The English Girl: A Novel

By Daniel Silva

The English Girl is the latest book from one of my favorite authors, Daniel Silva. I am a fan of both the author and the main character in his books Gabriel Allon. This series is awesome and keeps on improving as it progresses. Secretly, I sometimes wish that this fictional character, was actually someone living in our present world. You do not need to read his earlier books, in order to enjoy this one. He has carefully provided information for new readers, without annoying those of us who are already die hard fans. It takes a great writer, to be able to write about the same characters but with a different engaging plot each time.
The novel The English Girl, is as the title suggests about a smart young British lady who goes by the name Madeline Hart. She goes on vacation to Corsica with work colleagues and then she disappears. She works for the Prime Minister’s office and we later find out she is also his mistress. As they are preparing for an election, her disappearance is not made public, in an attempt to avoid any electoral backlash. After a month a ransom note is received that claims that if the kidnappers demands are not met, they would kill Madeline within a week.
This is when the Israeli Mossad agent Gabriel Allon is called in to save the day. He sets up a team to help him uncover the reasons why she was kidnapped and who it was that took her. This is the beginning of a thrilling ride that takes us to Corsica, France, UK and even Russia. He runs into many familiar characters from the past and Silva introduces us to some new interesting ones too. You can expect to experience many twists and turns as you read this novel. As usual, with Daniel Silva sometimes things are not always what they seem.
Who Is Daniel Silva? He has been labeled as one of the best international intrigue and American spy writers of our time. He is a #1 New York Times-bestselling author who although taking up journalism earlier on in his career, he has always wanted to become a writer from a young age in his home state of Michigan. His began his first book in 1995 while working for CNN. The Unlikely Spy was published in 1997 at which time its success allowed him to leave his job and become a full time writer.
All his books have now become New York Times as well as international bestsellers. They are available worldwide and have been translated into more than 25 languages. He currently lives in Washington DC with his wife and teen twins. Most of the research for his books is carried out at the library of prestigious Georgetown, this is where he spends most of his downtime. He is always working on a new novel, so enjoy this one and get ready for the next one in the series.
I personally was mesmerized by the plot’s twists and turns. Daniel Silva uses brilliant descriptive prose that brings the characters to life. You also get detailed location descriptions that make these places seem so real. I love how he is unbiased when writing about the different characters. You have an action filled novel, that is an exciting read because there is more to it than just solving the mystery at hand. It was nice to see that he sprinkled a little humour in there too.
You can tell he takes the time to research his books, with the inclusion of all historical facts. He also includes current world events and situations exposing the truth in some cases. I felt like the main character opens up a little more than in the previous books. Which I believe is a good move, as it humanizes him allowing us the readers to identify with him a little more.
The English Girl has a rather fast pace, nevertheless it is written very well. You are taken on another great adventure with Gabriel Allon. This is yet another brilliant action plot, that is not only a thriller but also has lots of mystery weaved into it. If you read the jacket of the book, there is mention of a twist at the end of the book. This is no ordinary twist, you won’t see this one coming. This novel was made An Amazon Best Book Of The Month of July 2013. I recommend that that you read it. It is indeed, a nice treat.Read More Reviews Here…