Author Daniel Silva has signed a deal with Universal Pictures to bring Gabriel Allon, the star of his bestselling spy series, to the big screen. Allon is an art restorer and semi-retired Israeli spy, and has starred in ten of Silva’s thrillers. Book eleven, Portrait of a Spy, is due in July.

Universal nearly purchased the movie rights to Silva’s books a few years ago, but the deal fell through. I attended a book signing event back in 2009 for Daniel Silva’s The Defector, and he spoke about Hollywood’s interest in Gabriel Allon. He talked about how frustrating the whole process is and how he wants the movie version of Gabriel Allon to stay true to the character he created. He said:

You know, after nine books I’m very protective of him [Gabriel Allon]. But I also feel that after nine books he belongs less and less to me and more to you the readers. And I feel obligated to make certain that the Gabriel Allon that exists on the page is the one that ends up on the screen. [Applause] And I’m adamant about this. I have heard things that would make my hair stand on end. I had a meeting with a producer and director team that have done some of the most successful thrillers of the last twenty years—a series—I can’t say what they are because these are confidential discussions. And they said they really wanted to do it but there was just one problem. They said, “Does Gabriel really have to be Jewish?” [Laughter] I thought about it and I said, “He is Israeli. I think that’s one we’re not going to be able to fudge.”

So why did Silva sign off on the movie deal this time? According to Deadline, it might be because his friend Jeff Zucker, former head of NBC Universal, has agreed to produce the movie. Silva has been named an executive producer as well.

As for casting Gabriel Allon, Silva said this at the book signing:

I’ve stated often that my ideal casting would be Daniel Day Lewis, but he won a little thing called the Academy Award last year so I don’t know that he’s going to be available. But there are a number of wonderful actors who are dying to play the role.

Who would you like to see as Gabriel Allon? And which of his ten books would make the best movie? Let me know in the comments.

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

Last year, I attended one of Silva’s book signings for The Defector, and he spoke about the possibility of bringing back characters Michael Osbourne and Jean-Paul Delaroche. He said he thinks he subconsciously combined Osbourne and Delaroche when he created Gabriel Allon. Although he’s tempted to bring them back, he feels like they almost can’t exist in the same universe as Allon.

Silva also spoke about Hollywood’s interest in Gabriel Allon. He said the rumors that he sold the movie rights to his books to Universal are false. Apparently, he frequently receives pitches from movie studios and actors, but doesn’t have the confidence that Hollywood will represent Gabriel Allon in the same way as the books.

Daniel Silva’s latest book, The Rembrandt Affair, debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list earlier this summer.

(Source: AP)

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

With new releases from Nora Roberts, Daniel Silva, and Jennifer Weiner, July is another big month for books. Take a look at some upcoming book releases I think you’ll be interested in.

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand
Available July 6, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
From New York Times bestseller Elin Hilderbrand, a new novel set on Tuckernuck, a tiny island off the coast of Nantucket.

Four women-a mother, her sister, two grown daughters-head to Tuckernuck for a retreat, hoping to escape their troubles. Intead, they find only drama, secrets, and life-changing revelations.

The Search by Nora Roberts
Available July 6, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
The #1 New York Times-bestselling author presents a riveting novel where a canine search and rescue volunteer fights danger and finds love in the Pacific Northwest wilderness.

To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare…

Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona’s cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.

On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He’s the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon’s house, and he’s at his wit’s end.

To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can’t handle. Simon, however, is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he’s a rugged and in-tensely private artist, known for the exquisite furniture he creates from wood. Simon never wanted a puppy-and he most definitely doesn’t want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to his hormones.

As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands…

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman
Available July 6, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Heralded as “a modern day Jane Austen” by USA Today, National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Allegra Goodman has compelled and delighted hundreds of thousands of readers. Now, in her most ambitious work yet, Goodman weaves together the worlds of Silicon Valley and rare book collecting in a delicious novel about appetite, temptation, and fulfillment.

Emily and Jessamine Bach are opposites in every way: Twenty-eight-year-old Emily is the CEO of Veritech, twenty-three-year-old Jess is an environmental activist and graduate student in philosophy. Pragmatic Emily is making a fortune in Silicon Valley, romantic Jess works in an antiquarian bookstore. Emily is rational and driven, while Jess is dreamy and whimsical. Emily’s boyfriend, Jonathan, is fantastically successful. Jess’s boyfriends, not so much—as her employer George points out in what he hopes is a completely disinterested way.

Bicoastal, surprising, rich in ideas and characters, The Cookbook Collector is a novel about getting and spending, and about the substitutions we make when we can’t find what we’re looking for: reading cookbooks instead of cooking, speculating instead of creating, collecting instead of living. But above all it is about holding on to what is real in a virtual world: love that stays.

