This week, I’m reviewing The English Girl by Daniel Silva.
Madeline Hart is a growing star in Britain’s governing party. She is beautiful, intelligent, and driven by an impoverished childhood to succeed. But, she is also a woman with a dark secret: she is the lover of Prime Minister Jonathan Lancaster.
As you’ve probably already figured out, the kidnappers have discovered the affair and they intend to make the British leader pay for his sins. Dreading a scandal that could end his political career, Lancaster decides to handle the matter privately rather than involve the British police. It is a risky maneuver, not only for the prime minister but also for the operative who will conduct the search.
You have seven days or the girl dies …
Enter Gabriel Allon, a regular in Silva’s books, tasked with leading the search for Madeline. Allon is not only a world-renowned art restorer but, as an aside, is a super Israeli spy, master assassin and operative; he is no stranger to danger and subterfuge. In fact, I would say he is the reason for reading this book. His character is totally human and sometimes very fallible. His strengths outweigh his weaknesses but the weaknesses give him his humanity.
With the clock ticking, Gabriel embarks on a frantic attempt to find Madeline Hart. His search takes him from the criminal underworld of Marseille to an isolated valley in the mountains of Provence to the stately corridors of power in London and, finally, to a heart-racing climax in Moscow, a city of violence and spies where there is a long list of men who wish Gabriel dead.
Finding Madeline Hart only takes up the first third of the book and there are other circumstances that come into play regarding her disappearance that fill out the rest of the story. This second half of the plot is based on a situation that is just as intriguing as the first. There is more to the kidnapping than is understood; the entire situation seems to be staged for Gabriel. Say no more!
The plot is intricate but well worth the work. If you enjoy suspense, action, stratagem and danger, you will find everything you are looking for in this book. The possibilities draw you in, and the action is gratifying. The danger holds you steady, as Silva’s protagonist pulls out his arsenal of tricks in an all-out effort to save both Madeline and the prime minister. The twist at the end, where the true motives behind Madeline’s vanishing are revealed, is exciting.
The English Girl will hold you spellbound. I give this book a 4/5.
