I’m a longtime admirer of William Boyd’s work, and I think this is one of his most intriguing. Gabriel Dax was orphaned when his mother died in a house fire that he barely escaped. Decades later, he is a successful travel writer, but nightmares about fire make him an insomniac, and he is plagued by his inability to remember the details of that deadly night.

Changes in Gabriel’s life begin in 1960, when he is unexpectedly invited by an old friend to interview Patrice Lumumba, president of the Congo, who is killed shortly after Gabriel’s interview. At the same time, Gabriel decides to enter into psychotherapy to get help with his insomnia, which leads him to investigate to see if he can learn more about the fire that has so affected his life.

Soon after his return from the Congo, he is approached by an attractive MI6 agent named Faith, who asks him to travel to Spain and perform a simple errand. Gabriel’s much older brother, Sefton, who works at the Foreign Office assures Gabriel that Faith really does work at MI6. Gabriel’s agreement, on almost a whim, takes him deeper and deeper into the mysterious world of spycraft, where he views himself at first as a useful idiot and a pawn, but gradually takes initiatives to learn exactly what is going on—which, in the early 1960s, is a lot.

This is a slow burn of an espionage novel, particularly attractive because the leading character is an amateur, which has the effect of making the reader feel a part of Gabriel’s efforts to understand what he’s gotten himself into and to take some control over his second life as a spy. There is a subtle theme of a mouse infestation of Gabriel’s apartment that symbolizes Gabriel’s own position in the spy world.

Gabriel Dax interviewed Patrice Lumumba in the Congo before his death. He has the last remaining tapes of those interviews, and certain people do not want them to exist. Author William Boyd gives us a spy thriller that doesn't need a super hero to save the day. He keeps the plot rolling and the surprises unending. Without spoiling the details, I recommend this novel.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

As much as I love densely plotted spy novels, sometimes they get so murky I lose track of the whys and whos. That's not the case with "Gabriel's Moon" by William Boyd. The main plot is complex enough to be credible but not so convoluted that I feel trapped in an Escher drawing. Of course the writing is an ideal balance of snappy and pictorial (it's William Boyd, after all), though there were a few had-to-look-them-up words repeated enough times for no good reason that shouted "Look at me" rather than aided the story.

As protagonist Gabriel tries to solve the mystery of the MI6 plot he has become part of, he's also trying to solve another mystery, regarding the fire that orphaned him when he was a child. This plays out in a way that might be satisfying to some, frustrating to others. I think if you're a fan of John le Carré or Alan Furst, or if you care as much about character as plot, you'll like it, and the book as a whole.

Thank you, NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

While it wasn’t my first in this literary category, this isn’t a sub-genre that I read regularly. Does that fact make me easily amused or a harder critic? I’m not sure. The great news is that I don’t believe that you have to be a le Carré connoisseur to enjoy this novel. Gabriel’s Moon is da cool historical fiction set during the Cold War, easily digestible and entertaining.

The lead in Gabriel’s Moon is Gabriel Dax, a successful travel writer who was severely traumatized as a child. Now in his adulthood, Gabriel seems to live a perfectly enviable life of endless journeys and casual courtship, though his trauma has shaped how he interacts with the World in a multitude of ways. When Gabriel visits the Congo for his latest piece, an old friend secures him an out-of-the-way but estimable assignment interviewing the country’s new Prime Minister. That interview, and an encounter with an MI6 agent, sets his future streaking in a different direction. Gabriel’s days soon fill with danger, paranoia, confusion, grief, and absurdity. Is he unraveling or is something darker at play?

Gabriel’s Moon opens with intensity and continues on varying between mental uncertainty and physical danger. While not a spy expert, I enjoyed my time reading this novel and I turned to it often when I had a few minutes to spare. What drew me in was the mixture of excitement and intrigue with just the right amount of tension to bolster a story like this.

As I read, I stayed for the underlying commentary on what it is to be a person with complexities and baggage trying to make their best decisions in life. Often in storytelling, authors show us a “right” or a “wrong” answer when it comes to their characters’ problem-solving. Gabriel’s Moon, in many ways, is the antithesis of that and shows the reader a truer reflection of their real lives. In this story, the sensible response doesn’t always produce the desired results and things continue to get twisted along the way. It is an interesting thing to ponder as the story goes along.

