I've adored Boyd's writing since I read Restless a few years ago. Gabriel's Moon did not disappoint - masterfully written and full of suspense, the perfect Autumn read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review

William Boyd’s “Gabriel’s Moon” is a masterpiece of espionage fiction that blends the thrilling world of Cold War intrigue with a touch of the delightfully absurd. Our protagonist, Gabriel Dax, is a travel writer haunted by a mysterious past. He’s drawn into the shadowy realm of international espionage through a seemingly simple errand, only to find himself entangled in a web of duplicity that stretches across continents.

Boyd’s genius lies in his ability to weave moments of genuine hilarity into the heart of a tense spy narrative. One minute you’re on the edge of your seat, heart pounding as Gabriel navigates a dangerous situation, the next you’re chuckling at the absurdity of it all. This unexpected blend keeps the story fresh and constantly engaging.

Fans of Le Carre will find themselves right at home with the intricate plot and the constant sense of paranoia that permeates Gabriel’s world. Boyd captures the atmosphere of the Cold War, transporting you to the vibrant streets of London, the sun-drenched squares of Cadiz, and the frosty Warsaw twilight.

But “Gabriel’s Moon” is more than just a spy story. It’s a meditation on identity, loyalty, and the lingering shadows of the past. As Gabriel delves deeper into the mission, he uncovers secrets that force him to confront his own history and redefine his place in the world.

If you’re looking for a captivating read that will keep you guessing until the very end, then “Gabriel’s Moon” is a must-read. It’s a tale of espionage with a touch of the unexpected, William Boyd’s at his best.

A 'hidden' spy novel.
A terrible fire leaves two children as orphans. This is the story of how they survived and how they lived their lives.
Such an awful event is not going to leave the children unscathed.
The stories are intertwined but there is little chopping and changing, thus making the book very readable.
There are a number of locations throughout the book, as you would expect with one of the main characters being a travel writer.
The espionage content is well handled, in what is probably a pretty accurate manner, but is definitely entertaining.
The book could be read in one sitting, but I didn't manage it.
A very good book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Successful travel writer, Gabriel Dax, finds himself an unwitting pawn in the hands of MI6 agent, Faith Green. Set in the early 1960s the story follows Gabriel's increasing involvement in the murky world of agents and double agents. As the story progresses, so does Gabriel' self-awareness and confidence. Paralleling the main story is Gabriel's need to solve his insomnia which is linked to the death of his mother in a house fire when he was a child.
This is a fast paced, easy to read book with a very engaging main character. A superb plot that twists and turns and keeps you guessing right up to the final sentence. Highly recommended.

Having read most of William Boyd's book I am interested in the way his last two books both have a male protagonist and the way their biews reflect the time in which they are set. The way the author plays with ideas of masculinity and the context in which his hero or, in this case should it be an antihero, is fascinating.

He writes like a dream. The beginning really ratches up the tension and is brought to a clever resolution right at the end of the book.

In this novel you follow Gabriel (who is possibly an unreliable witness and a narcissist) in a journey of betrayal, counter betrayal and double cross. Even the thinly fictionalised newspaper knows it is doublecrossing its readers.

His sense of place and time is wonderful and created a sense of emotional emapthy with the 60's that I had not had before. The Cuban Missile Crisis, London, Warsaw, class, attitudes to women and a great deal of lighting of cigarettes.

There is a mouse in the novel who leads a charmed life in that Gabriel catches it and then lets it go. Unlike many of the people in the novel who are trapped in the glue of deception.

Personally I thought ab out three quarters of the way through where is this going to go.? Then all of a sudden ther ewas another shift in pace and I was re-engrossed.

I love cold War spy thrillers so this to me was an excellent read - a real pleasure turner. William Boyd is one of my favourite authors and this didn't disappoint.

William Boyd’s writing is extraordinary in that his subjects, plots, times and settings cover such a huge range, yet every book he writes is beautifully crafted and characterised, with a strong sense of place and time. Gabriel’s Moon centres on Gabriel Dax, a reasonably successful travel writer with a great tragedy in his past. His home was destroyed by fire when he was six, and his mother also perished in the inferno. Investigations at the time gave Gabriel’s night light, his ‘moon’ as the cause of the fire, leaving him with unbearable guilt as he grew older. Reasonably happy in his life and travels, Gabriel is asked to carry out an errand by his brother, which is the unwitting start of his career in espionage and leading to all sorts of dramas, murders, and sticky situations - along with an increasing passion for his ‘handler’. William Boyd writes with flow, wonderful characterisation and use of language, and is a master of drawing the reader into the story

Gabriel’s Moon is a well written and engaging read although it is a somewhat routine Cold War spy story with all the narrative elements one expects from the genre. Not my favourite William Boyd novel.

