November 25, 2024
Book Review
The Collaborators
Michael Idov
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


Michael Idol, noted novelist, director, and screenwriter, delivers a debut gem of a spy thriller steeped in realistic, relevant international plots with fresh and vibrant millennial characters taking center stage. His portrayal of spycraft is amplified by witty and sarcastic dialogue.



Millennial CIA officer Ari Falk is thrust into chaos following the death of his best asset, compounded by the brutal slaying of two trusted colleagues in a cinematic assault scene. Ari, a case officer for the Covert Activities Department, operates under the guise of a media investment company to identify and cultivate dissident assets who aid in counter-propaganda dissemination. One of his key missions involves assisting Russian journalists in publishing stories damaging to the Kremlin.

His latest find is Anton Basmanny, a brash, openly gay, 27-year-old video blogger who has made a name for himself by confronting local officials with on-the-street interviews posing unanswerable questions. Anton’s most recent exposé led to the dismissal of a high-ranking official. Ari initiated a detailed plan to exfiltrate him before he could be mysteriously eliminated. Ari Falk evokes comparisons to Mick Herron’s character River Cartwright in Slow Horses.

The exfiltration goes awry when Anton is forcibly removed from a passenger jet bound for freedom. The plane is strafed by a MiG-29 jet and forced to land in Latvia. After intense interrogation, Anton is sent back on a flight to Istanbul, but not before overhearing the questioning—and apparent execution—of a mysterious couple: a Russian wife and her American husband. Why they were detained remains unclear, but Anton distinctly heard two gunshots.

Ari flies to Istanbul to question Anton, only for the blogger to suddenly seize, lose consciousness, and die during their debriefing—clearly poisoned with a long-acting agent, possibly Novichok. Ari’s investigation is just beginning.

Meanwhile, Maya Chou (née Obrandt) learns of her father’s death in Portugal, purportedly a suicide by drowning, while watching television. Maya, a feisty 23-year-old aspiring actress and Los Angeles heiress, is poised to inherit her financier father’s immense wealth, including a palatial home on the Algarve coast. Unconvinced by the official account of his death, Maya races off to LAX instead of writing his eulogy, determined to investigate what she suspects is a staged death.

Maya’s path soon crosses that of Ari Falk, and they realize their quests are intertwined. Their partnership evolves into a romantic connection, drawing comparisons to the iconic chemistry of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, spilling off the page.

Idol proves to be a masterful storyteller, weaving together a globe-trotting adventure laced with authentic tradecraft, escalating tension, and intrigue. This propulsive thriller, accented with humor and a touch of romance, culminates in a twisty, satisfying denouement. This immensely entertaining yarn is not to be missed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Publishing for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.

Current events hint at clandestine ops from the past

National Clandestine Service case officer Avi Falk is burning out, feeling that he is recruiting assets only to have them get beaten, ruined or killed by the opposition. His current role has him stationed in Riga where he feeds stories to local journalists opposed to Russia; Latvia has long been a refuge for Russians fleeing the regime, so its a logical place for his (very small) office to be situated. His latest asset is an openly gay video blogger names Anton Basmanny, to whom Avi recently fed damaging info about a high ranking Russian defense minister. Given how dangerous an enemy this individual is, Avi insisted that Anton be relocated to a safe house in Turkey. Anton’s new location is discovered and he has to flee, ending up on a plane bound for Riga which is subsequently forced down in Belarus. He is certain that he is the cause for the aggressive action, but there is an older couple on board who also seem to be singled out. So begins a series of killings including members of Avi’s department, and Avi is determined to seek justice for those who have been targeted even if it costs him his career. Meanwhile, wealthy financier and son of Russian refuseniks Paul Obrandt drowns in the waters off Portugal, an apparent suicide, leaving behind the wife with whom he had a toxic relationship and their daughter Maya Chou, Maya has failed to gain much of a foothold as a professional actress, has recently achieved sobriety after years of addiction, and struggles to measure up to the expectations of her highly successful parents. As she looks into her father’s death her path crosses Avi’s, and they end up collaborating on their two different cases that may turn out to be connected. Is Paul dead, or has he deliberately faked his death to avoid the disappearance of funds that his company managed? What connection if any does the CIA have to his meteoric rise in the financial world? Who is killing people connected both to Avi’s department and to Paul’s death? Can Avi and Maya discover the truth before they too are targeted for elimination?
The Collaborators is a timely story of spies, empire building, information gathering, noble intents and disturbing realities. Avi’s illusions about his cause have long since been shredded by the realities of the business he is in, but with this case he may be able to reconnect with his earlier idealistic self. Maya has long questioned who she is and why her parents behave as they do, particularly her distant father. Two troubled and flawed individuals meet and connect on their quests to answers, and bring the attitudes and morays of their generation to the age-old spy game. The twisting plot hops around from Latvia to Istanbul, LA to Moscow, with plenty of (possible) villains and thugs impeding the investigation of the unlikely pair. More than a few plot twists keep the reader guessing right up until the end. Entertaining and well written, this is a timely look at today’s events on the world stage and their roots in the spy game of an earlier decade. Readers of Katherine Reay, Anna Pitoniak Charles Cumming and Chris Pavone as well as anyone who enjoys an intricately crafted novel of espionage should not miss this one. Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me early access to a copy of this clever work of subterfuge and lost ideals.

