While the usual elements of tension and propulsion usually associated with the thriller genre are notably underplayed in this latest offering from William Boyd, Gabriel’s Moon is nevertheless a curiously compelling page turner, largely due to Boyd’s exquisite writing, his vivid sense of time and place, and his unerring talent for creating beguiling characters.

Set in the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, the story follows English journalist and travel writer, Gabriel Dax, as he is unwittingly drawn into the murky world of espionage, where he is expertly manipulated by enigmatic puppet-mistress Faith Green, an MI6 handler.


Sweeping from newly independent DR Congo to Franco’s Spain to the austere streets of Warsaw, it’s an intricate, cloak and dagger tale of covert assignations, red herrings, double agents, and on Gabriel’s part, carnal obsession.

Boyd’s narrative unfolds languidly but with beautifully observed detail of both people and places. As is his wont, he also weaves in actual historical events. All of this lends an irresistible richness and authenticity to the storytelling. When they do come, the isolated moments of tension thus catch you unawares and are all the more forceful for doing so.

However, for all the elegance of language and intricacy of plot, it is insomniac Gabriel himself who carries the story. Despite the worldliness gained through travel, he is easily duped and exploited, not least due to his infatuation with Faith. He also has a tragic back story, which adds further intrigue to and sympathy for his character.

Gabriel’s journey from author to spy makes for a riveting read. As hard as he tries to disentangle himself from this unbidden life, he finds himself ever more tightly bound, deriving an illicit thrill from his adventures and over time participating in acts that fundamentally change him as a person.

I loved accompanying Gabriel on this journey and am delighted that the ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel, or even a series. This reader, for one, wants more.

Gabriel Dax is a travel writer with a successful book under his belt and currently considering what his next subject should be. Meantime he submits travel articles to a newspaper. While in Leopoldville just after Belgian Congo gained independence, thus setting the book in 1960, Gabriel is given the chance to interview President Lumumba, during which Lumumba tells him there are foreign sources who would like to see him assassinated. Gabriel writes up his article, but before it can be published there’s a coup. Lumumba is now yesterday’s man, and the paper refuses to print the article. But other people seem to be interested in what Lumumba may have told Gabriel, and want to get hold of his notes. Gabriel’s brother, Sefton, ostensibly works for the Foreign Office, but is clearly attached to the intelligence services, and he sometimes uses Gabriel to deliver a package while he’s on his travels. Gabriel is paid for this, but asks no questions and pretends to himself that he knows nothing…

I always like when Boyd moves away from his whole life stories and gives us a spy thriller – he does them so well. In this one he’s showing how the secret services involve people in their schemes and then, having once sucked them in, refuse to let them go. It’s the story of the making of a spy – either their target succeeds and becomes a useful agent or he fails, in which case he is expendable. Boyd shows Gabriel as a pawn in a game he doesn’t understand but he’s not exactly a victim. It’s clear that he’s aware he’s being used but his growing involvement is largely down to own choices until he reaches a point where retreat would be hard, if not impossible.

Gabriel’s mother died in a house fire from which he escaped when he was five, and this experience has left him haunted. He suffers from extreme insomnia and is therefore sleep deprived most of the time. This has the effect that the things that happen to him often feel hallucinatory, as if he is having difficulty distinguishing reality from imagination, and this gives the whole story a somewhat off-kilter feel. Although it’s in the third person, the perspective is mostly Gabriel’s so that the reader only sees what he sees, and there is some doubt over whether he is in his full senses all of the time. Are people really after his Lumumba notes, or is he becoming a little paranoid? Who are the good guys, and who the bad? Why is he seemingly important to the intelligence services, to the point where they are expending all this effort to suck him into their schemes?

In an attempt to cure his insomnia, Gabriel is seeing a therapist who advises him to learn more about the fire that killed his mother to free himself from the survivor guilt he has always felt because he has always believed it was his nightlight, a candle in a moon-shaped shade, that caused the fire. So he begins to seek out people who were involved at the time – firemen, insurance investigators and so on – to try to find out what exactly did happen, and how he escaped when his mother did not. But even this section is rather weird, in that his therapist seems to have very unconventional ideas. Is she on the level, or is she manipulating Gabriel? Again Gabriel’s sense of paranoia makes it hard to know the truth.

