Starred Review. Gabriel Allon art restorer, master spy, and sanctioned assassin returns in Silva's 11th thriller about terrorism in our violent world. After the murder of an informant in St. Peter's Basilica, Allon is sent to the newly wealthy but corrupt Moscow to stop arms dealer Ivan Kharkov from selling sophisticated weapons to al-Qaeda. Allon is caught and expelled after some nasty nights in a Russian prison. If the Russians won't play fair, then it's up to Allon and the rest of Israel's intelligence network to do the job. The key to Kharkov is his wife, Elena, who collects the works of a particular American artist, and Allon's art background enables him to get close to her. This results in an intricate dance that is a masterwork of technology and human foibles. Like all plans, however, Allon's go awry, and this leads to a tense and exciting conclusion. Some long-running series get tired; Silva's just improves with each new book. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/1/08.] Robert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

The title, as Silva explains in an author's note, is taken from John le Carré's trailblazing Smiley's People and refers to the actual set of guidelines used by Soviet spies during the cold war. To the delight of spy novelists and fans, the collapse of the Soviet Union, paired with the opportunism of terrorists, has meant a renaissance of old-fashioned cloak-and-dagger thrillers. Silva has mined this vein in a series starring Gabriel Allon, whose double occupation as Israeli intelligence agent and art restorer allows him to be thrown into the center of terrorist-inspired tensions the world over and to have a credible cover as a member of the international art establishment. Allon's work as an art restorer is, perhaps, the most fascinating element in a series that leans heavily on the tired spy-novel convention (dating to James Bond) of yanking the hero-and reader-from glamorous world capital to glamorous hidden resort or village back to glamorous capital, with a few side trips to exotic hot spots. In Silva's eighth novel, the focus is on the murders of Russian investigative journalists seeking to uncover ties between newly rich former members of the KGB and arms dealers with connections to al-Qaeda. Standard spy fare, but spiked with truly exciting scenes and spiced with Allon's art expertise. Fletcher, Connie. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.