A review by book_concierge
The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

3.0

Book on CD narrated by George Guidall
3***

From the book jacket: Former Israeli intelligence operative Gabriel Allon is being called back into action and teamed with an agent as beautiful as she is deadly. Their target: a cunning Palestinian terrorist who played a dark part in Gabriel’s past.

My reactions
This is the first in a series starring Gabriel Allon, whose cover is that of an art restoration specialist. He’s paired with Jacqueline Delacroix, an international fashion model whose been groomed for just such assignments.

The action is fast and furious and sometimes confusing, as is to be expected in an espionage thriller. There are more twists and turns than a casual reader can keep track of. And a basic knowledge of of Israeli / Palestinian relationships and politics is necessary.

I’ll admit to losing interest in some of the more political scenes, but the basic intrigue and heart-stopping thriller scenes were very good. Silva definitely knows how to keep the reader turning pages, with virtually every chapter ending in a cliffhanger.

This is a long-running series, with over twenty books by now. But I doubt I’ll pick up another. Just not my cup of tea.

George Guidall does a reasonable job of performing the audio. He’s very good with different accents and does all the men very well, but his naturally deep and gravelly voice is not well-suited to voicing the women.