That’s as much as I want to tell about the story, except to say that all does become clear enough to give a satisfactory ending despite all the vagueness and ambiguity along the way. I always think that when he’s in spy mode Boyd is more similar to Graham Greene’s ‘entertainments’ than to John Le Carré – the stories are less bleak and grey than Le Carré’s and share with Greene the aspect of someone getting mixed up in a situation through a kind of laziness or apathy almost, until they suddenly realise they’re caught up in something they can’t escape. Le Carré’s spies are professionals – Greene’s and Boyd’s tend to be amateurs, at the beginning anyway. It comes down to subjective taste, but I prefer this style to the more realistic style of the Le Carré school of spy writers.

Overall I found this intriguing and very readable, with both mysteries – the fire and the Lumumba angle – keeping me interested and turning those pages. Good stuff! 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.

Another well written outing from a great author, twists and turns will make you run through the book waiting for the sublime ending.

It’s the early 1960s and Gabriel Dax is a successful travel writer whose dreams are haunted by a tragic event in his childhood in which his mother dies. When he goes to the Congo on assignment he lands a plum interview with the prime minister Patrice Lumumba, in which the leader hints at dark forces plotting against him. Back in London, Gabriel discovers Lumumba has been murdered and various shady forces are desperate to get hold of his compromising interview tapes.
A mysterious and attractive MI6 puppetmaster called Faith Green approaches Gabriel asking him to be a “messenger” on a seemingly innocuous mission. He takes on the job. Why not? He’s done similar work in the past for his brother Sefton, who is a bigwig in the Foreign Office. But he soon finds himself becoming entangled in a shady web of danger and double-crossing that sees him hopping around Europe, from grey Warsaw to sunny Cadiz. Along the way he meets a colourful cast of characters that each add a layer to the intrigue. And while all this risky business is being conducted Gabriel is delving into his childhood trauma with his therapist.
This is the first in a series so we have more of Gabriel’s entertaining exploits to look forward to from this brilliant storyteller. Another cracker from William Boyd.

Wow this was an education. A genre I have not read before and I was instantly glued to the book..Gabriel's character was well developed and I was further intrigued with the side story about his childhood.
A very sophisticated novel. I had no clue in which direction it would go and I will definitely be looking up William Boyd as he is a new author for me.
A definite 5 star read.
Thank you to netgalley for introducing me to this genre.

I was immediately drawn to Gabriel's Moon for the sixties setting, and for its focus on Cold War-era espionage. William Boyd is an excellent wordsmith, carrying the reader through irresistible twists and turns. I couldn't put it down! A great read for anyone who wants to be totally immersed in a smart and stylish thriller.

Loved this pacy espionage thriller. I love William Boyd's writing and wasn't sure what to expect as I'm used to his more literary works. This is excellent, though. Brilliant story with twists and turns but never anything other than believable. Loved the characteriation too, particularly of Gabriel, the main protagonist. Zipped through it in three days during the Christmas break, highly recommend.

Travel writer Gabriel Dax is haunted by a fire that killed his mother when he was a child. When an opportunity to interview Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba arises, his life changes forever. Drawn into the world of espionage, Gabriel is now travelling for darker, more important reasons whilst still trying to understand the source of the childhood fire that has had such a deep impact on him.

As Gabriel moves around Cold War Europe, there is a sense of foreboding and excitement as he learns and excels at espionage. Gabriel as a character is selfish and charming, fulfilling his role as the loveable rogue. He is independent but seems to long for connection that ultimately seems to drive his decision making. The pace is up-beat as Gabriel jumps from mission to mission. Relishing but growing cautious of the worked he is being embroiled in.

I’m a big William Boyd fan, having read his last few books. I would recommend for readers who love historical fiction, adventure and travel. This book in particular would be great for people with an interest in the Cold War.