This novel was a fun one to read while also being smart and heavy. It was a great reminder for me that sometimes stepping out of the reading comfort zone provides great rewards. Fans of thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction, or spy stories should absolutely add Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd to their to-be-read list.

I thought I was going to enjoy this one, but it didn't work for me. The blurb was so interesting and I really wanted to like it. However, I didn't particularly connect with Gabriel as a protagonist and as a result, I wasn't invested in the story.

I really liked the central plot of this novel. Boyd spins an effective wrong place, wrong time/spy story. However, he takes some detours that I found off-putting and detrimental to the pacing of main events. While it feels Boyd was attempting a deeper, psychological dive, I was unable to access any emotional response to his main character.

William Boyd is one of the many authors to write a James Bond novel (Solo) and he did so very much in the classic mode. So it might be no surprise that he has set his new venture into the world of espionage, Gabriel’s Moon, in the 1960s. His main character, Gabriel Dax is no James Bond, no matter how much he would like to think he is.
Gabriel’s Moon opens with a tragedy from the protagonist’s early life. A house fire in the 1930s when he was six that took the life of his mother. Gabriel has always felt partially responsible as the cause of the fire was said to be the candle in his moon-shaped night light. Fast forward to the 1960s and Gabriel is a successful travel writer. On a trip to the newly create Republic of Congo he scores an interview through an old school friend with the new Prime Minister. Gabriel has been running errands for his brother who he suspects is in the Secret Service and is soon ‘recruited’ by a woman called Faith Green who wants to him to do small jobs for her for sums of money that he cannot refuse. Gabriel slowly finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into the murky world of espionage and counter espionage while also having to deal with those who are after the recording of his Congolese interview.
Gabriel is a great main character – not as famous as he would like to be, intelligent but not as smart as he thinks he is, self aware but not in a way that stops him doing things that he knows he shouldn’t. And he is easily manipulated by Faith, more than he often realises. But he is also, it seems, a natural spy, often making the right move to save himself from danger without having to be taught.
In Solo, Boyd tried to dig behind the superspy image of James Bond to as he puts it “reveal the man behind the icon”. With Gabriel’s Moon he goes one better, giving readers an reasonably ordinary, although well educated protagonist who has to make up spycraft as he goes along. He still has the international travel (Gabriel is a travel writer after all), the womanising and the drinking, but even all of this feels more realistic. And he is seeing a therapist to work through his childhood trauma, although this is not as straightforward as it seems either.
Whan Gabriel’s Moon ends, Gabriel has sworn off spy work and thrown himself into writing his new book. But Boyd more than hints that there may be more to come. And given that it feels like Garbriel is only at the start of a journey, it will be interesting to see where Boyd takes him next.

Another excellent spy novel from this author. Boyd’s books are so rich in character and detail that
they are a must read for me. Dark doings in the Conga during the early 60’s leads our hero down
some mysterious paths with some very duplicitous characters.

Gabriel's Moon is the kind of book you can recommend to so many people - those who like spy stories, those who like books about ordinary people in unusual situations, those who like literary fiction, etc. I wish Lorraine's character wasn't quite so one dimensional, but I devoured this book in a day.

So many thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC of this! I absolutely adore William Boyd's books. My favorite is "Any Human Heart" - perhaps the least talked about classic in my view. I read Boyd's new one yesterday. Once I started it, I had to finish it. Boyd's borks are always like that for me. This new book was no different. This was a fun read that I think any Boyd fan will relish. Boyd pulls the reader in and then boom the journey begins. The main character is somewhat lost in his life. He is an orphan with a brother that he is not close to. He falls into travel writing and then becomes a spy. Wonderful story. This is why I read. Highly recommended!

