Scan barcode
blinker's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the early books in this series, but Silva has been phoning it in for the last few books. There was no real character development in this one, and the plot was very formulaic. Not sure I'll bother reading the next one.
pruemansfield56's review against another edition
2.0
Picked up on spec. Not my cup of tea, in terms of genre. Not helped by having to abandon it half way through to do my book club reading, so picking up the threads was harder. Didn’t really engage me, even at the beginning.
skinnypenguin's review against another edition
4.0
Quite an intricately plotted story. It starts off with bombings in several places in the world and Gabriel realizes the mastermind behind them is "the one that got away" in a previous operation. He is determined to get him this time and recruits his former team to go after him, especially the woman who had seen him the most. He then constructs an elaborate ruse to get a major drug importer to help.
As chief of "the Office" Gabriel should not be doing field work but can't help himself. He plans, orchestrates and takes part in the taking down of this terrorist mastermind. A well written and suspenseful book.
As chief of "the Office" Gabriel should not be doing field work but can't help himself. He plans, orchestrates and takes part in the taking down of this terrorist mastermind. A well written and suspenseful book.
jennyk's review against another edition
3.0
I think that I'm experiencing the law of diminishing returns. I love Gabriel Allon and the rest of the gang. The stories are just getting too repetitive.
tma29b66's review against another edition
4.0
Read (or listen to) enough of any fictional series, and its novelty eventually wears off. The question is: does its familiarity feel mundane, or welcome, like occasional visits with good friends?
For me, with the Gabriel Allon series it's the latter. Sure, having George Guidall narrate helps, but Silva's apparently well-researched plot details help keep the story fresh. If you've enjoyed past Allon novels, you'll likely enjoy this one.
As a complacent American who feels like he gets his understanding of the Middle East from Daniel Silva and Alex Berenson, I especially appreciated the author's note, which is substantial, and describes some of what Silva learned while preparing this book.
For me, with the Gabriel Allon series it's the latter. Sure, having George Guidall narrate helps, but Silva's apparently well-researched plot details help keep the story fresh. If you've enjoyed past Allon novels, you'll likely enjoy this one.
As a complacent American who feels like he gets his understanding of the Middle East from Daniel Silva and Alex Berenson, I especially appreciated the author's note, which is substantial, and describes some of what Silva learned while preparing this book.
stephang18's review against another edition
3.0
Still the exact same formula as the last several, but somewhat better written.
coolhand773's review against another edition
4.0
Another successful step forward in this long-running series. As I've said in recent reviews, it feels like Silva is continuing to find fresh and relevant ways to keep this series on-point. Characters continue to develop in meaningful ways and I've begun to feel like a part of the "family" given how many times I've encountered some of these delightful creations. Keep up the great work, Mr. Silva!
restlessunicorn's review against another edition
4.0
Another fast-paced installment with eerie parallels to current events. One can only hope fiction does not eventually become fact.
aminakara's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book as always by Daniel Silva! Definitely up there as one of my favourite authors!
ssindc's review against another edition
4.0
A solid, largely compelling, and, for the most part, entertaining installment in one of my favorite serial fiction past-times (particularly for travelling, on planes, trains, and ... hotels). In addition to the action and intrigue ... and the art ... and the geo-politics and Middle East drama ... I get a kick out of the travelogue aspects, particularly since I've covered a lot of the ground in the various books.
Having read the series from the beginning, I still don't understand how folks read them out of order (choosing whatever is on the library or airport bookstore shelf). Nope, sorry, that makes no sense to me.... I recommend reading them in order, and letting the characters (and relationships) evolve.
As serial fiction goes, I've found the books largely consistent, with very few stinkers and a number of particularly good books. My feeling is that this one was, for the most part, one of the better ones ... although, after a fair amount of sustained momentum, I thought it slowed down and meandered a bit towards the end ... and it seemed (at times) slightly out of character or, I dunno, suggestive that the evolution of the story arc is taking a kinder, warmer, almost happier turn. Maybe Silva is softening with age....
Still, I can't argue with folks who criticize the series as formulaic, and the repetitive nuggets that periodically appear in book after book tend to grate on my nerves, but they tend to be brief and not terribly distracting.
I'm almost caught up, and Silva only cranks these out at a pace of one per year, so I have to assume I'll keep reading them as the series continues....
Having read the series from the beginning, I still don't understand how folks read them out of order (choosing whatever is on the library or airport bookstore shelf). Nope, sorry, that makes no sense to me.... I recommend reading them in order, and letting the characters (and relationships) evolve.
As serial fiction goes, I've found the books largely consistent, with very few stinkers and a number of particularly good books. My feeling is that this one was, for the most part, one of the better ones ... although, after a fair amount of sustained momentum, I thought it slowed down and meandered a bit towards the end ... and it seemed (at times) slightly out of character or, I dunno, suggestive that the evolution of the story arc is taking a kinder, warmer, almost happier turn. Maybe Silva is softening with age....
Still, I can't argue with folks who criticize the series as formulaic, and the repetitive nuggets that periodically appear in book after book tend to grate on my nerves, but they tend to be brief and not terribly distracting.
I'm almost caught up, and Silva only cranks these out at a pace of one per year, so I have to assume I'll keep reading them as the series continues....