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Available July 13, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

According to Jennifer Weiner’s website:
FLY AWAY HOME, my newest novel, will be published on July 13, 2010. It’s a story that will probably feel familiar to anyone who’s been following the news over the last year or two: a powerful politician is caught in an affair, and gives a press conference apologizing for his indiscretions with his long-suffering spouse at this side. The book picks up when the press conference ends — what becomes of the broken-hearted wife of a cheating senator? And how does the scandal affect his adult daughters?

Live To Tell by Lisa Gardner
Available July 13, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
He knows everything about you—including the first place you’ll hide.

On a warm summer night in one of Boston’s working-class neighborhoods, an unthinkable crime has been committed: Four members of a family have been brutally murdered. The father—and possible suspect—now lies clinging to life in the ICU. Murder-suicide? Or something worse? Veteran police detective D. D. Warren is certain of only one thing: There’s more to this case than meets the eye.

Danielle Burton is a survivor, a dedicated nurse whose passion is to help children at a locked-down pediatric psych ward. But she remains haunted by a family tragedy that shattered her life nearly twenty-five years ago. The dark anniversary is approaching, and when D. D. Warren and her partner show up at the facility, Danielle immediately realizes: It has started again.

A devoted mother, Victoria Oliver has a hard time remembering what normalcy is like. But she will do anything to ensure that her troubled son has some semblance of a childhood. She will love him no matter what. Nurture him. Keep him safe. Protect him. Even when the threat comes from within her own house.

In New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner’s most compelling work of suspense to date, the lives of these three women unfold and connect in unexpected ways, as sins from the past emerge—and stunning secrets reveal just how tightly blood ties can bind. Sometimes the most devastating crimes are the ones closest to home.

Faithful Place by Tana French
Available July 13, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
The hotly anticipated third novel of the Dublin murder squad from the New York Times bestselling author

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was nineteen, growing up poor in Dublin’s inner city, and living crammed into a small flat with his family on Faithful Place. But he had his sights set on a lot more. He and Rosie Daly were all ready to run away to London together, get married, get good jobs, break away from factory work and poverty and their old lives.

But on the winter night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn’t show. Frank took it for granted that she’d dumped him-probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again.

Neither did Rosie. Everyone thought she had gone to England on her own and was over there living a shiny new life. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie’s suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes it or not.

Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he’s a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he’s willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.

The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva
Available July 20, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Gabriel Allon returns in the spellbinding new novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.

Two families, one terrible secret, and a painting to die for…

It has been six months since Gabriel’s showdown with Ivan Kharkov. Now, having severed his ties with the Office, Gabriel has retreated to the Cornish coast with only one thing in mind: healing his wife, Chiara, after her encounter with evil. But an unspeakable act of violence once again draws Gabriel into a world of danger when an art restorer is brutally murdered and the newly discovered Rembrandt on which he is working taken. Gabriel is persuaded to use his unique skills to trace the painting and those responsible for the crimes; but, as he investigates, he discovers there are terrible secrets connected to the painting, and terrible men behind them. Before he is done, he will have undertaken a journey through some of the twentieth century’s darkest history-and come face-to-face with some of the same darkness within himself.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Available July 20, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love – the light and the dark, the warm and the cold – in a way you will never forget.

Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Available July 20, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
It’s finally here! Six years and almost 1000 pages have all led to this epic finale! With six of Ramona’s seven evil exes dispatched, it should be time for Scott Pilgrim to face Gideon Graves, the biggest and baddest of her former beaus. But didn’t Ramona take off at the end of Book 5? Shouldn’t that let Scott off the hook? Maybe it should, maybe it shouldn’t, but one thing is for certain all of this has been building to Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour! The sixth and final volume to indie comics most influential series in the last decade! Soon to be a major motion picture coming in August 2010 directed by Edgar Wright and starring Michael Cera.

Star Island by Carl Hiaasen
Available July 27, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Meet twenty-two-year-old Cherry Pye (née Cheryl Bunterman), a pop star since she was fourteen—and about to attempt a comeback from her latest drug-and-alcohol disaster.

Now meet Cherry again: in the person of her “undercover stunt double,” Ann DeLusia. Ann portrays Cherry whenever the singer is too “indisposed”—meaning wasted—to go out in public. And it is Ann-mistaken-for-Cherry who is kidnapped from a South Beach hotel by obsessed paparazzo Bang Abbott.

Now the challenge for Cherry’s handlers (über–stage mother; horndog record producer; nipped, tucked, and Botoxed twin publicists; weed whacker–wielding bodyguard) is to rescue Ann while keeping her existence a secret from Cherry’s public—and from Cherry herself.