William Boyd’s The Romantic was one of my books of the year in 2022, so I was excited about reading his new one, Gabriel’s Moon – although it did sound very different. Unlike The Romantic, which follows the entire life story of its hero, this book is a spy novel set over a much shorter period of time.

It’s 1960 and travel writer Gabriel Dax is visiting what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he has the opportunity to interview the new Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba. During the conversation, which Gabriel captures on tape, Lumumba explains that he has enemies who want him dead and he provides the names of the three people he thinks are plotting to kill him. On his return home to London, Gabriel is convinced somebody has been inside his house in his absence and has been searching for something. It seems that somebody wants Gabriel’s tapes of the Lumumba interview – and their attempts to obtain them become more desperate once news emerges that Lumumba has been executed by a firing squad.

His accidental involvement in the Lumumba conspiracy brings Gabriel into contact with the mysterious Faith Green, an MI6 intelligence officer who sends him on a series of missions, the purpose of which Gabriel doesn’t fully understand. In a secondary storyline – which explains the title of the novel – Gabriel decides to consult a psychoanalyst, Dr Katerina Haas, in an attempt to get to the bottom of the mental health issues that have plagued him all his life, ever since his mother was killed in a house fire when he was six years old. The official cause of the fire was given as Gabriel’s night light, a candle inside a moon-shaped globe, but Gabriel’s memories of what actually happened that night are very different.

I enjoyed this book overall, but I found it a bit slow at times and, as a thriller, not particularly thrilling. There’s a lot of travel to various locations in Europe and Africa (all beautifully evoked), with a lot of sitting around in bars drinking and talking, but I never really felt that Gabriel was in much danger. Having said that, I was never bored and became fully drawn into the world of espionage, spies and double agents that Boyd creates, all set against a backdrop of the Cold War. I found it slightly unbelievable that the spies Gabriel meets all speak to him so openly, readily sharing secret information with him – but then, Gabriel doesn’t always know how to interpret that information and it’s his very innocence and gullibility that makes him so useful to Faith Green and MI6. As the story progresses, he eventually decides it’s time to stop being the self-described ‘useful idiot’ and try to take control of his own destiny.

Faith Green remains a bit of a shadowy, enigmatic character throughout the book and because I felt I never really got to know her, I became irritated by Gabriel’s obsessive infatuation with her, particularly as he already has a girlfriend, Lorraine – whom he looks down on because of her working-class background, while at the same time admitting that he’s only with her because he finds working-class women sexually attractive. Although I didn’t dislike Gabriel in general, some of his attitudes leave a lot to be desired!

One of the most interesting aspects of the novel for me was seeing Gabriel work through his hazy memories and his feelings of guilt about the tragic fire that took his mother’s life. Through his psychoanalysis sessions with Dr Haas, Gabriel is inspired to carry out his own investigations into the night of the fire and begins to uncover the truth. I thought this storyline worked well alongside the espionage one and gave us some more insights into Gabriel’s character.

Although Gabriel’s Moon works perfectly as a standalone, there were some loose threads left at the end that made me think this could be the first in a series – and I was pleased to find that William Boyd is indeed working on a second book. I’ll be looking out for it, but I also have lots of Boyd’s earlier novels still to read. I would be happy to hear your recommendations!

I got this book through NetGalley, and I'm really happy about it. It's a well-written novel, a thriller about espionage that doesn't let the genre's more mysterious aspects slip by.

The story follows the life of a 30-year-old writer who was orphaned at six when his alcoholic mother died in a fire. She went to the Congo to write an article, which is where he was left. His life takes a turn when he gets involved with espionage.

I also liked how the female characters around Gabriel play an important role in his life. They influence his decisions and guide him in certain directions. It's interesting to read about the protagonist's family history as a subplot, too. It gives you a better understanding of his life.

Overall, it is a novel that I loved following both in terms of the events and the development of the characters. I find the author's ability to tell real characters who are easy to become attached to and with whom one can form a good relationship is extremely appealing. The plot that thickens and then unravels also helps to keep the reader glued to the pages and thus to make him or her slip deeper and deeper into a very intricate story.