Michael Idov has written an interesting action-packed spy novel that illustrates his screenwriter’s background. I liked his characters, I liked his writing style, I enjoyed his wit. I did not particularly care for the layout of the book. The abrupt scene changes, which may work well in a movie, are distracting sometimes in a book. Had I approached this book as a movie, with the time allotted to immerse myself in it, I would have probably enjoyed it more. As it was, I found myself having to go back and re-read preceding parts every time I picked up the book, which I personally found distracting.
My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced copy of this book. My opinions are my own.
3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Half the time I was reading this I had NO IDEA what was going on!! Jumping back and forth from 1991 to 2021, and all over the globe, it was confusing, but unputdownable!!

Paul Obrandt, a multimillionaire head of one of the world's largest investment funds, has died. Drowned in Portugal after somehow falling or being pushed from a yacht. His daughter, Maya, only finds out because of a breaking news alert while she is streaming a series on her laptop. Now it is looking like he committed suicide and Maya is not sure how she feels about that. She didn't REALLY know her father, who was so busy making money he had no time for family, but she feels she should feel SOMETHING.

In the meantime, CIA operative Ari Falk is trying to get a witness to safety, but the plane he is on has been forced to land in Minsk rather than Riga, Latvia. The plane is only detained for three hours and then lands in Riga, with the witness onboard, without any further incidents. But then the witness dies of poisoning and soon after Ari's entire staff is murdered by a hit squad.. What is going on?

The only clue is a couple who, acccording to Ari's witness, were on the original flight but did not reboard and are not listed anywhere on the list of passengers. Finding those missing passengers takes up the rest of the book and answers all the questions, explaining who they are and the reasons for everyone's activities.

This is an amazing spy novel. Ari is a CIA spy operating in Eastern Europe. Maya is a young lady going through a difficult time. The story has a fast paced plot that spans across several countries. The characters are very intriguing and interesting. Readers will enjoy the action packed story as they try to parse the good guys from the bad. There is a little romance mixed in as the cream on the top.

The Collaborators is a contemporary spy-thriller from Michael Idov.

"Ari Falk is a CIA officer who has jus lost his best asset. While investigating he stumbles into missing money and the sudden killings of witnesses. He is thrown together with Maya Chou, a sometimes actress and daughter of a deceased financier. Together they travel to European hotspots looking for answers."

There are a bunch of characters and locations in this story. The beginning is slow but then the pace picks up. There are a few plotlines going on that come together at the end. Except for one - probably setting up for another book.
This author likes his fancy chairs. Characters had Eames and Wassily chairs. And the description of a bank waiting lounge had an interesting fancy description. I like that the author attempted some non-cliche metaphors, but I had to do a little research on a couple.

It was nice to see a spy-thriller written this way without being so tech heavy.

*Thank you to Scribner for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

Like all great spy thrillers, "The Collaborators" reads quickly.

Unlike some authors whose thrillers grow overly convoluted and far too long-winded, Idov weaves a tight storyline. He artfully incorporates several timelines and creates a well-paced tale of espionage. The pages will fly by far too quickly.

If I'm fully honest, I'd give this piece a 3.5. Especially with this being early in what will be a great career for Idov, I'm more than willing to round up.

Highly recommend!

The Collaborators by Michael Idov is an engaging read from start to finish with a well developed plot and characters. A recommended read!

