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by Michael Idov
Slow Horses meets Red Sparrow in this electrifying, cutting-edge spy thriller featuring a brilliant young intelligence officer and a troubled heiress who stumble into a global conspiracy that pits Russia against the CIA.
Combining realistic thrills with sophisticated spycraft and witty dialogue, The Collaborators delivers a gut-punch answer to the biggest geopolitical question of our time: How, exactly, did post-Soviet Russia turn down the wrong path?
Crisscrossing the globe on the way to this shocking revelation are disaffected millennial CIA officer Ari Falk, thrown into a moral and professional crisis by the death of his best asset, and brash, troubled LA heiress Maya Chou, spiraling after the disappearance of her Russian American billionaire father. The duo's adventures take us to both classic and surprising locales—from Berlin and Tangier to Latvia, Belarus, and an abandoned technopark outside Moscow.
Dynamic, fast-paced, and filled with captivating details that provide a window into a secretive world, The Collaborators is a first-rate thriller that pays homage to both meanings of "intelligence."
"A cutthroat international financial scheme with grave political implications ... Unlike most spy fiction, it's driven in the liveliest sense by young characters who reflect their generation. Falk, a millennial who wears Weezer tees, and Maya, who was up for a part in a Peacock vampire series, are an irresistible pairing... . Sharp, freshly conceived, thoroughly entertaining spy fiction." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Idov, whose TV credits include the espionage series Deutschland 89, shows promise in his transition to the page—the details of the tradecraft feel especially authentic—but the action lurches along at an awkward shuffle, with a few too many time-lapses, and it all culminates in an unconvincing finale. It's a letdown." —Publishers Weekly
"A ripping gem of a novel... . Propulsively paced, and containing as much humor, romance, philosophy, and whimsy as classic spy-thriller action, this brilliant novel will charm readers and linger long after its final pages... . Idov's intelligent, emotive spy novel is funny and sweet, as well as blood-soaked; clever and riveting in its plot twists; and focused on idiosyncratic characters first and foremost... . Entertaining, rocketing, and unforgettable, The Collaborators is not to be overlooked." —Shelf Awareness
"[A] globe-trotting spy adventure ... Idov balances modern-day intrigue with Cold War flashbacks, tracing spy bloodlines from the former Soviet Union into today." —Paste magazine
"The Collaborators is a terrific espionage thriller with a propulsive plot and fantastic twists, but what really sets this book apart is the writing, sparkling on every page." —Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Expats and Two Nights in Lisbon
"Compulsively readable, with more twists than a bar full of martinis, The Collaborators takes a deep dive into global espionage, what-ifs, and the things we do for those we love." —I. S. Berry, Edgar Award-winning author of The Peacock and The Sparrow
"This is a hell of an espionage thriller—thoroughly modern and frighteningly relevant, yet with clear reverence for the genre's roots. This book has it all—memorable and well-drawn characters, globe-spanning locales full of fascinating and authentic detail, and a complex plot that unfolds at just the right pace. Idov's prose is first-rate—concise, colorful, and insightful. He is a writer who understands the power of life's small details, which adds another layer of texture to this highly entertaining novel. I did not want to put this book down." —Alex DeMille, New York Times bestselling author of Blood Lines
This information about The Collaborators was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Michael Idov is a novelist, director, and screenwriter. A Latvian-born American raised in Riga under Soviet occupation, he moved to New York after graduating from the University of Michigan. Michael's writing career began at New York magazine, where his features won three National Magazine Awards, and he has also been the editor-in-chief of GQ Russia. He is also the author of Ground Up and Dressed Up for a Riot. Michael has worked on numerous film and TV projects, including Londongrad, Deutschland 83, Leto, and The Humorist. He and his wife and screenwriting partner, Lily, divide their time between Los Angeles, Berlin, and Portugal.
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