A truly excellent read! The book starts off with Gabriel as a youngster and we hear the event which later haunts him.
Gradually and seamlessly, he is (and we are) drawn into a fairly complex world of espionage with twists and turns you cannot imagine, yet eminently plausible and clearly set out to understand. Loved the book – it’s up with the best of Boyd (not quite to Any Human Heart, but close!) and left it wanting to read the next chapter/instalment – it need not have ended there! Highly recommended and un-put-down-able!!

A plot set in the 1960’s but also written in the style of that time. Gabriel, a fairly successful author, decides to find out the reasons for his insomnia. When asked to perform a favour he is slowly enticed into the world of espionage, falling in love with his handler as the plot unfolds.
An intriguing spy story.

I find William Boyd’s books Marmite – some I can engage with, others do nothing at all.
I’m pleased to say that I loved this one.
Gabriel Dax is a travel writer, his youth blighted by a childhood trauma, but living a settled life in 1960s London.
While in the Congo he is drawn into the local politics when offered an interview with the country’s president.
On his return to the UK, life feels unsettled, his flat has been searched, unfamiliar people take an interest in him. His brother, who is some sort of government official wants him to do a little job.
Add to this a girl friend who works in a Wimpy Bar, an analyst who is addressing the childhood trauma, and a very attractive woman who may be a spy.
The book is a slow burn, in the same way that Gabriel is drawn in to world of espionage without really realising what is happening, and finds himself trapped, rather like the mice he is battling with in his flat.
Beautifully written and totally enjoyable, I hope Gabriel flourishes in his new world!

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for the opportunity to read this book.

Set in the early 1960s. Gabriel Dax, a travel writer, finds his life turned upside down when he unwittingly finds himself drawn into the world of espionage after an interview with the Congo leader, Patrice Lumumba. He is then recruited by Faith Green from MI6. The plot follows Gabriel as he tries to figure out who he can trust and what his role is in the spy world.
"Gabriel's Moon" is a 5⭐️ must-read for lovers of the classic spy novels.

Gabriel Dix has mice in his home but otherwise has a pleasant enough life. Admittedly, he has some tragedy in his background - his mother died in a terrible house fire when he was a young boy- but now it's 1961, he's about thirty, he has a sexy, working-class girlfriend girlfriend and a good job as a travel writer. But a mysterious woman, a seemingly straightforward overseas job and Gabriel's mysterious brother are about to make his life a lot more complicated as he finds himself inextricably drawn into a network of Cold War espionage. A top notch thriller from one of Britain's best novelists.

I was totally bewitched by Any Human Heart and Gabriel’s Moon is right up there as a complex and compelling story told with elegance. Boyd’s writing is simply superb; he hooks immediately and the narrative builds layer upon layer. There’s a lot of fact woven into the tale. I remember the uprising in the Congo and the death of Lumumba, which is the springboard for this story. It’s rich in detail and gives a fascinating and interesting perspective of events.

Gabriel has a back story; a devastating trauma in childhood, a brother who’s a bit of an enigma. He’s a travel writer but seizes an opportunity to interview Lumumba and files a story which is never published. On the back of that, he’s drawn into working for MI6 and his life becomes increasingly complex. His handler, Faith, persuades him to undertake covert assignments which, along with past events, change him and his life. Every character has depth. The locations are so well depicted and there’s a real flavour of the 60’s and the social change that was underway. This book is a triumph in every way and will surely find its way to screen. Boyd’s a genius and this doesn’t disappoint.

