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tara_pikachu's review against another edition
4.0
By now I’ve read enough of Daniel Silva’s books to anticipate a sentence, a paragraph or a page that will latch onto you and you simply cannot stop reading thereafter. It might be on page 4 or page 220, the point is that it will find you sooner or later and each time I start one of his novels I am looking for the hook like a drug I need in my system. What is this sorcery.
i11iane's review against another edition
5.0
Seems to be the most bloody Gabriel Allon book I've read so far, and I'm curious to see where Silva will take Gabriel and Ciara next.
Very intense. Difficult to pause (audiobook) or put down. As usual, Silva churns out damn fine work.
Very intense. Difficult to pause (audiobook) or put down. As usual, Silva churns out damn fine work.
historybooksandtea's review
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-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
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, it's a bit formulaic and yes it's repetitive (referring to London as "the Russian city sometimes referred to as London" was kind of amusing once but unnecessary to repeat). Yes Silva trots out the same old descriptions for familiar characters (riotous hair/emerald green eyes etc) and spends too much time filling in the entire series for new readers. BUT it's also well paced, unfolds with satisfying logic and keeps you absorbed.
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
Gabriel Allon seems to the only one who can discern the truth when the man who saved his life suddenly re-defects back to Russia from the UK. And then he saves the life of another Russian also under UK protection. It’s personal for Gabriel and he energizes MI5/6 and the CIA to assist him in finding the kidnapped man. It’s obvious who took him but where exactly is he? Gabriel puts his team together and mercilessly and ruthlessly exploits links back to the kidnapper. But then it gets very personal as the kidnapper does to Allon what Allon had done to him. It’s a race against time too. Not a happy ending. Revenge and retribution exact their toll on him. A righteous ending but a cost is paid. Was it too much?
lisannejanna's review against another edition
4.0
I don't often read a lot. I don't often have troubles closing a book to read further on another day. I don't have troubles saying "just one more chapter" to myself and sticking to that promise.
But I had with this book.
Being the first book I've read from Daniel Silva, I can certainly say it will not be the last. Using a perspective I haven't read often, this book was an instant hit for me. Most books I've read are from a Christian or atheists-point of view, so I enjoyed the small Jewish side notes. I liked the traveling through Europe, which was only used in a way that it actually helped the story develop. And most of all, I liked reading about the characters. The good, the bad, and all the ugly truths and deaths. I liked reading about more intelligence agencies than just de CIA and I liked that almost none of the characters where purely good or evil. The book just sucks you in, is easy to read and will most definitely please your appetite for thriller or crime stories (just the killing tho, if you wan't to read about solving crimes, I'ld recommend another book ;)). That being said; although the plot is (for me) original, you can in advance say who dies and who doesn't, which is kind of a shame if you're looking for more of a mystery kind of story.
tldr; Go read the book. Enjoy it, enjoy the writing, the scenery and the characters, but don't keep your hopes up for multiple plot changes.
But I had with this book.
Being the first book I've read from Daniel Silva, I can certainly say it will not be the last. Using a perspective I haven't read often, this book was an instant hit for me. Most books I've read are from a Christian or atheists-point of view, so I enjoyed the small Jewish side notes. I liked the traveling through Europe, which was only used in a way that it actually helped the story develop. And most of all, I liked reading about the characters. The good, the bad, and all the ugly truths and deaths. I liked reading about more intelligence agencies than just de CIA and I liked that almost none of the characters where purely good or evil. The book just sucks you in, is easy to read and will most definitely please your appetite for thriller or crime stories (just the killing tho, if you wan't to read about solving crimes, I'ld recommend another book ;)). That being said; although the plot is (for me) original, you can in advance say who dies and who doesn't, which is kind of a shame if you're looking for more of a mystery kind of story.
tldr; Go read the book. Enjoy it, enjoy the writing, the scenery and the characters, but don't keep your hopes up for multiple plot changes.
andrewg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5