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advance copy of this espionage novel dealing with Russia, the United States, a past that won't stay the past, and a future where money and control are the true political ideas.

I was in college when the Berlin Wall fell, and USSR changed became the Russian Federation. Being a selfish book person my first thoughts were what were all the espionage and men's adventure authors going to write about. For a time this whole subgenre changed. Some series just foundered without a Red Menace. Some author turned towards Middle East terrorists, maybe a bit of Asian racism to keep their series characters going. Russia many thought was going to be a new New World. Ripe for exploration and exploration, only needing Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola to make them a new place to make money. Soon however the world found out that the more things change the more things stay the same. People still crave power, still crave money and still covet control. A coup or two later, and Russia was back, maybe weaker, but with money, and resources to find those weak enough to take that money, to look away when paid, or to roll over and beg when that money gathered information that could be kompromat. The Collaborators by screenwriter, director and author Michael Idov is a story set in the recent past about how Russia came to be the way it is, the power they use to keep control, and the people that ground up in this continuing great game.

The book begins with a blogger trying to get out of Russian controlled territory on a flight out of Turkey. This blogger had managed to get onto the estate of a powerful man in Russian government, embarrassing the man and making him leave office. Which of course makes puts the blogger at risk. The plane is intercepted by a Russian MIG fighter, and forced to land in Russian territory. The blogger is forced to make a video denouncing his video, but also witnessing something horrific. The possible muder of two other passengers from the same plane. The blogger shares his story with is contact a CIA agent near the end of his interest in the shadow world, Ari Falk. Falk thought he had tendered his resignation to the CIA by beating a Russian asset in a airport bathroom, but instead he is approached to find out who this couple might be, and what happened to the blogger, who died of poisoning after leaving Russian air space. At the same time a pampered woman in Los Angles learns about the death of her father, and finds out much more about him that she never knew. These investigations cross in Europe leading both to find out that past they both know might be a lie, and that governments might fall, but the quest for power and money never stops.

A new kind of thriller mixing the past and the present, well the World of 2021 in an intriguing mix. Idov is a screenwriter and director and one can see this in the writing, the scenes are well described, clothing, sounds, smells, which is rare in many thrillers. The action is good crisp, maybe a little too Bourne for the story, but one understands why. The writing is familiar, amateur joining with a burnt-out case to figure out what is going on, but the characters are well developed, the story is fresh and interesting, and Idov is very skilled at making one care what is going on. Idov has done a lot of research and it shows, from lingo, to descriptions, to just simple things. I appreciate this kind of care in a story, and helps me care where the story is going.

A good story for thriller fans. Probably good to read before it gets optioned for streaming. Good characters, a sense of history, and enough thrills to keep one flipping pages, and a lot of things at the end to contemplate. A very good time. I look forward to more by Michael Idov.

This was an okay, quick read spy novel, The pacing started off slow but picked up in the second half of the book when the various threads of the story started coming together. The characters were a little two dimensional but the story was intriguing. Recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced reader copy.

The Collaborators effectively provides what any good spy novel promises: an entertaining piece of legerdemain. From Moscow to Riga, Lisbon to LA, Michael Idov’s latest involves CIA media handlers, GRU financial tactics, old school war horses, and, why not, a day actress from central casting. Although saddled with a requisite stairwell shootout along with a motorcycle chase sequence, the true intrigue in this story is the slow reveal of the three-card monte hand. So yes, The Collaborators is a truly good spy novel.

Disaffected millennial (and oh, ain’t they all) CIA officer Ari Falk is thrown into a personal crisis following the death of a recent asset he was attempting to get to safety. Looking into that disastrous event, Falk discovers two more supposed deaths – apparently a husband and wife. Or are they simply missing? As he looks into the connection, Falk runs into LA heiress Maya Chou, also reeling from a death – that of her father’s. Maya likewise realizes that perhaps her father is not dead after all. Falk and Maya soon realize their quest might be one in the same.

Within The Collaborators, Idov presents a deep look at recent Russian history sandwiched with reasonable CIA paranoia. His writing style couples the bookish grace of John Le Carré combined with a glorious sarcastic quality that makes Mick Herron books so damn enjoyable. Falk is not James Bond nor is he Jason Bourne. He worries. He plots. He over thinks - a lot. If anything, Falk’s compassion is similar enough to Herron’s stalwart character River Cartwright, as is their shared scorched earth mentality when things don’t go right.

