Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've read all of the Gabriel Allon books. The earlier novels in the series are fantastic. The last several have been lackluster and The New Girl is no exception. Unfortunately, I was duped into believing this was a great book based on a 10/10 review from a reputable reviewer. It is devoid of any real suspense and the only surprise happens on the last page of the book. A character from earlier in the series, Sara Bancroft, is shoehorned into the story for no valid reason, and then only to whine about her lack of a love life. The main problem with the story, and possibly the series, is that Gabriel Allon is no longer as interesting since he became head of The Office and a married father of two. It's also impossible to suspend disbelief that the head of Israel's intelligence agency, who at age 65+ is out in the field putting himself in danger on a regular basis. The other problem is Daniel Silva's reliance on current events to drive the plot, as well as his blatant political leanings. The events he derives his plot from occurred at least a year prior to the book being published and are old news, and his political beliefs detract from the story. I read spy fiction to be entertained, not to be reminded of depressing real life events. Perhaps next time Silva can come up with an original story, instead of regurgitated world events. Maybe it's even time to think about creating a new series with a new protagonist.