The situation is more complicated than they know. Ann has had a bewitching encounter with Skink—the unhinged former governor of Florida living wild in a mangrove swamp—and now he’s heading for Miami to find her . . .

Will Bang Abbott achieve his fantasy of a lucrative private photo session with Cherry Pye? Will Cherry sober up in time to lip-synch her way through her concert tour? Will Skink track down Ann DeLusia before Cherry’s motley posse does?

All will be revealed in this hilarious spin on life in the celebrity fast lane.

Some of the most highly anticipated books of the year are coming this summer and I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Here’s a list of the blockbuster books that you will want to take to the beach with you this summer:

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Available May 4, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry…

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
Available May, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Lisbeth Salander-the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels-lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge-against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer
Available June 5, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

The Passage by Justin Cronin
Available June 8, 2010 (Order on Amazon)
This is being touted as this summer’s “it” book and the movie rights have already sold for over a million dollars.

From the publisher:
“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear-of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey-spanning miles and decades-towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.

The Lion by Nelson Demille
Available June 8, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
In this eagerly awaited follow-up to The Lion’s Game, John Corey, former NYPD Homicide detective and special agent for the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, is back. And, unfortunately for Corey, so is Asad Khalil, the notorious Libyan terrorist otherwise known as “The Lion.” Last we heard from him, Khali had claimed to be defecting to the US only to unleash the most horrific reign of terrorism ever to occur on American soil. While Corey and his partner, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, chased him across the country, Khalil methodically eliminated his victims one by one and then disappeared without a trace.

Now, years later, Khalil has returned to America to make good on his threats and take care of unfinished business. “The Lion” is a killing machine once again loose in America with a mission of revenge, and John Corey will stop at nothing to achieve his own goal — to find and kill Khahil.

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
Available June 22, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn’t specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck. . . .

BAD LUCK:
Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced. Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.

GOOD LUCK:
Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie. If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.

BAD LUCK:
Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000. Vinnie’s messing up Mooner’s vibe, running up pay-per-view porn charges in Ranger’s apartment, and making Stephanie question genetics.

GOOD LUCK:
Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, Mooner’s Hobbit-Con charity event, and Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle, they just might raise enough money to save the business, and Vinnie, from ruin.

BAD LUCK:
Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.

GOOD LUCK:
The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous security expert, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky—the only question is . . . with whom?

Sizzling Sixteen . . . so hot, the pages might spontaneously combust!

Family Ties by Danielle Steel
Available June 22, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Annie Ferguson was a bright young Manhattan architect. Talented, beautiful, just starting out with her first job, new apartment and boyfriend, she had the world in the palm of her hand-until a single phone call altered the course of her life forever. Overnight, she became the mother to her sister’s three orphaned children, keeping a promise she never regretted making, even if it meant putting her own life indefinitely on hold.

Now, at forty-two, as independent as ever, with a satisfying career and a family that means everything to her, Annie is comfortable being single and staying that way. She appears to have no time for anything else. With her nephew and nieces now young adults and confronting major challenges of their own, Annie is navigating a parent’s difficult passage between lending them a hand and letting go, and suddenly facing an empty nest. The eldest, twenty-eight-year-old Liz, an overworked, struggling editor in a high-powered job at Vogue, has never allowed any man to come close enough to hurt her. Ted, at twenty-four a serious and hardworking law student, is captivated by a much older, much more experienced woman with children, who is leading him much further than he wants to go. And the youngest, twenty-one-year-old Katie-impulsive, artistic, rebellious-is an art student about to make a choice that will lead her to an entirely different world she is in no way prepared for but determined to embrace.

Then, just when least expected, a chance encounter changes Annie’s life yet again in the most unexpected direction of all.

From Manhattan to Paris and all the way to Tehran, Family Ties is a novel that reminds us how challenging and unpredictable life can be, and that the powerful bonds of family are the strongest of all.

Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Available June 28, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
The police can’t help you

Former CIA agent Jack Morgan runs Private, a renowned investigation company with branches around the globe. It is where you go when you need maximum force and maximum discretion. The secrets of the most influential men and women on the planet come to Jack daily–and his staff of investigators uses the world’s most advanced forensic tools to make and break their cases.

The press will destroy you

Jack is already deep into the investigation of a multi-million dollar NFL gambling scandal and the unsolved slayings of 18 schoolgirls when he learns of a horrific murder close to home: his best friend’s wife, Jack’s former lover, has been killed. It nearly pushes him over the edge. Instead, Jack pushes back and devotes all of Private’s resources to tracking down her killer.