As far as I am concerned, it is definitely one of the best thriller novels I have read this year and one that I would really recommend. Great Christmas gift for a reader looking for mystery and espionage settings.

I wanted to like this more than I did because I've never been let down by a William Boyd novel. The issue was I despised Gabriel Dax and his lack of self reflection. The politics, the espionage and travel writing aspects were really interesting but I wanted to slap Gabriel to the point that I had to put this down on numerous occasions

Interesting spy thriller….well rounded characters and a story line which keeps you guessing……fingers crossed it’s the first of several

I’ve read a few of William Boyd’s previous books and enjoyed them: Restless, Trio and The Romantic, in that order of preference, covering a range of subjects. In Gabriel’s Moon, we follow Gabriel Dax in the early 1960s (and therefore height of the Cold War) in his work as a travel writer and occasional courier for his brother who works in the Foreign Office. I like that this latter work and its repercussions are only part of the story. There are also the work on his next book and his investigation into the house fire that killed his mother and from which he barely escaped. That trauma inevitably left its mark and we are privy to the transcripts of his therapy sessions; Boyd has an abiding interest in Freud and psychoanalysis (for a novel incorporating that subject see the excellent Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin).
Dax lives in Chelsea and Boyd evokes a prenatal nostalgia for an area I’ve recently started getting to know. At times I found the story a little too clearly explained, the characters’ thoughts acting as clunky exposition. That said, Gabriel and the other characters are well drawn and I find they’re all still with me even a few weeks after finishing the book. Being the useful idiot of the security services suits him until it doesn’t. One thing you can count on in the world of espionage is lies, from all sides.

Great fun although a bit predictable. A couple of times I thought “would the character really do that?” But generally an enjoyable read

Set in 1960s London with the backdrop of the cold war. Boyd introduces us to Gabriel Dax who is an acclaimed travel writer but who becomes quite an unconventional spy. He tries to make sense of his missions as his handler, Fiona, doesn't tell him much. He goes to Cadiz to meet a painter and collect a painting and then heads behind the Iron Curtain to Poland. Boyd captures the 1960s perfectly, even down to the 1960s pub. It is not only his mysterious trips that are causing him sleepless nights. As a young boy, his mother died in a house fire and every night, he has a recurring nightmare about it. Boyd writes a seamless tale with some clever and unexpected plot twists. A jewel of a spy thriller.

A troubled soul forever marked by the accidental death of his father when he was very young followed two years later by the catastrophic death of his mother and his own miraculous rescue from their burning home. Twenty years later our chief protagonist lives a quiet uneventful life by the beat of his own drum whilst simultaneously struggling with insomnia and difficult childhood memories. The scene is set for a totally unexpected and complex storyline of intrigue, politics, espionage shrouded in a mystery that defies explanation, expectations or understanding. A three dimensional character that dominates every page with his quiet unassuming character as he weaves his way through the trial and tribulations that nothing could have prepared him for. A writer who delivers each stage of his mystery with words and actions that demand further involvement from the reader which is then rewarded in the way only a superb storyteller can deliver from a hugely rewarding book. A five star read on every level from an author at the top of his game. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I enjoyed this enormously. It has everything one wants from a William Boyd novel, a main character your heart goes out to, who wanders around the world getting themselves in bother. In this case, Gabriel Drax, London-based travel writer and journalist finds himself as an accidental spy, caught up in a tangle of defections, betrayals, and near misses. It's all highly compelling stuff, which is hard to do justice here without resorting to spoilers. But I'd say if you liked RESTLESS (and frankly, who didn't?) and/or the miraculous ANY HUMAN HEART, then I feel confident in recommending GABRIEL'S MOON.

With many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to see an advance copy.

(spoiler-free review) This novel has all the prospect of a great read - a spy thriller by a top British author. The author uses a classic thriller plot device for a thriller i.e. one in which a regular guy becomes caught up in circumstances beyond his or her control. This author has used this device to great effect in an earlier thriller, ‘Ordinary Thunderstorms’. Here the regular guy is Gabriel Drax (GD), a travel writer and journalist, who becomes embroiled as a courier of secret information for the shadowy Institute of Developmental Studies.

