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martyfried's review against another edition
4.0
I "read" the audiobook version of this, which was very well read, like the previous books in the series, by John Lee.
I like the series, and have been reading them in order. I think it helps to read it this way, especially for this book, to understand the characters and their past relationships.
Some people think Mr Silva is "over the top" in the way he portrays Israeli intelligence as being better than everyone else, but what about James Bond, or Sherlock Holmes, or many other series? It's fiction, people, and this series is about a very talented agent. He's not made out to be perfect, but he's good and he understands the people he is dealing with due to previous experiences. But he's not shown as being perfect.
I feel that by reading this series, I have come to better understand Israel's outlook and rationale for what's going on there. I don't necessarily agree with all of their methods, but I think it's good to understand their point of view, and this book helps, I believe.
I like the series, and have been reading them in order. I think it helps to read it this way, especially for this book, to understand the characters and their past relationships.
Some people think Mr Silva is "over the top" in the way he portrays Israeli intelligence as being better than everyone else, but what about James Bond, or Sherlock Holmes, or many other series? It's fiction, people, and this series is about a very talented agent. He's not made out to be perfect, but he's good and he understands the people he is dealing with due to previous experiences. But he's not shown as being perfect.
I feel that by reading this series, I have come to better understand Israel's outlook and rationale for what's going on there. I don't necessarily agree with all of their methods, but I think it's good to understand their point of view, and this book helps, I believe.
carrolk3's review against another edition
4.0
I really found this book interesting. I have read a couple other Daniel Silva books and enjoyed them but this one was one of the best. The plot line - kidnapping of the daughter of the American ambassador to England by terrorist group and the attempted recovery involving Gabriel Allon, an Israeli "operative" was quite well done. It was also especially interesting to me as there was a lot of background information about Egypt's political history and the issues of European terrorists. We will be traveling to Egypt this coming winter and each piece of background information I can obtain will only help me to understand the complexities of the country we will be visiting...
vaderbird's review against another edition
4.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
utbw42's review
4.0
Following right in the footsteps of the previous Silva entry, this one ratchets up the tension somewhat as Allon seems to be more emotionally involved in the kidnapping of a diplomat's daughter. This pursuit leads to the discovery of a massive terror plot, and the culimination of these events near the end of the book make for a fast, exciting read. Silva is really in stride with the character of Gabriel Allon and what his limitations and capabilities are.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Gabriel Allon and I needed a break. I burned through the first six novels of Silva's creation with rapid speed in just a few months. After enjoying them initially, I found them devolving into well-written but predictable spy novels with interchangeable bad guys and scenarios that stretch believability. This one isn't a huge deviation from that formula, but it is good enough, and paced very well (with a little more balance on the Israel-vs.-the-world-issue) that I enjoyed it more than most of the other six I have read. Especially interesting to read after the fall of Mubarak to see the oppression of Egyptians during his reign, and how that oppression can breed hate.
tspalds's review against another edition
5.0
It surprises me every time I read a book in Gabriel Allon series just how pulled in I become. Not my typical kind of book, this series just gets better and better.
kristaoz's review against another edition
3.0
I am a huge fan of the GA series and this one is similar to the rest of them. The storyline was intriguing, but the entire book hinged on the villain behind the scenes, AKA The Sphinx. They introduce him as a character, talk at length about him, discuss how elusive he is and then… somehow they get intel on him and they couldn’t get YEARS and YEARS in the making. And they blow up his car within ten pages. To resolve a huge story? That could’ve been a major plot line in future stories? Hugely disappointed in the ending of this one. can I get more of Gabriel restoring art please? Thanks.
gravewriter's review against another edition
5.0
Finishing this book brought me full circle to where I started the series (with #8). It's been like reading a prequel series, waiting for the various events mentioned in Moscow Rules to happen.
The only knock I have against this book is the lackluster detail on a supermax prison. Silva rolls deep on details for so much of his series, I was surprised not to have the same for his prison scene.
As always, read this if you like a good spy novel. If you don't like the "men's romance" genre (Clancy's Jack Ryan, Lee Child's Jack Reacher, et al) then you'll want to take a pass.
The only knock I have against this book is the lackluster detail on a supermax prison. Silva rolls deep on details for so much of his series, I was surprised not to have the same for his prison scene.
As always, read this if you like a good spy novel. If you don't like the "men's romance" genre (Clancy's Jack Ryan, Lee Child's Jack Reacher, et al) then you'll want to take a pass.
ellarymt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0