May I interest you in a bit of spycraft? Or, perhaps, a few covert military operations? How about an assassin or two? I’ll admit, the allure of espionage and black ops missions is difficult to ignore in fiction. First, there’s the combat, those fast-paced sequences that get your pulse pounding. Then, there’s the plotting, the devising of plans that get the wheels in your head turning. These kinds of stories make it difficult to sit still, but, hey, they call them “thrillers” for a reason, don’t they?
The six novels gathered here explore Israeli espionage and defense, beginning and ending with writers who have come to fiction from the reality of organized intelligence, and showcasing a selection of other perspectives — military, journalism, religious, political — in between. The result is a rich, highly entertaining and expertly researched array of thrillers sure to delight any reader seeking action and intrigue.
The English Teacher
by Yiftach Reicher Atir
The novel that inspired the 2019 film The Operative, which stars Martin Freeman and Diane Kruger, The English Teacher features another intelligence operative who left espionage in the rearview mirror — or so she thought. Rachel Goldschmitt, a retired Mossad agent living in London, has disappeared … but not before emptying her bank account and leaving a cryptic voicemail for her former handler, Ehud. Rachel’s message sets off alarms at the intelligence agency, which has become nervous that classified information, currently in the hands of the former operative, may be at risk.
Tasked with recovering Rachel, Ehud must investigate her last assignment, retracing the six years she spent undercover posing as an English teacher while gathering intel on an Arab country’s biological weapons — the mission during which she fell in love with her unwitting informant. Once in love with Rachel himself and no stranger to the unique destruction that assuming a false identity can wreak one’s psyche, Ehud doesn’t want to believe that she’s a liability that may need neutralizing. Yiftach Reicher Atir, a former Israeli intelligence officer himself, “writes with poetic authority,” says British novelist Alex Marwood. “This black yet strangely beautiful tragedy will stay with me for a long time.”
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The Danger Within
by E.L. Pini
Avner Ehrlich may be a notorious rule-breaker, but as one of the Israeli Mossad’s premier intelligence agents, he’s willing to jump into the line of fire to keep his country safe. Experienced though he may be, Ehrlich is about to face a truly formidable foe: Al-Qaeda commander Imad Akbariyah, who has plans to arm terrorists with explosive surgical implants undetectable by modern security devices. Despite dealing with immense grief after the loss of his son, Ehrlich prepares to take on this cunning, innovative and sophisticated new enemy.
In his literary debut, screenwriter E.L. Pini draws on his military service in an IDF special unit to deliver a story as action-packed as the biggest of blockbuster thrillers. While readers won’t applaud the actions of Pini’s devious villain, they will certainly cheer for the author’s creation and exploration of such an entertaining antagonist. A suspenseful tale of hunter turned hunted, The Danger Within “will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first word to the last,” asserts one reviewer. “In the tradition of James Bond and The Bourne Identity,” writes BookTrib reviewer Michael Ferry, “an exciting, explosive tale.” (Read his review.)
The Kill Artist
by Daniel Silva
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva, The Kill Artist introduces former Israeli intelligence operative Gabriel Allon who left the world of espionage nearly 10 years ago following the death of his son in a tragic car bombing. Now, he spends his days in self-imposed exile restoring priceless works of art. When the terrorist responsible for tearing his family apart resurfaces, having killed the Israeli ambassador and his wife in Paris, Allon emerges from his quiet life to accept a new mission.
Booklist notes that “Silva avoids the espionage novelist’s sin of glossy locales and comic-book action by giving his characters, even the minor ones, believably complex motivations.” (Perhaps, they have Silva’s former career in journalism, during which he worked as foreign correspondent in the Middle East, to thank for that.) The author captures his reader’s interest as “he portrays various professions (here it’s art dealership, publishing, and modeling) to be every bit as cutthroat as international intrigue.” Perfect for fans of the Showtime drama Homeland, this novel kicks off Silva’s prolific and bestselling Gabriel Allon series, the most recent installment of which is The Cellist.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
The Sword of David
by Charles Lichtman
After the Siege of Jerusalem, 70 A.D., the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments are nowhere to be found beneath the rubble of the holy city. Nearly 2,000 year later, Chaim Klein, an Israeli Special Forces officer, makes a remarkable — some might say miraculous — discovery. Grieving the death of his cousin, the victim of a bold and devastating terrorist attack inside the Western Wall Plaza that took the lives of dozens more Jews, Klein finds the hidden chamber containing the long-lost Ark.