We first meet GD in the Congo where, by chance he’s invited to interview the premier Patrice Lumumba. These interview tapes become crucial items. GC is recruited and groomed (in every sense of the word) by a glamourous older woman, Faith Green from the Institute. His elder brother, Sefton, has also in the past asked him to deliver packages on his research trips around Europe. There is a charismatic diplomat, Kit Caldwell. The time is the early 1960s when a range of political issues are brewing - the Cold War, the Cuban Missile crisis.
The author is writing in the genre of 1960s spy fiction – Len Deighton, Ian Fleming, John le Carre. It should have been a great read. So why wasn’t it?

The problem is that I found just about every plot point unconvincing. So many times my response was ‘Really? Would this happen?’. For example, the whole process by which Faith Green contacts and enlists GD seemed completely implausible. And I couldn’t believe that so many people in this world of espionage and secrets seemed happy to share top-level information with a journalist who hadn’t even signed the Official Secrets Act. Another completely unconvincing turning point occurs towards the end whereby GD deduces the real identity of the assassins named by Patrice Lumumba but does so on the basis of nothing more than his own intuition.

Another major failing in this novel was a terrible secondary plot which concerns GD’s childhood trauma in which his house burned down, killing his mother. GD goes into therapy and there is an exploration of recollection or anamnesis. This seems completely irrelevant to the main plot, neither supporting nor contrasting with it.

But what really fails in this novel is a real lack of jeopardy surrounding GD. Despite his many travels on several different missions, there is little sense that he is under threat apart from a final scene. There is little to demand the reader’s urgent engagement. GD seems to potter about Europe eating many nice meals and drinking plenty of bottles of wine.

I was so disappointed by this novel that I read it a second time in case I’d missed some key concept. Regretfully, I concluded that I’d been right first time and this novel is an extraordinary failure by a writer deemed to be amongst the best of British.

I’m grateful to NetGalley for making available a complimentary copy so that I might offer my honest opinions.

A masterful storyteller, William Boyd maintains his reputation with ‘Gabriel’s Moon’. Gabriel, a travel writer, is inveigled into the world of spies, subterfuge, political machinations. Genuine historical events are enveloped by Boyd’s imagination, marvellous descriptions, and a panoply of interesting and intriguing settings and people. A great read, the finale of which is somewhat open-ended, so I assume Gabriel will reappear in one or more sequels. Excellent.

William Boyd's latest novel, *Gabriel's Moon*, has been getting a lot of love from both critics and readers! It's being described as "a spy story to rival *Restless,*" which many consider to be one of Boyd's best works from 2007. Set in the vibrant 1960s, the story follows Gabriel Dax, a young and intriguing character who gets pulled into the thrilling, high-stakes world of espionage after being recruited by MI6.

Gabriel is a wonderfully complex protagonist, dealing with the emotional fallout of a childhood tragedy. As he dives deeper into the shadowy world of spies, he also faces his own personal struggles with identity and sexuality. This internal journey adds so much depth to his character, turning his adventure into a story of self-discovery amid all the external thrills.

Boyd does a fantastic job of bringing the 1960s to life, transporting readers to the bustling streets of London, Paris, and other European cities. His vivid descriptions create an exciting and tense atmosphere, immersing us in a time filled with political intrigue and the looming presence of the Cold War. The historical details really enhance the authenticity of this captivating narrative.

The plot of *Gabriel's Moon* is a wild ride, full of suspense and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. Boyd explores themes of identity and betrayal, offering insights that will stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

While I loved the richly developed characters and the immersive 1960s setting, I did find the ending a bit ambiguous, which might leave some readers with lingering questions. Also, I thought a couple of supporting characters could have been explored a bit more, as their stories seemed a little overshadowed by Gabriel’s journey.

In the end, I can wholeheartedly recommend *Gabriel's Moon* to anyone who enjoys spy novels and historical fiction. Boyd has once again proven his storytelling skills, creating a book that's both a thrilling read and a heartfelt exploration of complex themes. Happy reading!