Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
A gripping and entertaining bookâjust the kind of book to read summertime.
Very good. This was my first book by Daniel Silva. Maybe I'm missing a lot with so many characters, still enjoyable.
A little too realistic. Very well done. Suspense right to the end.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3 1/2, rounded down to 3 because it should have been better.
This was a fairly typical story for Gabriel Allon, but to me, it seemed like it wasn't as exciting as most of the earlier books. It seemed like he simply didn't put as much effort into this story as many of his others. Things just kind of happened as if by formula, but there was not as much interaction with the folks from the office. Everyone was there, they did their jobs, and that was it. In fact, I thought the writer's note and acknowledgements at the end was about as interesting as the story. I somewhat suspect that the author wanted to make some political points about the US political decisions and the story itself was just a wrapper to make his points.
The final act at the end seemed to be anti-climatic, pretty unexciting, and to me, unnecessary.
But don't get me wrong - it was still an interesting story, and there was never a thought of not finishing or anything. Just that I'd hope for more after over a dozen episodes.
This was a fairly typical story for Gabriel Allon, but to me, it seemed like it wasn't as exciting as most of the earlier books. It seemed like he simply didn't put as much effort into this story as many of his others. Things just kind of happened as if by formula, but there was not as much interaction with the folks from the office. Everyone was there, they did their jobs, and that was it. In fact, I thought the writer's note and acknowledgements at the end was about as interesting as the story. I somewhat suspect that the author wanted to make some political points about the US political decisions and the story itself was just a wrapper to make his points.
The final act at the end seemed to be anti-climatic, pretty unexciting, and to me, unnecessary.
But don't get me wrong - it was still an interesting story, and there was never a thought of not finishing or anything. Just that I'd hope for more after over a dozen episodes.
Very engaging story that inadvertently tells both sides of the story of terrorism in modern times. It hit a bit to close to home for me as i was in Paris for the last major attacks.
Sixteen books in and I still love this series. This time Gabriel Allon has to find a new operative to send in to infiltrate ISIS to find one of it's leaders, Saladin, after a bombing in Paris kills a friend of his. His choice is Dr. Natalie Mizrahi. She is a French born trauma specialist who speaks fluent Arabic.
Natalie accepts the risk and is soon being trained in Syria. There she is brought to a house where a man has been badly wounded by a drone strike. That man is Saladin and, as much as she wants to kill him, she treats his wounds and saves his life. He starts calling her is Maimonides.
Eventually the call comes. She is sent to the US to take part in a suicide mission. Havoc ensues as bombers hit the Kennedy Centre and Lincoln Memorial. Gunmen create havoc by gunning down people in some of the most prestigious restaurants in Washington and Natalie (or Leila as Saladin knows her) blows her cover.
Gabriel manages to save her at the last minute and as a result she joins the Office as a full time operative.
I look forward to reading even more in this series. With all the craziness in this world Gabriel and the Office will be in business for many years to come and, fortunately, Daniel Silva is young enough to keep writing about them.
Natalie accepts the risk and is soon being trained in Syria. There she is brought to a house where a man has been badly wounded by a drone strike. That man is Saladin and, as much as she wants to kill him, she treats his wounds and saves his life. He starts calling her is Maimonides.
Eventually the call comes. She is sent to the US to take part in a suicide mission. Havoc ensues as bombers hit the Kennedy Centre and Lincoln Memorial. Gunmen create havoc by gunning down people in some of the most prestigious restaurants in Washington and Natalie (or Leila as Saladin knows her) blows her cover.
Gabriel manages to save her at the last minute and as a result she joins the Office as a full time operative.
I look forward to reading even more in this series. With all the craziness in this world Gabriel and the Office will be in business for many years to come and, fortunately, Daniel Silva is young enough to keep writing about them.
Gabriel Allon faces ISIS in the latest installment, and there are flashes of the old brilliance. First, the positives. Silva can still craft a stylish, well-paced thriller, complete with exotic locales and bureaucratic politics. He is adept as ever in constructing the set-pieces that keep the plot marching forward. Some aspects of the plot bore an, at times, almost uncomfortably close resemblance to reality, given Paris and Nice and Munich and Orlando, and all the others. Natalie is a compelling character and he deftly and believably portrays the mental gymnastics required of such a dual life. I found Saladin to be a largely fascinating antagonist, even if he was always a bit too clever.
Unfortunately, Silva has done his art, this story, and the beloved Gabriel Allon a disservice with vast swathes of this novel. Allon, far from being the complex, tortured and delicate killer of past installments is here instead collapsed into a one-dimensional mouthpiece of the Bibi/Fox News set. Silvia's unabashed contempt for President Obama drips from the pages, and Allon is the vehicle he has hijacked to highlight it. From his tiresome and repetitious references to the President's ill-advised "jayvee" comment to his grim approval of "enhanced interrogation techniques" (i.e., torture), significant portions of this novel would best be shelved next to the screeds of Michael Savage, Anne Coulter and Dinesh D'Souza. Silva even manages to fit an appreciative shoutout to the 2nd amendment (even whilst terrorists wreak havoc using legally obtained assault rifles).
His portrayal of a Israel of stern-faced killers under siege by stab-happy fanatics at every turn, while perhaps understandable given the profession of the protagonists, also unfortunately belies the vivacity and optimism of the Israel I know.
The novel exhibits many of the elements of his finer, more nuanced, and more entertaining works and maintains his assured pacing and styling for the most part. But its better elements are undermined consistently and distractingly by Silva's naked political agenda and his neutering of his greatest character in service to a hackneyed, Fox Newsy agenda.
Unfortunately, Silva has done his art, this story, and the beloved Gabriel Allon a disservice with vast swathes of this novel. Allon, far from being the complex, tortured and delicate killer of past installments is here instead collapsed into a one-dimensional mouthpiece of the Bibi/Fox News set. Silvia's unabashed contempt for President Obama drips from the pages, and Allon is the vehicle he has hijacked to highlight it. From his tiresome and repetitious references to the President's ill-advised "jayvee" comment to his grim approval of "enhanced interrogation techniques" (i.e., torture), significant portions of this novel would best be shelved next to the screeds of Michael Savage, Anne Coulter and Dinesh D'Souza. Silva even manages to fit an appreciative shoutout to the 2nd amendment (even whilst terrorists wreak havoc using legally obtained assault rifles).
His portrayal of a Israel of stern-faced killers under siege by stab-happy fanatics at every turn, while perhaps understandable given the profession of the protagonists, also unfortunately belies the vivacity and optimism of the Israel I know.
The novel exhibits many of the elements of his finer, more nuanced, and more entertaining works and maintains his assured pacing and styling for the most part. But its better elements are undermined consistently and distractingly by Silva's naked political agenda and his neutering of his greatest character in service to a hackneyed, Fox Newsy agenda.