhattan, which also happens to be the current location of covert officers operating under the law. Not surprisingly, weapons are quickly assembled, information is gathered and a chase ensues. The story moves rapidly and I stayed interested until the end, but the book is average for this genre. The author left the book wide open for a sequential story. Who knows if I'll get to the next book or not.

Editorial Review:

July 4th weekend, New York City:As thousands of holiday travelers make their way out of Manhattan, a flawlessly executed terrorist attack plunges the city into a maelstrom of panic and death. Amidst the chaos, an elite team of foreign soldiers is systematically searching for one of their own, a man so powerful that the U.S. government refuses to admit he even exists and will do anything to keep him hidden. Now, with the world's deadliest enemy upon America's doorstep, counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath must fight his way through the burning city streets to take down an invisible terrorist mastermind with the means to unleash hell on a global scale.

The Unlikely Spy

Daniel Silva

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 108 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Unlikely Ending. All that equisite buildup, to a fatally flawed finale. Bother. 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Fun, suspensful, till...(Spoiler alert) Would a German Sub captain who knows a thirty-foot boat is full of English MI-5 just fire a shot across its bows? Worse--a 195 foot English Navy Corvette, armed with a 100mm gun, a two-pound pom pom gun, two 20mm guns, and depth charges--when one of these sub killers sees a German sub on the surface, would it not poke a hole or two in it, preventing the escape of a couple German spies? Would it really only shoot machine guns at the spies on their diapidated fishing boat, while allowing their escape route to escape? Silva, get a grip. Put out a corrected edition.

Editorial Review:

In this debut novel, veteran journalist Silva mines the reliable territory of World War II espionage to produce a gripping, historically detailed thriller. In early 1944 the Allies were preparing their invasion of Normandy; critical to the invasion's success was an elaborate set of deceptions--from phony radio signals to bogus airfields and barracks--intended to keep Hitler in the dark about when and where the Allied troops would arrive. Catherine Blake is the beautiful, ruthless spy who could bring the whole charade crashing down; Alfred Vicary is the brilliant but bumbling professor Churchill has tapped to protect the operation. Along with a teeming cast of other characters, real and fictional, they bring the chase to a furious and satisfying climax.

Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Betrayal

Eric Van Lustbader

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 77 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Already devastated by loss, Bourne is shattered by a report that his last friend in the world, Martin Lindros, has gone missing. A CI deputy director, Lindros was in Ethiopia tracking suspicious shipments of yellowcake uranium and atomic bomb weaponry. His last lifeline to humanity, Bourne will not let Lindros go. Despite his hatred for CI, Bourne sets out to rescue his friend and finish the job: dismantling a terrorist network determined to build nuclear armaments by cutting off their source of money. But Bourne doesn't realize that these men, Islamic supremacists, are leaders of an incredibly dangerous, technologically savvy group with ties from Africa, across the Middle East, and into Eastern Europe and Russia. They have predicted Bourne's every move, and are counting on his unwitting help in their plans to destroy America.