The Cellist

A Novel

De: Daniel Silva

Narrado por: Edoardo Ballerini

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

Timely and entertaining, new narrator!

The award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva turns up the heat even higher this summer with The Cellist, book 21 in the Gabriel Allon series of espionage thrillers.

Art, classical music, murder, beautiful women, a global pandemic, politics, and the games of spies collide in this latest superbly written adventure featuring one of the most iconic main characters in the history of literature.

Audiobooks friends should be aware of the fact that series veteran voice and audiobooks industry legend George Guidall is no longer the narrator for this audiobook. His place has been taken by award-winning voiceover artist Edoardo Ballerini who does his best to fill these immensely renowned shoes.

I love both George and Edoardo, so I understand that the time has come for one of them to retire and for the other to pick up the baton. I can confirm that the performance is excellent although some listeners, especially those following Gabriel‘s adventures for the last 10 novels, could need some time to adapt and get themselves comfortable with the new Voice of this series.

Edoardo Ballerini does a fantastic job bringing each of the characters to life with distinct voices and accents. I’m really happy that he is the one to replace George at the helm of this always popular saga.

I don’t care about politics and personal views of the author about such matters, so I truly enjoyed The Cellist to the fullest, just as it was intended. I think it’s really timely, immersive, and entertaining fiction literature and the change of narrators wasn’t too jarring for me. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next from this extremely talented author.

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Thank You for NOT Shying Away from the Issues!

I am so grateful that Daniel Silva did not shy away from the political issues of our time. Other reviews that have accused him of being too political could not possibly have read his books over the years. Silva is a former journalist and I have always appreciated the research and information he weaves into his stories. I'm sure he will lose many readers because of his remarks about the former president, but I listened to his author's note and I am curious to learn more about the information he provided.

I missed George Guidall's narration and struggled to get past the overdramatic foreign accents, although that improved over the course of the book. Ballerini may grow into the role, but I hope the publishers keep looking for a better fit.

I'm not going to say this was the best Gabriel Allon book because it does not hold up as well when compared to many of his other books. There were some dots I don't think he connected; such as how the Russians poisoned the documents but did not know who was leaving them for the reporter. This story just seemed to lack the amount of twists and turns I expect from the Gabriel Allon books and the ending, while interesting, did not seem to be his best writing. I may be judging the ending too harshly because I have not fallen down the QAnon rabbit hole so it's still difficult for me to comprehend how some intelligent and powerful people do believe it.

As always I appreciate the insight Silva gives his readers into the workings of world politics and other enterprises. The banking scandals did not surprise me, but I was glad to understand more about how money is being laundered throughout the world, as well as more information of the current regime in Russia. I know many readers will believe this book goes "too far" in its opinion of the former president, but I think Silva barely scratched the surface on that one. I know Gabriel's term is ending soon, but I hope there will be many more Gabriel Allon books to come!

Great History Lesson

Enjoyed the story line. This book also gave a better understanding of what happened during the 2020 election. Proud to be an American!

EXCELLENT

Thank you Daniel for adding your take on the state of the world. As you usually do, in your books. And thank you for being honest on the state of America, and what was endured for the last four years. By reading your reviews- unfortunately there are still those with their heads in sand… or worst - still believing in that person. BRAVO!

Silva at his best

The on going saga of Gabriel Alon has never been more real — yes, fiction of course. But it is a political commentary that is a “must read”. The epilogue or closing comments by the author should be published as an editorial helping to awaken the citizens of the United States to the threat of their country’s democracy demise. I can’t wait until next July and the next book in the series.

Author’s Note

The Author’s Note alone is worth the price of this book and time listening investment!

Excellent and intriguing!

I loved listening to this story. It is very realistic and plausible, which makes it a little scary. I don't understand the negative reviews unless you believe Trump really won the 2020 election. If you are grounded in reality and open to real facts you should not have a problem with this novel. The author does an excellent job writing about the pandemic and the political climate. He is well researched and the notes offered following the conclusion are eye opening. I really enjoyed the entire series and look forward to reading more.
The narrator is top notch too.

One of the best Allon books

Loved the story - the evolution of the plot from London to Switzerland, Russia and Israel.

Absolutely relished the political commentary. Way to go Silva - finally an author unafraid to let his political views shine through the books - even if he risks alienating audiences. I took immense pleasure in the fact that some far right republican fans of the Allon series would have experienced substantial nausea as the book came to its conclusion. Nothing like your favorite character stand against everything you believe in!!

He should do a reading of this book on Fox News!

you will love this book!

we listened to this story nonstop. It was a thrilling experience. I highly recommend it.

Truth is stranger than fiction

Perusing the reviews you can sure see who flies the Q-coo flag high lol. Those living in the cult of Trump should stay away. It’s just a novel people. A work of fiction. As with most art though, an imitation of reality.

Beautifully woven storyline within the tapestry of reality as with all the other Allon series. An entertaining listen even if it’s scarily close to home. The performance narration lacked relative to other books in the series but still solid.