I don't think William Boyd is capable of writing a bad book. I absolutely loved this book. Every character is well crafted, the writing is superb. You gradually get sucked into Gabriel's story and want to know the truth. It's absolutely glorious when you can just wallow in the brilliance of a book. The humour, the genuineness of Gabriel, the journey through his thought processes, The story is a cracker. Long list surely

Any Human Heart was the first William Boyd I read, and since then I know that anything by this author is reliably readable. Gabriel’s Moon didn’t disappoint. Gabriel is a travel writer and sometime journalist who travels the world, returning periodically to his girlfriend and his mouse-infested flat. When he lands an interview with Lumumba, the leader of the Congo, he is told something that hardly registers with him at rhetorical time. On returning home however, his newspaper does not publish his interview and he learns from a mysterious contact that Lumumba has been murdered. Inadvertently, Gabriel slowly becomes sucked into a story that that he can’t control and only understands in fragments.

As in his other books, Boyd draws on a raft of events in the early sixties and builds a compelling story around them. The action moves from London, to Cadiz, Suffolk and a cross channel ferry and the story gains pace as he gets sucked in to something - but what? Who can he trust? What part is he playing in the story that is unfolding?

The main character is an ex-public school boy, so there’s also a back story of childhood trauma, a difficult and distant brother, and old fashioned sexual/classist attitudes, as well as all the elements of a traditional spy story. A good read and somewhat old fashioned. Perfect as a holiday read!

I am an unashamed William Boyd groupie and this latest offering confirms my allegiance. Richly imagined, beautifully written and gripping to the all-too-soon end. I don’t pretend to be an unbiased reviewer, but I do strongly recommend this title. If you’ve read Boyd before you’ll know what to expect. If you haven’t, this is as good a place to start as any. Thanks to the publisher, Penguin, for the opportunity to read an early copy.

I was looking forward to reading Boyd's new novel and I was not disappointed. As with all Boyd's novels, the writing style is sprinkled with humour, wonderful descriptions, great use of vocabulary and a good developing plot. William Boyd is a master story-teller!

The novel is set between 1960-1963. Gabriel Dax is a travel writer and an insomniac. Gabriel accidently meets Faith Green, an MI6 agent who recruits/persuades Gabriel to carry out small jobs for MI6 which Gabriel reluctantly accepts. The job is well paid and Gabriel is to use his profession as a travel writer as a cover for each job requested by Faith. Gabriel assumes the jobs for MI6 as easy money, but nothing is as it seems. Gabriel comes across as a little naive as the jobs progress but Gabriel is not a fool.

There is lots going on in this novel with plenty of good character development. I enjoyed this entertaining, funny and well-written book.

I give a 5 star rating and would recommend this book.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ AN ADVANCED READING COPY IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Once a spy….

Gabriel Dax is a successful travel writer in the early 1960s, his older brother does something vague in the Foreign Office. Occasionally in the course of his travels Gabriel can do his brother a favour by leaving a message or dropping off an envelope.
Gabriel has a problem with insomnia resulting from trauma caused when his family home burnt down and his mother died when he was an infant. To help him with this he visits a psychiatrist who attempts to help him regain lost memories of the event.
Events in Gabriel’s life begin to take unexpected routes when by chance in the recently independent Congo he is invited to interview the beleaguered president, Patrice Lumumba. This is shortly before Lumumba is overthrown and murdered. Gabriel’s tape of the interview contain information various agencies would like kept secret or destroyed. It is at this point that Faith Green of MI6 enters Gabriel’s life and he and others close to him become increasingly endangered.
As always with William Boyd, this is an entertaining story, well written and containing all sorts of incidental pleasures. Gabriel has to try to work out how and why the interview with Mumumba has caused so many perilous ripples – and who are the real enemies, The Soviets or those much closer to home. More like Restless than The Romantic, this is something of a thriller, though episodic and much more thoughtful and realistic than most novels of that genre. I liked it more and more as Gabriel, like the mouse in his flat, falls deeper into the traps set for him.

This was a total delight, a beautifully written book by a master of his craft that can be described as a spy thriller but that sells it short as is really so much more, It is dry, witty, urbane and covers so many different subjects from tradecraft, to sibling relationships, to travel writing, to duplicity, to psychotherapy.

The book is an easy read which is of course a testament to the skill of the author and once immersed in it it is quite impossible to let it go.

The main character grows in stature and loses some of his early naivety and he become enmeshed in a world that is totally new and unknown to me but one in which he finally flourishes and I would hope that this becomes the first in what could easily become an exciting and much anticipated series over the next few years.