In his 2013 James Bond novel, Solo, Boyd sent the iconic secret agent to 1969 Nigeria. While the protagonist of his new book shares Bond’s love of good liquor and beautiful women, he is a reluctant spy, and the author here is interested in exploring the morally murky world of Cold War espionage, double dealings, political murders, and defections. It is August 1960, and British travel writer Gabriel Dax is interviewing Patrice Lumumba, the Prime Minister of the newly independent Republic of the Congo. Lumumba, who insists the interview be recorded, mentions that certain foreign powers aim to assassinate him. On the flight back to London, Gabriel notices an attractive older woman reading one of his travel books. Other odd incidents occur. Gabriel’s editor cancels the Lumumba piece and demands his notes and tapes, which is not standard journalistic practice. Instead, Gabriel buries the tapes in his garden. The woman on the plane, Faith Green, turns up at Gabriel’s door and asks him to do “small favors” for MI6, similar to the ones he does for his elder brother, Sefton, in the Foreign Office. Gabriel initially refuses but falls under Faith’s seductive spell and embarks on his first assignment in Spain. The writer is soon caught in a twisty labyrinth of lies and betrayals, and, like Michael Corleone in Godfather, Part III, gets pulled back into the spy game each time he tries to extricate himself from the manipulative Faith’s machinations. At the same time, Gabriel struggles to understand, through analysis, the childhood trauma—his mother’s death in a fire—that has scarred his life. This first-rate complex and suspenseful historical thriller will resonate with fans of John le Carré and Alan Furst.—Willy Williams

This latest thriller from contains many of William Boyd's favorite themes--Africa, psychology, spycraft, unlikely loves, and a complicated protagonist. It's a fine spy novel as well as an adept examination of memory and loss.

Gabriel Dax is trying to untangle a couple of mysteries in his life. The first is how he survived the tragic house fire that killed his mother, a fire officials say was started by his lunar nightlight, known in the family as "Gabriel's Moon." Orphaned at the age of six, he was raised by an uncle who owns a fine art business. Now a travel writer, living in London, he wonders why he was chosen to interview Patrice Lumumba, the elected leader of the freshly independent nation of Congo. He and Lumumba barely have a language in common, so he records the interview so he can check it as he writes his article. The article never sees the light of day because Lumumba is assassinated in January 1961, just a few months later. Why does a woman he sees reading one of his travel books on the flight from Brazzaville approach him asking a "favor" that includes a visit to a Spanish artist?
Why has an arcane magazine offered him a large commission to write a travel article? What are all these questions about the tapes from Brazzaville?

William Boyd has a way of peeling layers away from a character that reveals even more about them, but leaves readers with more questions. "Gabriel's Moon" is complex and complicated with plenty of twists and trips to Iron Curtain countries and Fascist Spain. Boyd keeps the action and moving as questions deepen. Set in the early 1960s, you'll see the seeds of many conflicts in the modern world.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital review copy of this intriguing and exciting thriller. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is set in the early 1960s when Gabriel, a travel writer, does little jobs (delivering things mainly) for his brother who works for the Foreign Office. Then he is asked to run a little errand for MI6 and one thing leads to another. Gabriel finds himself powerless to resist his MI6 handler Faith, but at the same time as all this is going on, he is being threatened and pestered to hand over some politically sensitive tapes of an interview he had with the prime minister of the newly independent Congo, and is also undergoing psychoanalysis to try to come to terms with a childhood tragedy in which his mother died. I liked Gabriel and was firmly on his side, but his relationships with and attitudes towards women were a bit troubling. He looked down on his girlfriend who worked in a Wimpy (remember them?) and I found his obsession with Faith unconvincing. I'm not sure if this is how Boyd always writes his male characters or if this was mean to be a combination of the culture of the time and Gabriel's troubled past. Mainly though I was in awe of the amount of alcohol he managed to put away each day.

I enjoyed the writing and appreciated the way everything came together, but I'm not sure I would describe this as particularly fast-paced. It was exciting in places, but then things would settle down again for a while and Gabriel would go back to doing battle with his resident mouse.

Another great story from William Boyd, does he ever write a bad book? I don't think so.

Set in the early 1960's, against a background of countries seeking independence in Africa and the Cuban missile crisis, this is a great spy novel which really sucks you into the story. There are double and triple bluffs, and twists and surprises right until the last paragraph.

The main character Gabriel Dax, is well drawn, with many flaws, but you love him and want him to win out, does he do this eventually, you are left to make your own conclusions. Throughout the story he is well supported by other characters including his manipulating boss, the turned double agent and his brother.

This is an excellent spy story, well written and up there with the likes of John LeCarre for intrigue.

