Daniel Silva

Dear Readers, Friends and Family,

The wait is finally over! The Defector, the sequel to the runaway bestseller Moscow Rules, goes on sale July 21st from coast to coast. For those who’ve pre-ordered the book online, I trust it will be arriving shortly. If you haven't purchased the book yet, you can buy it now at your local independent bookseller or online at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Borders.com, and Booksamillion.com. And if you happen to enjoy it, please feel free to post a few kind words at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

My national book tour begins in New York City on Tuesday, July 21 with an appearance on NBC’s Today show and two signings in Manhattan. Other scheduled television appearances include the Glenn Beck program on the Fox News Channel, Morning Joe on MSNBC, and the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on CNN. I’ll also be talking about The Defector on the radio with my friend Joan Hamburg and the incomparable Hugh Hewitt of Townhall.com. If you happen to miss an interview, fear not. We’ll try to post all the video and audio links on my website at DanielSilvaBooks.com.

On Wednesday, I’ll be leaving New York and hitting the road for three weeks of signings and other appearances around the country. First stop, chilly Phoenix, Arizona, where the mercury seems to be stuck right around 115 degrees. If I’m coming to a store near you, please stop by and say hello. We tried to squeeze in as many stops as possible in the shortest amount of time. If your city or town wasn’t included on this year’s tour, please don’t be discouraged. We’ll try again next year.

For all of those fans in the Tampa, FL area, we have had to change the time of the event at Inkwood Books at 216 S. Aremenia Avenue to 7:30 PM. I hope you will still be able to make it.

For anyone who would like to learn more about The Defector, we’ve posted my first interview at DanielSilvaBooks.com along with the exciting first two chapters of the book. You can also read some of the early rave reviews and catch an interview I did with Molly Pesce at Barnes & Noble Tagged. I am the first author to appear twice on the program, and the wonderful staff at Tagged had a bit of fun at my expense.

As you might know, The Defector is my twelfth book and the ninth to feature art restorer and intelligence agent Gabriel Allon. It’s a riveting tale of vengeance and betrayal, but it’s also a love story. It was inspired in large part by you, my readers, and by my dear friend Henry Winkler. After reading Moscow Rules, Henry gave me a piece of advice. “You know,” he said, “Gabriel is a very cool guy, but just once I would like to see what would happen if someone made him really angry.” I followed Henry’s advice, and the result is a book that many people think is my finest yet. Thank you, Henry. I hope you like it, too.

Finally, thank you all for the warm and encouraging e-mails. They mean the world to me, and you can rest assured Jamie and I read each and every one. You can continue to reach us through the website or at my fan page and profile page at Facebook.com. Please stay in touch and have a wonderful and safe summer.

All Best Wishes,
Daniel Silva

In the #1 New York Times bestseller Moscow Rules, Gabriel Allon brought down the most dangerous man in the world. But he made one mistake. Leaving him alive…

Six months after the dramatic conclusion of Moscow Rules, Gabriel has returned to the tan hills of Umbria to resume his honeymoon with his new wife, Chiara, and restore a seventeenth-century altarpiece for the Vatican. But his idyllic world is once again thrown into turmoil with shocking news from London. The defector and former Russian intelligence officer Grigori Bulganov, who saved Gabriel’s life in Moscow, has vanished without a trace. British intelligence is sure he was a double agent all along, but Gabriel knows better. He also knows he made a promise.

In the days to come, Gabriel and his team of operatives will find themselves in a deadly duel of nerve and wits with one of the world’s most ruthless men: the murderous Russian oligarch and arms dealer Ivan Kharkov. It will take him from a quiet mews in London, to the shores of Lake Como, to the glittering streets of Geneva and Zurich, and, finally, to a heart-stopping climax in the snowbound birch forests of Russia. Faced with the prospect of losing the one thing he holds most dear, Gabriel will be tested in ways he never imagined possible. And his life will never be the same.