Now, he’s on a mission to find the Ten Commandments, and as terrorist organizations plan attacks across several Western cities, Klein and his team will have to work to protect the lives of millions at the same time. Lichtman, an expert in Middle East affairs and issues regarding terrorism, pulls back the curtain on the terrorists’ operations in his novel, offering an enticing and intimate glimpse at the enemy and exploring their creation. An international thriller of epic proportion, The Sword of David punctuates its ever-present allure of conspiracy with a wholly satisfying conclusion. (Read our review.)
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
Operation Joktan
by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn
Old flames Nir Tavor, an Israeli secret service operative turned Mossad agent, and Nicole le Roux, a former model with superb technical talent, unexpectedly reunite when intel on planned terrorist attacks surfaces. The violent agenda of radical groups threatens to unleash chaos across the Middle East, which leaves little time for romance. Setting aside their shared history, Nir and Nicole combine their unique sets of skills to stop the extremists before they can complete their mission.
Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn — the president and senior editor of the nonprofit organization Behold Israel, respectively — have delivered “a suspense-filled page-turner that illuminates the blessing Israel is to the world.” The first in a planned series, “Operation Joktan is a blast to read, while being informative and thought-provoking along the way” says one reviewer. “Each chapter and plot twist felt ripped from the headlines in the Middle East.” Another reviewer insists, “If you like Tom Clancy and Lee Child, make sure to read this novel.”
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
Final Stop, Algiers
by Mishka Ben-David, translated by Ronnie Hope
Our final offering comes from a seasoned Mossad agent turned bestselling spy novelist. After teaching art to high schoolers in Tel Aviv during his military service, Mickey Simhoni believes he has found his life’s true purpose. As he prepares for the opening of his first exhibit, however, tragedy strikes: a suicide bomber attacks, and Mickey’s girlfriend, Dolly, is killed. Grief-stricken and seeking vengeance, Mickey accepts a Mossad recruiter’s offer to join the intelligence agency. With life as an artist fully behind him, Mickey must learn the art of spycraft, how to paint his cover and draw on new identities.
His first assignment takes him to Toronto, where he assumes the identity of a young Canadian man who’s presumed dead after his passport turned up in the Sinai desert. In Canada, Mickey runs into Niki, a woman he met in Tokyo 10 years ago. As his romantic feelings for her resurface, and he worries about the mysterious fate of the man whose life he has taken, Mickey feels conflicted about his commitment to the Mossad. Featuring “multi-dimensional and interesting characters, complex and interesting plots, and a sense of adventure,” notes one reviewer, Final Stop, Algiers, captures the classic internal conflict readers expect of espionage fiction.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
The English Teacher by Yiftach Reicher Atir
The novel that inspired the 2019 film The Operative, which stars Martin Freeman and Diane Kruger, The English Teacher features another intelligence operative who left espionage in the rearview mirror — or so she thought. Rachel Goldschmitt, a retired Mossad agent living in London, has disappeared … but not before emptying her bank account and leaving a cryptic voicemail for her former handler, Ehud. Rachel’s message sets off alarms at the intelligence agency, which has become nervous that classified information, currently in the hands of the former operative, may be at risk.
Tasked with recovering Rachel, Ehud must investigate her last assignment, retracing the six years she spent undercover posing as an English teacher while gathering intel on an Arab country’s biological weapons — the mission during which she fell in love with her unwitting informant. Once in love with Rachel himself and no stranger to the unique destruction that assuming a false identity can wreak one’s psyche, Ehud doesn’t want to believe that she’s a liability that may need neutralizing. Yiftach Reicher Atir, a former Israeli intelligence officer himself, “writes with poetic authority,” says British novelist Alex Marwood. “This black yet strangely beautiful tragedy will stay with me for a long time.”
The Danger Within by E.L. Pini
Avner Ehrlich may be a notorious rule-breaker, but as one of the Israeli Mossad’s premier intelligence agents, he’s willing to jump into the line of fire to keep his country safe. Experienced though he may be, Ehrlich is about to face a truly formidable foe: Al-Qaeda commander Imad Akbariyah, who has plans to arm terrorists with explosive surgical implants undetectable by modern security devices. Despite dealing with immense grief after the loss of his son, Ehrlich prepares to take on this cunning, innovative and sophisticated new enemy.