Idov tempers the attractive spy game with a significant back story on Maya’s father, billionaire Paul Obrandt, a Russian-Jew ex-pat whose Rumpelstiltskin qualities has him spinning gold out of lies. Idov’s story weaves through financial trickery and telecom wizardry while managing to keep it all entertaining.

The Collaborators presents a different kind of spy novel. There is no mustache twirling from the shadows. The sought-after New World Order is not one of authoritarian rule. Yet the stakes are equally high and the pain within is all-too real. Idov has Ali Falk constantly deliberate, but true to the genre, much of that happens on the run. Falk is fast thinking enough to bring truth to the fictional layout while sardonically winking at the elaborate ploy Idov has so masterfully cast.

Thanks to Scribner for the advance read and the wonderful trip through Europe.

I liked this one. It took a few pages to figure out what was happening, but this is a good spy/mystery story. Ari Falk is an aging CIA agent who is sent to pick up an asset who is defecting to the United States, but the asset is intercepted, and Falk is determined to find and retrieve him. At the same time, a daughter begins to look for her father who had been declared dead, but Maya believes he could still be alive. Their paths cross and lead to wild trips from one country to another looking for a large quantity of money. Thanks to Netgalley for an arc and no pressure for a positive review.

Ramona Thompson

The Collaborators held my interest...most of the time. Author Michael Idov comes up with clever characters and convincing thrills, but I felt, in retrospect, that I should have taken notes as I read because when the action peaked I was having trouble remembering who some of the characters were, there were so many of them.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I just couldn’t get into this book. I found it hard at times to keep track of what was going on. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

The publisher of this engrossing thriller calls it Slow Horses meets Red Sparrow --and they're right on target. Grab it fast, and be in the know about the novel everyone's talking about. Highly recommended. #TheCollaborators #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthorSeries

SPOILERS. A daughter seeks why her tech billionaire father committed suicide. Or did he? A CIA field agent seeks the people who ordered the killing of his colleagues. Or were they just collateral damage. Two passengers on a flight to from Russia to Latvia are murdered after a MIG forces the plane to land. Or is this what actually happened? Michael Idov's novel attempts to peel away the layers of deception concerning these three plot threads. I think he mostly succeeds. There's a few places at the end where a plot is resolved by cliche, like an antagonist first pointing a gun at Ari, then blowing his own head off. But I liked the ending--the stepping through the door in a daughter father reunion.

The Collaborators is a fun spy thriller, but don’t expect it to live up to the blurb. It didn’t remind me anything of Slow Horses, other than that both involve spies.
Initially, there are two storylines. Ari Falk is a young CIA spook, but his job is all behind the scenes. When his main “asset”, a Russian podcaster, is killed, Ari is determined to figure out why and by whom and basically decides to fly solo.
Meanwhile, Maya is the daughter of a billionaire who’s recently committed suicide.
These two eventually join forces and that’s when things get wild. I immediately found Ari a likable character. It took me a tad longer to warm to Maya. The story is complicated but you can see the shades of Idov’s background as a screenwriter come through. Scenes are easy to envision and move at a brisk pace.
Like most spy thrillers, believability needs to take a back seat. The story is convoluted and once or twice I had to reread a section to make sure I understood what was happening. Part of that was probably my own fault as I couldn’t devote meaningful amounts of time to reading this. But it’s fun entertainment and I enjoyed myself.
My thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for an advance copy of this book.

The Collaborators is an action packed international spy thriller. The main character, Arie Faulk, is likable and a good tour guide on this twisty adventure.

Globetrotting several continents and spy agencies figuring out the good guys from the bad guys was often blurred-which made it lots of fun for the reader. Fans of Slough Horses and Jason Bourne will enjoy this one.

The Collaborators by Michael Idov is a spy thriller. Arie Falk, a CIA operative, tries to figure out what is going on with his informant Maya Chao. I did get a little lost in what was going on as the two cris crossed the globe. There seemed to be a lot going on all the time.
I do think a little tighting up the story would make it flow. Thanks for an advanced copy to read.

The Collaborators is a bona-fide deep-in-your-veins espionage thriller that captures the essence of the trade without compromising the adrenaline-rush of high-stakes fast-paced writing.

The Collaborators is a great read to get your brain juices flowing and an absolute delight for spy fans who take their adventures with a healthy dose of realism and detailed tradecraft. I am so excited to read more from Michael Idov.