The Defector was published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in 2009 as a direct sequel to Moscow Rules. Grigori Bulganov, a Russian journalist who defected to the West with Allon’s help, is kidnapped and taken back to Russia. The kidnapping is a trap set by Ivan Kharkov, the arms dealer Allon targeted in the previous novel. To rescue Bulganov — and because the defector knows secrets that could compromise Israeli intelligence — Allon must enter Russia itself.
The novel is the series’ most structurally tight: a rescue mission into hostile territory, with a personal vendetta driving both protagonist and antagonist. Silva’s Moscow is claustrophobic and menacing — a city where every hotel room is bugged, every meeting observed, and the state’s capacity for violence is unlimited.
Silva’s Russia
Silva’s depiction of Putin-era Russia — the fusion of intelligence services and organised crime, the targeting of journalists and defectors, the state’s willingness to use murder as policy — proved prescient. The novel was published before the 2018 Skripal poisoning and the murder of numerous Russian dissidents abroad, but it captures the logic of a state that views defection as treason punishable by death regardless of geography.
Collecting The Defector
First edition (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 2009): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $20–$40
- Signed first edition: $50–$150
- Without jacket: $5–$10
Value trajectory (2016–2026): Minimal.
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest. Signed copies should reach $100–$300.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read Moscow Rules first? Yes. This is a direct sequel, and the plot depends on events and relationships established in the previous novel. The two books form a closely connected pair.
How does Silva’s Russia compare to le Carré’s? Silva’s Russia is more violent and less nuanced than le Carré’s — it is an antagonist state rather than a mirror of Western moral ambiguity. But for post-Cold War espionage fiction, it captures the specific menace of the Putin era with greater accuracy.