In his literary debut, screenwriter E.L. Pini draws on his military service in an IDF special unit to deliver a story as action-packed as the biggest of blockbuster thrillers. While readers won’t applaud the actions of Pini’s devious villain, they will certainly cheer for the author’s creation and exploration of such an entertaining antagonist. A suspenseful tale of hunter turned hunted, The Danger Within “will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first word to the last,” asserts one reviewer. “In the tradition of James Bond and The Bourne Identity,” writes BookTrib reviewer Michael Ferry, “an exciting, explosive tale.” (Read his review.)
The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva, The Kill Artist introduces former Israeli intelligence operative Gabriel Allon who left the world of espionage nearly 10 years ago following the death of his son in a tragic car bombing. Now, he spends his days in self-imposed exile restoring priceless works of art. When the terrorist responsible for tearing his family apart resurfaces, having killed the Israeli ambassador and his wife in Paris, Allon emerges from his quiet life to accept a new mission.
Booklist notes that “Silva avoids the espionage novelist’s sin of glossy locales and comic-book action by giving his characters, even the minor ones, believably complex motivations.” (Perhaps, they have Silva’s former career in journalism, during which he worked as foreign correspondent in the Middle East, to thank for that.) The author captures his reader’s interest as “he portrays various professions (here it’s art dealership, publishing, and modeling) to be every bit as cutthroat as international intrigue.” Perfect for fans of the Showtime drama Homeland, this novel kicks off Silva’s prolific and bestselling Gabriel Allon series, the most recent installment of which is The Cellist.
The Sword of David by Charles Lichtman
After the Siege of Jerusalem, 70 A.D., the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments are nowhere to be found beneath the rubble of the holy city. Nearly 2,000 year later, Chaim Klein, an Israeli Special Forces officer, makes a remarkable — some might say miraculous — discovery. Grieving the death of his cousin, the victim of a bold and devastating terrorist attack inside the Western Wall Plaza that took the lives of dozens more Jews, Klein finds the hidden chamber containing the long-lost Ark.
Now, he’s on a mission to find the Ten Commandments, and as terrorist organizations plan attacks across several Western cities, Klein and his team will have to work to protect the lives of millions at the same time. Lichtman, an expert in Middle East affairs and issues regarding terrorism, pulls back the curtain on the terrorists’ operations in his novel, offering an enticing and intimate glimpse at the enemy and exploring their creation. An international thriller of epic proportion, The Sword of David punctuates its ever-present allure of conspiracy with a wholly satisfying conclusion. (Read our review.)
Operation Joktan by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn
Old flames Nir Tavor, an Israeli secret service operative turned Mossad agent, and Nicole le Roux, a former model with superb technical talent, unexpectedly reunite when intel on planned terrorist attacks surfaces. The violent agenda of radical groups threatens to unleash chaos across the Middle East, which leaves little time for romance. Setting aside their shared history, Nir and Nicole combine their unique sets of skills to stop the extremists before they can complete their mission.
Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn — the president and senior editor of the nonprofit organization Behold Israel, respectively — have delivered “a suspense-filled page-turner that illuminates the blessing Israel is to the world.” The first in a planned series, “Operation Joktan is a blast to read, while being informative and thought-provoking along the way” says one reviewer. “Each chapter and plot twist felt ripped from the headlines in the Middle East.” Another reviewer insists, “If you like Tom Clancy and Lee Child, make sure to read this novel.”
Final Stop, Algiers by Mishka Ben-David, translated by Ronnie Hope
Our final offering comes from a seasoned Mossad agent turned bestselling spy novelist. After teaching art to high schoolers in Tel Aviv during his military service, Mickey Simhoni believes he has found his life’s true purpose. As he prepares for the opening of his first exhibit, however, tragedy strikes: a suicide bomber attacks, and Mickey’s girlfriend, Dolly, is killed. Grief-stricken and seeking vengeance, Mickey accepts a Mossad recruiter’s offer to join the intelligence agency. With life as an artist fully behind him, Mickey must learn the art of spycraft, how to paint his cover and draw on new identities.
His first assignment takes him to Toronto, where he assumes the identity of a young Canadian man who’s presumed dead after his passport turned up in the Sinai desert. In Canada, Mickey runs into Niki, a woman he met in Tokyo 10 years ago. As his romantic feelings for her resurface, and he worries about the mysterious fate of the man whose life he has taken, Mickey feels conflicted about his commitment to the Mossad. Featuring “multi-dimensional and interesting characters, complex and interesting plots, and a sense of adventure,” notes one reviewer, Final Stop, Algiers, captures the classic internal conflict readers expect of espionage fiction.
