The Cellist

A Novel

By: Daniel Silva

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

From Daniel Silva, the internationally acclaimed number one New York Times best-selling author, comes a timely and explosive new thriller featuring art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon.

Viktor Orlov had a longstanding appointment with death. Once Russia’s richest man, he now resides in splendid exile in London, where he has waged a tireless crusade against the authoritarian kleptocrats who have seized control of the Kremlin. His mansion in Chelsea’s exclusive Cheyne Walk is one of the most heavily protected private dwellings in London. Yet somehow, on a rainy summer evening, in the midst of a global pandemic, Russia’s vengeful president finally manages to cross Orlov’s name off his kill list.

Before him was the receiver from his landline telephone, a half-drunk glass of red wine, and a stack of documents....

The documents are contaminated with a deadly nerve agent. The Metropolitan Police determine that they were delivered to Orlov’s home by one of his employees, a prominent investigative reporter from the anti-Kremlin Moskovskaya Gazeta. And when the reporter slips from London hours after the killing, MI6 concludes she is a Moscow Center assassin who has cunningly penetrated Orlov’s formidable defenses.

But Gabriel Allon, who owes his very life to Viktor Orlov, believes his friends in British intelligence are dangerously mistaken. His desperate search for the truth will take him from London to Amsterdam and eventually to Geneva, where a private intelligence service controlled by a childhood friend of the Russian president is using KGB-style “active measures” to undermine the West from within. Known as the Haydn Group, the unit is plotting an unspeakable act of violence that will plunge an already divided America into chaos and leave Russia unchallenged. Only Gabriel Allon, with the help of a brilliant young woman employed by the world’s dirtiest bank, can stop it.

Elegant and sophisticated, provocative and daring, The Cellist explores one of the preeminent threats facing the West today - the corrupting influence of dirty money wielded by a revanchist and reckless Russia. It is at once a novel of hope and a stark warning about the fragile state of democracy. And it proves once again why Daniel Silva is regarded as his generation’s finest writer of suspense and international intrigue.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Daniel Silva (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

My 1st poor review

Why why why was George Guidal not the narrator? Him not narrating took away all the pleasure I usually have reading these books

Finally.

I have loved the month of July in the past 13 of so years because of Silva’s books. The last few novels have been great but I felt he was waiting for a huge novel to rip a hole in his fictional story lines. All his books take real historical events and model them into current affairs. The stories are all semi-realistic and probable. This book however was fabulously written into our current political world. I was somewhat disappointed in the last few novels who didn’t really “touch” current theories of how Russia really interferes with many elections. Now this book is so well written into the right now that it will upset many peoples who have been fed Russia’s propaganda. Maybe one day they will come around and blame the government. Maybe they will blame the media. Or maybe one day they will just take responsibility for being brain washed by a living lie who took advantage of poverty and hate and decided to run for office. I applaud Mr Silva’s “writing balls” -thank you for this book. Mazal Tov.

Unmatched excellent adventure and history lesson

Impressive, exciting storyline, history lesson, reacquaintance with many characters in a succinct manner all narrated to perfection. I could listen to Gabriel's adventures endlessly. The author's notes: I always look forward to and count on. Timely current world events woven in effortlessly without being overbearing in any manner. Next book very soon I hope; future events left wafting about to ponder.

How Does He Do It.

Look I don’t know how he does it. Yes I have read all the books. And yes there is a certain amount of formula that I have grown to love. But each time a new characters introduced and the gang all gets together again, it is still a heart pumping great read, or in my case a great lesson. The musical references inA story and Rich the reading and let me to listen to some great recordings. Thank you again Mr. Silva I am already looking forward to the next book. And, I loved the dedication.

Very good book, excellent story and performance.

In case you haven't yet picked up on it, there is a pattern of exceedingly bad reviews at the very beginning of all Daniel Silva books recently. The Cellist is no exception. All say the books are terrible, and all mention politics -- i.e, how the books are all leftist anti-conservative trash. In fact, the reviews are trash. They may very well be the product of bots rather than real readers, meeting all primary characteristics of fast-acting, common-themed disinformation spread by bots.

The Cellist is a very, very good book. The story is perfectly plausible, in fact it is seamlessly woven in with facts from our recent history and sociopolitical environment. It would actually be difficult to argue that this book is fiction; a majority of it is what is legally termed "provably true." It isn't my favorite Gabriel Allon novel, but very close. If anything it is nearly too painful to listen to the dying sounds of America's democracy at the hands of rightwing extremists and Putin's Russia. Did I mention the book is based on documented fact?

I thought I would really miss George Guidall's stellar narration, but Edoardo Ballerini did a phenomenal job. Different than Guidall, some elements not quite as good but others a very nice enhancement. The story moves quickly and logically, though with important surprise turns in the plot. There are no holes or non sequiturs in the story or the plot; it is characteristically very solid. But there are developments that pull you in emotionally in The Cellist more so than other Allon books. Painful but important, and in the overall context part of a great story and great series of books.

If you want a true review of this book, this is it. If you doubt that, I encourage you to eliminate the 1's and 2's that are, quite literally, fake news, and look at others in the 3-5's categories. And, since you're a reader and hopefully one who cares about fact and truth, it might be interesting to search out information on the patterns of disinformation and how it is produced; the reviews for Silva's latest novels -which are at least as solid as earlier ones and IMHO better- are a veritable clinic in disinformation and attempting to persuade readers to unwittingly boycott Silva's works. The only thing more pathetic than the attempt is that many gullible people will not see through it.

If you enjoy great spy mysteries, particularly in the Allon series, and you are not a conservative wingnut, you will not be able to read this book without enjoying it thoroughly. This review is not overcompensation for the attacks of the wingnuts. If I engaged in that sort of 'counter intel' with reactive and opposing propaganda, the truth would be compromised in the process and the extremists would win. Not gonna happen.

Enjoy this great novel. You'll thank me later.

Narration is Awful - So Disappointed

I have never left a review before for a book, but the narrator for this book is AWFUL, bring back George Guidall, seriously, I have no idea why they didn't have him read the new one. I wanted to be open minded, so I bought it figured maybe it would be ok or even better. It is not, the characters sound ridiculous. They need to get George to read this new book. Its really bad. You can't even concentrate on the story because the characters voices just don't work with the personalities we have come to know over the last 20 books. Stick to the paper version,

A great fast paced and exciting novel!

Great fast paced thriller. Was concerned that there was a new voice to the Daniel Silva latest book...but Eduardo Ballerini was excellent ... loved how he gave voice to the various characters.
My favorite of the series of the last 3 books!

Excellent

Ignore the bad reviews from people in denial about objective reality and outraged over the notion of politics in geopolitics/espionage. The Cellist by Daniel Silva, like John LeCarre's Agent Running in the Field, holds true to the stranger than fiction facts of world politics in recent years, and that's merely a confirmation of what everyone knows about Trump and Putin. What's more likely, Daniel Silva and John LeCarre, the best espionage writers of modern times are wrong or the far-right is?
enjoy, it's brilliant.

Keep your opinion to yourself

The author wrote a great story. He should have omitted his political opinions. Great story

Excellent novel and narration

I have seen a number of negative reviews for this book. I am glad I ignored them. Apparently people were shocked that Daniel Silva has political views, however I fail to see how any espionage novel can be anything other than political.

The story line was timely and engaging. It touched on many topics that are well covered in reporting of recent years. As long as you don’t lean very far right, I think you will enjoy this audiobook as much as I did.