Filled with breathtaking turns of plot and sophisticated prose, and populated by a remarkable cast of characters, The Defector is more than the most explosive thriller of the year. It is a searing tale of love, vengeance and courage created by the writer whom the critics call “the perfect guide to the dangerous forces shaping our world” (Orlando Sentinel). And it is Daniel Silva’s finest novel yet.

-Click here to order The Defector.
-Click here to read an excerpt from The Defector.

Subscribers who sign up for Daniel Silva's newsletter by July 31, 2009 will be entered in a "See where it all began for Gabriel Allon" contest. Five winners will be randomly selected to win a signed paperback copy of the second Gabriel Allon novel, THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN. The winners will be contacted via email to get their mailing information.

Have a friend who's a Daniel Silva fan? Make sure to send them this link by July 31st so they can be entered in the contest, too!

Important Note: If you are already subscribed, you need not subscribe again to be part of this drawing.

Dear Readers, Friends, and Family,

I am pleased to announce my #1 New York Times bestseller, Moscow Rules, is now available for the first time in a mass-market paperback edition. Just three weeks from today, on Tuesday, July 21, the much-anticipated sequel, The Defector, will be published in hardback by G.P. Putnam & Sons. You can pre-order the book now at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Borders.com, Booksamillion.com, or at your local independent bookseller.

For those of you who’ve been asking about the tour schedule, you can see it here. It starts on July 21 in New York City with an appearance on NBC’s Today program and continues for three weeks coast to coast. If I’m coming to a city or town near you, please stop by and say hello. If we didn’t make it to your city this year, please don’t be discouraged. We will try again in the future.

Finally, a note on social networking. For years, my family has been a Facebook-free zone. No My Space, no Twitter, no texting, no instant messaging of any kind. But recently, my wife, Jamie, discovered that a loyal fan in Italy, Alessandro Barcellona, had created a fan page on Facebook. We were so touched we joined, and you can now write to me on not one but two Facebook pages. If you search “Daniel Silva” you will see the cover of The Defector. This is the fan page where I will be posting news and updates. I’ll also try to answer as many of your questions as possible. I also have a profile page with my author photograph where I will try to “connect” with as many of you as possible. Please forgive me ahead of time. I find all this technology a bit daunting. Like Gabriel Allon, I am a man of the sixteenth century. I still write by hand and send letters by carrier pigeon.

Thank you all for reading and for taking the time to write. I wish you all a safe and happy summer.

All Best Wishes,
Daniel Silva

In the #1 New York Times bestseller Moscow Rules, Gabriel Allon brought down the most dangerous man in the world. But he made one mistake. Leaving him alive…

Six months after the dramatic conclusion of Moscow Rules, Gabriel has returned to the tan hills of Umbria to resume his honeymoon with his new wife, Chiara, and restore a seventeenth-century altarpiece for the Vatican. But his idyllic world is once again thrown into turmoil with shocking news from London. The defector and former Russian intelligence officer Grigori Bulganov, who saved Gabriel’s life in Moscow, has vanished without a trace. British intelligence is sure he was a double agent all along, but Gabriel knows better. He also knows he made a promise.

In the days to come, Gabriel and his team of operatives will find themselves in a deadly duel of nerve and wits with one of the world’s most ruthless men: the murderous Russian oligarch and arms dealer Ivan Kharkov. It will take him from a quiet mews in London, to the shores of Lake Como, to the glittering streets of Geneva and Zurich, and, finally, to a heart-stopping climax in the snowbound birch forests of Russia. Faced with the prospect of losing the one thing he holds most dear, Gabriel will be tested in ways he never imagined possible. And his life will never be the same.

Filled with breathtaking turns of plot and sophisticated prose, and populated by a remarkable cast of characters, The Defector is more than the most explosive thriller of the year. It is a searing tale of love, vengeance and courage created by the writer whom the critics call “the perfect guide to the dangerous forces shaping our world” (Orlando Sentinel). And it is Daniel Silva’s finest novel yet.

-Click here to pre-order The Defector.
-Click here to read an excerpt from The Defector.

