The Other Woman

A Novel

By: Daniel Silva

Narrated by: George Guidall

From Daniel Silva, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author, comes a modern masterpiece of espionage, love, and betrayal.

She was his best-kept secret …

In an isolated village in the mountains of Andalusia, a mysterious Frenchwoman begins work on a dangerous memoir. It is the story of a man she once loved in the Beirut of old, and a child taken from her in treason’s name. The woman is the keeper of the Kremlin’s most closely guarded secret. Long ago, the KGB inserted a mole into the heart of the West—a mole who stands on the doorstep of ultimate power.

Only one man can unravel the conspiracy: Gabriel Allon, the legendary art restorer and assassin who serves as the chief of Israel’s vaunted secret intelligence service. Gabriel has battled the dark forces of the new Russia before, at great personal cost. Now he and the Russians will engage in a final epic showdown, with the fate of the postwar global order hanging in the balance.

Gabriel is lured into the hunt for the traitor after his most important asset inside Russian intelligence is brutally assassinated while trying to defect in Vienna. His quest for the truth will lead him backward in time, to the twentieth century’s greatest act of treason, and, finally, to a spellbinding climax along the banks of the Potomac River outside Washington that will leave readers breathless.

Fast as a bullet, hauntingly beautiful, and filled with stunning double-crosses and twists of plot, The Other Woman is a tour de force that proves once again that “of all those writing spy novels today, Daniel Silva is quite simply the best” (Kansas City Star).

One of his best

Silva managed to keep me riveted without let up. He inserted current events as smoothly as usual as well as current political figures. The ending left open the avenue to another tale.

Good, not great

Reading this book may be better than listening to it. I enjoy the voices and characterizations as I have for other of Guidall's work I found this story a bit less exciting and more ponderous with its description of the mystery. I almost decided to wait to read the book. However, it may be that I do not just sit and listen for periods of time. Rather, it's with me during the day and while driving in my car on short trips. A 12 hour trip reading the book maybe would have brought it "together" in a more exciting way for me.
So, I recommend listening on long trips or for hours at a time than in 20 minute segments

Typically good Allon story

The story was good. Some interesting twists and turns.

George Guidall was excellent as always BUT the audio quality was disappointing. Where audio was stitched together was jarring, it detracted from the listening experience.

A Little Disappointing. . .

I am rating this book against other Daniel Silva books. It is still better than most books out there, but not up to the standard of previous Gabrial Allon books. Too often it seem that Gabrial is the dupe of MI6, and this is not the character I have come to love. It also lacks the historical context I so much love in this series. The concept of the "other woman" is clever, and also cleverly tied to the history of the head of Mi6 (Graham Seymore). Seymore comes across as a very unpleasant character, whereas in the past he has been an ally. What can I say? I am used to Gabrial coming out on top! Plus, it is more implausible than usual that Gabrial can flit from country to country under cover to conduct his operations, which seemed thrown together in this book. I looked forward to this book so much; perhaps my expectations were just too high.

Best book of the summer!

Daniel Silva’s storytelling is smart, layered and relevant. The Other Woman is so well written; every plot twist is thrilling and unexpected. The characters are complex yet accessible. Highly recommend!