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.

This book just went on and on and on. I think it could have used a lot of editing. It just did not work for me.

A page turner, to be sure. But, this spy novel doesn’t quite reach the promise of the blurb comparing this to Slow Horses. A fun afternoon read, tho.

There's nothing wrong here, and plenty right (concept, relevance, timeliness), yet I found myself struggling to stay with the story and keep turning pages... I'm not really sure why - the writing is fine and the idea an intriguing one - beyond saying that the writer's style and my reading style just don't seem to have meshed well.

Exciting. Good blend of action mystery about who is doing what to whom. Overall premise a bit implausible, but overall very entertaining.