Subscribers who sign up for Daniel Silva's newsletter by July 31, 2009 will be entered in a "See where it all began for Gabriel Allon" contest. Five winners will be randomly selected to win a signed paperback copy of the second Gabriel Allon novel, THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN. The winners will be contacted via email to get their mailing information.

Have a friend who's a Daniel Silva fan? Make sure to send them this link by July 31st so they can be entered in the contest, too!

Dear Readers, Friends, and Family:

I am thrilled to announce my forthcoming novel, The Defector, is finally finished! I shipped the manuscript off to my publisher, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, in early April. All that’s left now is a bit of copyediting and proofing the galleys. I am certain no one is more pleased by this development than my family, who had to endure several months of an author on deadline. Fortunately, I work in the basement of our home in Georgetown, where, for the most part, I am kept isolated from the rest of the world! But seriously, I am very proud of the book, and the first internal reviews have been everything from "spectacularly good" to "your best book yet."

Now for the important news: The Defector will be published Tuesday, July 21, 2009, just in time for everyone’s summer holiday. Click here for a sneak preview. You can pre-order the book now online at your favorite retailer, or any of these links: www.amazon.com , www.barnesandnoble.com, www.borders.com, www.booksamillion.com, and, of course, at your local independent bookseller.

Also, on Tuesday, June 30, Moscow Rules will appear for the first time in paperback. Thanks to your generosity and support, Moscow Rules reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list last summer. We were thrilled with its huge success, and for the those of you who haven't had a chance to read it yet, I hope you enjoy it.

Which brings us to The Defector. If you liked Moscow Rules, you’re going to love The Defector because it picks up right where the previous book left off. Actually, the story begins six months after the dramatic conclusion of Moscow Rules. Gabriel Allon, the hero of my eight previous thrillers, has returned to the hills of Umbria to resume his honeymoon with his new wife, Chiara, and to restore a seventeenth-century altarpiece for the Vatican. But his idyllic world is once again thrown into turmoil with shocking news from London. Grigori Bulganov, the defector and former Russian intelligence officer who saved Gabriel’s life in Moscow, has vanished without a trace. British intelligence is sure he was a double agent all along. But Gabriel’s masters in Tel Aviv think otherwise. They suspect Bulganov has been abducted by Gabriel’s archenemy—the murderous Russian oligarch and arms dealer Ivan Kharkov—and they are convinced Gabriel is next on Ivan’s list. Gabriel is confronted by a stark choice. He can return to Israel and go into hiding. Or he can try to keep a promise he made to Grigori the night of their dramatic escape from Russia. I think you can guess which path he chooses. After all, he is Gabriel Allon.

What follows is a lightning-paced story that moves from a quiet mews in London, to the shores of Lake Como, to the glittering streets of Geneva and Zurich, and, finally, to a heart-stopping climax in the snowbound birch forests of Russia. Faced with the prospect of losing the one thing he holds most dear, Gabriel will be tested in ways he never imagined possible. And his life will never be the same. What’s more, the story is populated by a cast of characters that readers of the series have come to know and love. Gabriel's intrepid team of operatives is back, along with Ari Shamron, Adrian Carter, Graham Seymour, and of course Sarah Bancroft. I think the climax of the novel is probably the most exciting I have ever crafted. Of course, I won’t spoil it by explaining why. You’ll just have to read it for yourself.

As for The Defector tour, it is still in the planning stages but I will be traveling from coast to coast hopefully to a city near you. If we missed you last time please put in a request through your local bookstore, or send us an email at daniel@danielsilvabooks.com and we will pass it along. When Putnam’s meticulous publicity department is finished putting the pieces in place, I will post the full tour schedule on my website and send out a follow-up newsletter. If someone has forwarded you this email and you would like to sign up for the newsletter - I only send out a few a year so you will not be inundated - please click here to subscribe.

Finally, I wish to thank all of you who have taken the time to drop me an e-mail of encouragement from time to time. As you know because of my writing schedule, my wife, Jamie, usually responds, but I do read each and every one of them, and I can’t tell you how much your kind words mean to me.

I wish you all a safe and happy spring.