Set in the Cold War of the 60s, Gabriel is a travel writer with a tragic past. He is enlisted by the Intelligence Service as an occasional courier. He becomes infatuated with his female handler as his simple tasks lead to a world of intrigue and confusion. I love the author’s writing, but was slightly underwhelmed with this one. Normally characters are so fleshed out you feel they are almost family and you are sucked into powerful and expansive stories. But Gabriel is hard to like and makes some decisions that you, as the reader, find unrealistic and distracting. Likewise the plot has aspects that don’t work and the characters are not powerful enough to balance it.

The Reluctant Agent

Set in the 1960s Cold War era of heightened tensions between the US and the West against the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, William Boyd’s 2024 gripping novel, “Gabrielle’s Moon“, recaptures the who-do-you-trust tension of spies, double agents and bewildered bystanders.

Under President Eisenhower the US was transforming from the World War II victory over Nazi fascism to establishing democracy as the way forward for other countries. Meanwhile Britain was still reeling from the uncovering of the Cambridge Five spy ring betraying Western secrets to the Soviets.

Not all emerging nations agreed with the democracy platform.

Against this backdrop in London Gabrielle Dax, a moderately successful travel writer, fresh with a successful book, “Dictatorland: Journeys through Autocracies” is recruited to interview Patrice Lumumba, head of the newly established independent Congo. His promising article is suppressed before publication just ahead of Lumumba’s assassination - without explanation.

Shortly thereafter, Gabrielle goes on a seemingly innocent errand to acquire a painting by a painter known as Blanco in Cadiz, Spain for his brother, Sefton Roscommon, a member of the British government. Before long, he meets the intriguing Faith Green with ties to US intelligence and the British Secret Service Head in Madrid, Christopher “Kit” Caldwell – both of whom will move in and out of his life at unexpected moments for the next few years.

As a counterpoint, Gabrielle has his own issues he is beset with and seeing therapist, Dr Katerina Haas, to work through and accept. Certain memories remain out of reach for him in his quest for anamnesis – “to recollect happenings – facts – that have preceded the symptoms you are experiencing“ - as Dr. Haas explains. Their visits make a nice counterpoint to the main story.

Without going into any more detail to avoid revealing too much, the novel’s pace gains increasing momentum with its twists toward the end – a story reminiscent of the works by the great John le Carre.

As the tale’s opening epigraph by Franz Kafka states: “From a certain point on, there is no turning back. This is the point that needs to be reached.”

Undoubtedly William Boyd's best ever book. Gabriel, a useful idiot traumatised by his childhood, is the central character of this slick and sexy novel. Into his life comes the enigmatic and independent Faith Green.
It confidently moves from location to location, like the best Bond movie.
Please, Mr Boyd, let this be the first of many novels featuring the brilliant Faith Green.

'He was like a man in an ever-widening, ever-vermiculated labyrinth, he decided, but one with no exit'.

Gabriel Dax, 30 something-year-old travel writer, based in London, tragically orphaned at 6 years old, lives pretty vanilla life, when his latest article takes him to the Congo. It's 1960 and Patrice Lumumba is the newly elected prime minister, and although Dax isn't a political journalist he's been asked to tape an interview with Lumumba about Congo's newly found independence. Soon after, in fact, starting on the plane trip home, a series of odd events begin to unfold, 'How had this happened to him? How had his happy, unremarkable existence taken this swerve'? Dax becomes caught up within a web of espionage, but just like the elusive mouse, evading capture in his flat, Dax quickly sharpens his wits in this world of double-crossing, lies, and illusion, 'He wasn't going to be their useful idiot anymore'.

This was my first Boyd book, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Dax, the reluctant, whisky-loving spy and unwitting pawn. Full of Cold War fears and 60s flair, this story will keep many types of story lovers entertained.

'Writing stabilized thoughts; it allowed you to see connections that thoughts alone didn't'.

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

‘Gabriel’s Moon’ is a new book by best-selling author Willian Boyd. It is a novel inspired by real events, the unseemly death of Congo politician Patrice Lumumba, in post-Colonial Belgium Congo in 1961.

As a back-story to the main plot, the book describes the difficult circumstances surrounding the upbringing of Gabriel, in the UK during the 1930s. Gabriel becomes a travel journalist and almost by chance, interviews Lumumba shortly before his death in 1961. The plot surrounds Gabriel’s coming-to-terms with his upbringing and the aftermath of Lumumba’s death which involves the participation or at least collusion and coverup by officials from various countries including Belguim, the US and the UK. The scenes in the book take place briefly in the Congo, but primarily in the early 1960s of London and Europe. As a back-drop, the Cold War casts a shadow over these events.

