Publishers Weekly
09/16/2024
The search for a missing hedge fund manager with ties to Russian intelligence animates screenwriter Idov’s bumpy fiction debut (after the memoir Dressed Up for a Riot). At the center of the action is CIA officer Ari Falk, who’s investigating the likely murder of one of his prized assets, a Russian blogger who was taken off a passenger jet during an unplanned stop in Latvia and never seen again. Falk eventually connects that case to the disappearance of billionaire financier Paul Obrandt, who recently jumped from the back of his yacht off the coast of Portugal. Paul’s daughter, Maya, is looking for her dad, not out of love but out of a suspicion that he staged his own death. She and Falk team up, repressing their mutual attraction as they trace Obrandt’s trail across Eastern Europe to Moscow, where they learn of his links to Russia’s military intelligence agency. 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. Agent: Amanda Urban, CAA. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
What the ever expanding world of espionage fiction needs, it turns out, is a Yale-educated Millennial field operative who dresses in Weezer t-shirts and knows his way around a semi-automatic. . . . [The Collaborators is a] slim, well-paced, deceptively complex novel of American and Russian intelligence. . . . a novel as cool as it is accomplished, that knits together action, tradecraft and quippy dialogue with flair." —Vogue
"[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
“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 (starred review)
"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
"I was completely charmed by Ari and Maya, the hero and heroine of this novel, who are just as irreverent as they are brilliant. The Collaborators is a refreshingly fun update to twenty-first century spy fiction, a novel that delivers modern thrills as well as the classic satisfactions of the genre. This book is smart, stylish, and propulsive from the very first page. I can't wait to see what Michael Idov writes next." —Anna Pitoniak, author of The Helsinki Affair
“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
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2024-08-17
Young CIA operative Ari Falk becomes enmeshed in a cutthroat international financial scheme with grave political implications.
Working under the cover of media investor, Falk is supposed to help Russian opposition journalists come up with stories damaging to the Kremlin. His latest success is with blogger Anton Basmanny, an openly gay provocateur known for his outrageous man-on-the-street livestreams whose viral performance video from a high-ranking Russian official's secret villa leads to the official's deposal. On the same flight as the one intended to whisk Falk to safety, tech billionaire Paul Obrandt is seen seated with a mystery woman (her identity is key) shortly before he's reported dead by an elaborately planned suicide. Not believing her Russian-born father did such a thing, his feisty and fearless 23-year-old daughter, Maya, leaves their Los Angeles home to pursue the truth in Portugal, where he left her a house. Hooking up (in both senses of the term) with Falk, she risks her life to find out not only what happened to her old man, but also where $5 billion missing from his investment account went. A classic globe-trotter, the novel spreads its cold-blooded killings among several countries. But 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. The aspirations of youth also drive the backstory of Paul Obrandt's efforts as a 25-year-old billionaire to effect positive political change in Russia during the fading days of the Yeltsin administration through the creation of a telecom firm. Good luck with that.
Sharp, freshly conceived, thoroughly entertaining spy fiction.