All best wishes,
Daniel Silva

Six months after the dramatic conclusion of Moscow Rules, Gabriel has returned to the tan hills of Umbria to resume his honeymoon with his new wife, Chiara, and restore a seventeenth-century altarpiece for the Vatican. But his idyllic world is once again thrown into turmoil with shocking news from London. The defector and former Russian intelligence officer Grigori Bulganov, who saved Gabriel’s life in Moscow, has vanished without a trace. British intelligence is sure he was a double agent all along, but Gabriel knows better. He also knows he made a promise.

In the days to come, Gabriel and his team of operatives will find themselves in a deadly duel of nerve and wits with one of the world’s most ruthless men: the murderous Russian oligarch and arms dealer Ivan Kharkov. It will take him from a quiet mews in London, to the shores of Lake Como, to the glittering streets of Geneva and Zurich, and, finally, to a heart-stopping climax in the snowbound birch forests of Russia. Faced with the prospect of losing the one thing he holds most dear, Gabriel will be tested in ways he never imagined possible. And his life will never be the same.

Filled with breathtaking turns of plot and sophisticated prose, and populated by a remarkable cast of characters, The Defector is more than the most explosive thriller of the year. It is a searing tale of love, vengeance and courage created by the writer whom the critics call “the perfect guide to the dangerous forces shaping our world” (Orlando Sentinel). And it is Daniel Silva’s finest novel yet.

-Click here to pre order The Defector.
-Click here to read an excerpt from The Defector.

How it all began...

The Kill Artist

Buy the Book

Once a key operative in secret Israeli-intelligence missions, Gabriel Allon is on the run from his past, assuming a quiet life as a meticulous restorer of priceless works of art. But now he is being called back into the game. The agent with whom he is teamed hides behind her own beautiful mask-as a French fashion model. Their target: a cunning terrorist on one last killing spree, a Palestinian zealot named Tariq who played a dark part in Gabriel's past. What begins as a manhunt turns into a globe-spanning duel fueled by political intrigue and deep personal passions. In a world where secrecy and duplicity are absolute, revenge is a luxury no man can afford-and the greatest masterpiece of all. Read more about The Kill Artist.

-Read more about The English Assassin.
-Read more about The Confessor.
-Read more about A Death in Vienna.
-Read more about Prince of Fire.
-Read more about The Messenger.
-Read more about The Secret Servant.
-Read more about Moscow Rules.
-Read more about The Defector.

Subscribers who sign up for Daniel Silva's newsletter by May 31, 2009 will be entered in a "See where it all began for Gabriel Allon" contest. Five winners will be randomly selected to win a paperback copy of the second Gabriel Allon novel, THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN. The winners will be contacted via email to get their mailing information.

Have a friend who's a Daniel Silva fan? Make sure to send them this link by May 31st so they can be entered in the contest, too!

My 33-stop city book tour is underway. I thought I would briefly share with you some news about a few of the special events so far. If you recall I mentioned there was going to be a special guest at Wednesday evening's event at the Barnes & Noble in New York City. For those of you who were able to attend, you know what a treat this was. The real Gabriel Allon, David Bull, was in the crowd and even joined me in signing autographs after the discussion.

Also, for those of you who missed my appearance on The Today Show, click here to watch the video interview with David Gregory. You can also watch other interviews on my website.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you on my tour. I just want to make sure my readers in the Phoenix and Fort Myers areas note the correct times for these events:

Poisoned Pen
Saturday, July 26, 6:00 PM
4014 N. Goldwater Blvd., Suite 101
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480-947-2974

Barnes & Noble - Fort Myers
Sunday, August 10, 3:30 PM
13751 Tamiami Trail
Fort Myers, FL 33912
239-437-0654

Also, please remember to check my website www.DanielSilvaBooks.com for updated tour information.

Take care and I hope to see you along the way. Next stop, Milwaukee, Wisconsin tonight at 7:00 PM at Harry Schwartz bookstore in Mequon; Phoenix, Arizona tomorrow at 6:00 PM at Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale...

All best wishes,
Daniel