The author builds the scenes, Africa, Europe and in particular London with considerable detail using various descriptions and props. London in the 1960s is ‘swinging’ of course. Also carefully portrayed is the culture, the clothing and the habits of the British ‘Class’ system. After a while, these efforts become repetitive, a little tedious and distracting. British fashions from the 1960s mean little to me and may resonate even less with younger or non-British readers. A Loden coat ? A Mulberry scarf ? Wimpy ? Pretty much every time someone has a drink, and it happens frequently, we get a full brand description including glass, ice and additives. Pints of beer for lower classes and more harder drinks for middle to upper classes. Food, perfume and lipsticks colours are treated in much the same way. Over-described, certainly defining ‘Class’ but adding little to the characters or atmosphere.

The plot, or more correctly, overlapping plots, are complex, often involving the motives and actions of shadowy types from various Government agencies. Several scenes portrayed or referenced mirror real Cold War events from the 1960s. Weapon mishaps, double-agents, defections. But it’s all a little predictable, a little contrived and too fantastic. Too many colourful character who ultimately come across as well-worn clichés.

It is difficult to identify or sympathise with the main protagonist Gabriel, the journalist who interviewed Lumumba. Gabriel acquired certain knowledge from the interview which has inadvertently caused him to become embroiled in a dangerous, shadowy world which is a little more sordid and morally ambiguous that his usual occupation.

I find Gabriel to be self-centred, pompous, superior and condescending. He is especially thoughtless and seemingly uncaring towards his working-class girlfriend and another young woman character. Maybe this is intended to be related to an unfortunate childhood event ? Perhaps so, but even then, it’s really doesn’t excuse his behaviour as an adult. Otherwise it is clumsy character-building. An upper middle-class pretentious snob, who smokes French cigarettes and drinks the best whiskey. I’m really not sure if the author intended to portray him as such an obnoxious character or perhaps hoped he would come across as some sort of 1960’s ‘activist’ with his heart and head in the right place.

An obsession which leads to a brief affair between the Gabriel and a glamorous and sophisticated character doesn’t ring true, given what we know about them both. Although possible, it is an odd distraction which adds little to the plot, the characters or their actions. There is another scene where Gabriel commits an act pretty close to treason. The author attempts to imbue him with courage and morality.

“He knew he had done the right thing…”.

I suspect many readers will disagree and see this as another misguided act from a naive and impressionable young man. Someone a bit dim, a bit creepy and certainly petulant.

Ultimately, after a lot of dining, smoking, drinking and unlikely plot-twists, the story concludes. Given the author’s reputation, it is an unsatisfying read with clichéd characters, unbelievable plot twists and predictable conclusions. The author has achieved many awards and accolades for his books over the years. I intend to visit some of his earlier works as the often exotic locations and contemporary events provide a great background for an entertaining novel.

I will add a closing note. Having read ‘Gabriel’s Moon’, my interest in the Cold War has been stimulated, in particular the events surrounding the death of Patrice Lumumba, the aftermath being the catalyst driving the main plot. I recall a recommendation by The Economist as one of their best books from 2023. ‘The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination’ by Stuart A. Reid.

Gabriel's Moon is a thoughtful novel which harks back to classic spy thrillers. As a reader you have no additional insight into the trustworthiness (or otherwise) of the people Dax encounters, adding to the tension as you're drawn deeper into the plot.
There's an authenticity in the telling of Dax's meeting with Patrice Lumumba and the Congo situation and as a travel writer and journalist he is the perfect "useful idiot" for this tale.
Dax's childhood trauma and his search for answers gives another interesting element to the story and leads to his sessions with a psychiatrist, his lack of commitment in relationships and possibly his heavy drinking!
Unfortunately I found that Boyd's female characters lack much depth - Dax encounters several interesting women throughout the book and it would have been preferable to have their characters fleshed out rather than just as devices to propel the plot along. I'm sure I'm not the only reader vexed by Boyd's frequent use of obscure vocabulary. I found it gets in the way of losing oneself in the plot. These are just small quibbles on what was otherwise a very satisfying read.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy to review.