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andrew_f 's review for:
The Kill Artist
by Daniel Silva
The Kill Artist is a a fairly run-of-the-mill spy thriller, but has some notable narrative flaws that will probably bother a lot of readers.
The story follows retired Israeli Intelligence agent Gabriel Allon. After the murder of ambassadors in Paris by the terrorist known as Tariq, Gabriel is convinced to come out of retirement to pursue and kill Tariq before he kills any more Israelis and undermines the peace talks between Israel and Palestine. We also learn that Tariq is responsible for killing Allon's family in retribution for the assassination of Tariq's brother. In order to infiltrate Tariq's organization, Allon recruits former partner/lover and French fashion model Jacqueline Delacroix.
I would say this is a pretty ordinary spy thriller. One of the things that makes this particular main character stand out is that he is also a world class master of painting restoration. While this aspect makes the character unique, it doesn't really add anything to the plot. The author used art restoration as metaphor for Allon's internal conflict, but I didn't find this aspect of the narrative super compelling. It just made it stand out a little bit and give the main character a little more dimension. But I felt that Allon was rather emotionally robotic so I never fell in love with the character. He felt very distant, which may have been the more in-style to write heroes that way in 2004.
One thing the book does well is that Tariq knows from the beginning that Allon is after him again. This adds a lot of extra tension to the plot because at every turn, the reader is wondering who truly has the upper hand. This really amps up the suspense in certain scenes because the main characters think they are in control.
However, the reason I'm not giving this book a higher rating is that I think some of the narrative decisions haven't aged particularly well. I felt a little uncomfortable reading about Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This book was published almost 20 years ago and the conflict doesn't seem to have improved at all. Furthermore, we learn about details of the horrific actions on both sides of the conflict. I don't know how historically accurate these are, but I assume there is some historic truth to them. As a reader, I just felt like both sides of the conflict are equally terrible. Yes the terrorists must be stopped, but I also think the Israelis have treated the Palestinians terribly, which I find tragically ironic given what happened during WWII. I do think the author attempted to show both sides of the conflict, but given I'm not super knowledgeable of this history, I can't speak to how accurate he is or if the book is biased toward once side or the other. All I know is that there is no good guy in this conflict.
I also think Ari Shamron, the head of the Israeli secret service in this book, is a terrible person so I feel less inclined to read more books in this series with him as the head. The main character is fine, but I just don't like Ari.
I think it was also a little strange to use Yasser Arafat in the novel, but not use President George W. Bush. There was a scene with the two of them together and feel like if Arafat, a real person, is being used in the narrative, then the actual President of the U.S. at the time should also have been called out by name.
My biggest problem with the book, though, is how Jacqueline was used and her motivation. She agrees to everything, including putting her life in mortal peril because she's still in love with Gabriel. There isn't a lot more dimension to her character. And after all the things that happen to her, he treats her rather terribly. I don't want to say much more so I don't give away spoilers, but the entire book she was basically the only person in real danger, and while she worked for the agency in the past, she is still essentially a civilian. If the book was from her perspective that would be one thing, but Gabriel is supposed to be the hero and he barely did anything except be deceived by nearly everyone.
I did like the little twist at the end, but wasn't enough for me to give this book any more than 3 stars.
As I said in the beginning, this is a pretty standard spy thriller. I was engaged through most of the plot, but I wasn't wowed or felt particularly invested in the characters. I do think the tension was well done in the final third of the book and the little twist the at end help elevate my overall feelings of the book. I may give another book in the series a try if I'm in the mood for another spy thriller but probably won't in the near future.
The story follows retired Israeli Intelligence agent Gabriel Allon. After the murder of ambassadors in Paris by the terrorist known as Tariq, Gabriel is convinced to come out of retirement to pursue and kill Tariq before he kills any more Israelis and undermines the peace talks between Israel and Palestine. We also learn that Tariq is responsible for killing Allon's family in retribution for the assassination of Tariq's brother. In order to infiltrate Tariq's organization, Allon recruits former partner/lover and French fashion model Jacqueline Delacroix.
I would say this is a pretty ordinary spy thriller. One of the things that makes this particular main character stand out is that he is also a world class master of painting restoration. While this aspect makes the character unique, it doesn't really add anything to the plot. The author used art restoration as metaphor for Allon's internal conflict, but I didn't find this aspect of the narrative super compelling. It just made it stand out a little bit and give the main character a little more dimension. But I felt that Allon was rather emotionally robotic so I never fell in love with the character. He felt very distant, which may have been the more in-style to write heroes that way in 2004.
One thing the book does well is that Tariq knows from the beginning that Allon is after him again. This adds a lot of extra tension to the plot because at every turn, the reader is wondering who truly has the upper hand. This really amps up the suspense in certain scenes because the main characters think they are in control.
However, the reason I'm not giving this book a higher rating is that I think some of the narrative decisions haven't aged particularly well. I felt a little uncomfortable reading about Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This book was published almost 20 years ago and the conflict doesn't seem to have improved at all. Furthermore, we learn about details of the horrific actions on both sides of the conflict. I don't know how historically accurate these are, but I assume there is some historic truth to them. As a reader, I just felt like both sides of the conflict are equally terrible. Yes the terrorists must be stopped, but I also think the Israelis have treated the Palestinians terribly, which I find tragically ironic given what happened during WWII. I do think the author attempted to show both sides of the conflict, but given I'm not super knowledgeable of this history, I can't speak to how accurate he is or if the book is biased toward once side or the other. All I know is that there is no good guy in this conflict.
I also think Ari Shamron, the head of the Israeli secret service in this book, is a terrible person so I feel less inclined to read more books in this series with him as the head. The main character is fine, but I just don't like Ari.
I think it was also a little strange to use Yasser Arafat in the novel, but not use President George W. Bush. There was a scene with the two of them together and feel like if Arafat, a real person, is being used in the narrative, then the actual President of the U.S. at the time should also have been called out by name.
My biggest problem with the book, though, is how Jacqueline was used and her motivation. She agrees to everything, including putting her life in mortal peril because she's still in love with Gabriel. There isn't a lot more dimension to her character. And after all the things that happen to her, he treats her rather terribly. I don't want to say much more so I don't give away spoilers, but the entire book she was basically the only person in real danger, and while she worked for the agency in the past, she is still essentially a civilian. If the book was from her perspective that would be one thing, but Gabriel is supposed to be the hero and he barely did anything except be deceived by nearly everyone.
I did like the little twist at the end, but wasn't enough for me to give this book any more than 3 stars.
As I said in the beginning, this is a pretty standard spy thriller. I was engaged through most of the plot, but I wasn't wowed or felt particularly invested in the characters. I do think the tension was well done in the final third of the book and the little twist the at end help elevate my overall feelings of the book. I may give another book in the series a try if I'm in the mood for another spy thriller but probably won't in the near future.