Portrait of a Spy
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

The Rembrandt Affair, 2010, etc.) narrative is linear, moving from London to Paris to Washington and into the deserts of the Middle East. The most affecting character is Nadia al-Baraki, wealthy daughter of Abdul Aziz al-Baraki, an ally of the House of Saud, and a financier who funneled money to the jihadists. Nadia loved her father deeply, not realizing he supported Wahhabi fundamentalism, the sort of religious extremism that resulted in her closest childhood friend being victim of an "honor killing." Nadia learns that Allon is the agent who assassinated her father, but she decides to enter into the complicated plot to kill Malik al-Zubair and to destroy al-Husseini's movement. Other characters verge on clich, although they are fittingly intriguing for the genre. Gadgets, back-stabbing machinations and political duplicities lend an aura of realism to the intricate plot. Covert action more le Carr than Ludlum.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

While enjoying a day in London with his wife, antiterrorist expert Gabriel Allon spots a man he believes to be a suicide bomber and follows him into Covent Garden. Alas, undercover police knock him down before he can intervene, and carnage ensues. Afterward, the CIA asks Gabriel to track down an American-born cleric now setting himself up as a rival to Osama bin Laden. Just what you'd expect of this New York Times top seller; with a one-day laydown on July 19, plus a 500,000-copy first printing. Buy multiples.