Only one place to turn: Private

But Jack doesn’t have to play by the rules. As he closes in on the killer and chooses between revenge and justice, Morgan has to navigate a workplace love affair that threatens to blow the roof off his plans. With a plot that moves at death-defying speeds, Private is James Patterson sleekest, most exciting thriller ever.

The Search by Nora Roberts
Available July 6, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
The #1 New York Times-bestselling author presents a riveting novel where a canine search and rescue volunteer fights danger and finds love in the Pacific Northwest wilderness.

To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare…

Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona’s cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.

On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He’s the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon’s house, and he’s at his wit’s end.

To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can’t handle. Simon, however, is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he’s a rugged and in-tensely private artist, known for the exquisite furniture he creates from wood. Simon never wanted a puppy-and he most definitely doesn’t want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to his hormones.

As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands…

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Available July 13, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a novel about a family of women who seek refuge in an old beach house.

The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva
Available July 20, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Gabriel Allon returns in the spellbinding new novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.

Two families, one terrible secret, and a painting to die for…

It has been six months since Gabriel’s showdown with Ivan Kharkov. Now, having severed his ties with the Office, Gabriel has retreated to the Cornish coast with only one thing in mind: healing his wife, Chiara, after her encounter with evil. But an unspeakable act of violence once again draws Gabriel into a world of danger when an art restorer is brutally murdered and the newly discovered Rembrandt on which he is working taken. Gabriel is persuaded to use his unique skills to trace the painting and those responsible for the crimes; but, as he investigates, he discovers there are terrible secrets connected to the painting, and terrible men behind them. Before he is done, he will have undertaken a journey through some of the twentieth century’s darkest history-and come face-to-face with some of the same darkness within himself.

The Devil Colony by James Rollins
Available August 3, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

The details of the 6th book in the Sigma series are being kept under wraps. However, James Rollins recently tweeted “I am marrying the history of the Founding Fathers to Nanotechnology…Sorry can’t say more than that.”

UPDATE 7/30/2010: James Rollins recently announced on his blog that the release of The Devil Colony has been pushed back to June 2011. He says, “Due to a squeezed schedule, the publication of The Devil Colony will be pushed off until next summer (June 2011). I was disappointed to learn this, but it was not totally unexpected. Publishers like to have manuscripts hitting an editor’s desk about a year before it is due to be published. The reason for that long lead-time is to help in promotion, marketing, and getting Advanced Readers Copies to reviewers.”

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Available August 24, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

Daniel Silva’s twelfth book, The Defector, is currently number one on the New York Time’s bestseller list and the author was at Borders Books & Music in Birmingham, Michigan on August 3rd to speak to a packed crowd. The Defector is the ninth book to feature popular character Gabriel Allon, a retired Israeli spy who works as an art restorer. Silva spoke at length about his travels and foreign affairs with the practiced air of a college professor. He also announced his recent appointment to the council of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Silva described The Defector as a love story and said that his inspiration came from his good friend Henry Winkler (Fonzie on Happy Days). Winkler suggested that Gabriel Allon is too cool and detached and he wanted to see him show some emotion. Silva complied with his friend’s request and many critics think it may be his best book yet.

He was also inspired to write this book by the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian defector who was poisoned with radioactive material in London. This and other recent events have Silva very concerned about what is happening in Russia. He feels strongly that Vladimir Putin is rolling back democracy and is “engaged in a very systematic effort to whitewash and airbrush away the worst aspects of Russia’s communist past and to play up its successes. It is quite literally, and I mean quite literally, right now rewriting Russia’s history books.” Silva is concerned that history could repeat itself and already sees it starting to happen with recent murders of Russian journalists who had been critical of the current regime.

World politics and terrorism play a large role in Silva’s books and it is a subject he seemed very knowledgeable about. The Defector takes place in various locations around the world, including London, Paris, Lake Como, and Russia. Silva has spent time in each location, including Moscow; although now he doesn’t think he will be allowed back into Russia. It’s his understanding that the Russians were not too happy about his book Moscow Rules and would not give him a visa if he applied for one. The laws there prohibit criticism of the government, so Silva is reluctant to return after writing two books that are deeply critical of the Kremlin.

If you are waiting for a Gabriel Allon movie, don’t hold your breath. Hollywood is definitely interested, but Silva isn’t selling. Producers, directors, and actors have all pitched movie ideas to Silva but there’s always a snag. One producer/director asked Silva if Gabriel Allon really had to be Jewish, to which Silva replied, “Well, he is Israeli… I think that’s one we’re not going to be able to fudge.” He does consider each offer; he just hasn’t found the right one yet. Daniel Day Lewis is who he envisions starring as Allon.

The Defector is in stores now (you can buy it on Amazon) and if you would like to hear more from Daniel Silva check out this interview on Minnesota Public Radio.