The English Assassin (Gabriel Allon Book 2)

This is the second novel by Mr. Silva in the series featuring Israeli spy Gabriel Allon. I read the first one and liked it, so I tried this one. Well, maybe author Silva learned as he wrote because the second novel is lots better than the first. While the author’s info says Silva is American born and educated in a US university – doesn’t even say he took a year in Israel while in college – he gives us quite a believable, international cast of characters as well as local color for several places in Europe where the action takes place. Allon’s cover is that he restores paintings. He is a top person in the field so it’s a perfect cover. But in this book, he is called upon to restore a painting in Switzerland and when he gets there he finds his client dead in a chair where he was apparently admiring the painting. He escapes from the house seconds before the police close in. This first exchange sucks him into a complex plot involving looted Nazi art from Jews sent to the gas chambers during World War II, art that the Swiss want to keep badly enough to hire the “English Assassin” of the title to dispose of Mr. Allon before he can reveal their possession of the loot. But at the same time he encounters other characters who want to end the cover-up, and he’s able to find a sort of redemption for some of the shady things he’s had to do in his previous life. The action is nonstop. This is a top flight mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The return of Gabriel Allon to a Daniel Silva novel was something I looked forward to with great anticipation. Unfortunately, the anticipation exceeded the actual event. The character who is named in the title of the book is poorly developed and actually plays a somewhat minor role for a title character. We are tantalized throughout much of the book in trying to find out the secret that led the wife of Swiss banker, Augustus Rolfe to take her life in a rather dramatic fashion at the beginning of the book. I won't spoil the intrigue, but the secret is not that difficult to figure out. It also seems that, as with sequels, much time is utilized explaining to first time readers what those that read the first book already know. Such is inevitable, but it seems to happen with greater frequency in this book than necessary. That all being said, this is still a pretty good read. We are drawn into the consequences of the nefarious activities of the Swiss banking community during WW II as it relates to its complicity with Adolph Hitler and stolen Jewish art. As Allon tries to unravel the reason for the murder of Rolfe and the identity of those who did it, he comes into possession of a letter which explains much, but not all, from Herr Rolfe himself from beyond the grave. The plot is interesting and while the ending is a bit pat, Daniel Silva in a four star book is better than most and worth the read.

Somehow I managed to over look this terrific novel in my digital library. I thought I had read every Daniel Silva novel but was highly pleased with my discovery. A younger Gabriel Allon still recovering from the loss of his family introduces rich characters that remain central to his later novels . A great read .

Read this while recovering from surgery. Dan Silva's Gabriel Allon series are always enjoyable and entertaining, especially if you have visited the cities in which the stories take place. It helped take my mind off the pain of surgery as Silva's books are total "escapism." and always hard to put down. Read them in the order they were written, as there is continuity in the storyline. Highly recommended.

The English Assassin was a very good read. The main character is an art restorer and an Israeli spy. It is interesting how both worlds deal with secrecy in various ways - both above and below board. The author writes engaging prose, and successfully tells an intriguing story.

I’m neither a writer or a critic, but that was a very good read. The characters were captivating and the twists and turns were unexpected but not unbelievable.!

While absorbing - though far from a page-turner - this so-called espionage-counter-terrorism-good-guys-Israelis-versus-Swiss-bad-guys-ex-Nazi-collaborators tale is a bit strange. You know, it seemed to me to be more like a detective story than terrorist-espionage. The long and painful solving of the mystery of the whereabouts of the stolen paintings far outweighs any assassination or killing suspense involved, though 4 or 5 people did meet their maker before the end of the book. This book is the second in the series featuring hired Israeli assassin Gabriel Allon. The plotting is inconsistent. There are times when Gabriel, in his role of protecting Anna, seems cavalier and careless. The slip-ups and mistakes could have been avoided if he had been on top of his game. The mastermind of such events, Israeli Shamron, is virtually unseen in this story. Too many coincidental events shroud the so-called skills of the various paid assassins and their teams, as well as all the bad guys. It also seems a little out of date, what with Gabriel using a camera with film in it at one time. Cameras with film disappeared from our lives in the 1990's, no? It's also slow moving -- meandering even. I wrote a note on page 78, "Waiting for the story to begin." The title character bad guy (as well as hero Gabriel) has a conscience, which overpowers his training and instinct to kill. Very strange and unusual indeed. Anna, the violinist, is the most interesting character, way overshadowing even Gabriel, the art-restorer Israeli assassin-for-hire, the main character in this series of stories by Silva. The dominant bad guy is not the English assassin at all, but is instead a Swiss security guy, who double-dealt his way through a seedy career of protecting the secrets and sordid past of 1940s Swiss dealings and money-grubbing collaboration with Nazi Germany. If anything, this book is a searing and soaring indictment of Switzerland, from top to bottom, from start to finish, from old days to today. It's a scathing merciless slap at the most infamous "neutral" country on earth. Gerhard, the soul-less Swiss bad guy, gets his comeuppance in spades, before he finds his conscience. The reader, unfortunately, does not revel in this part of the adventure at the hands of Gabriel and company as much as Gabriel and Silva do. If you like to read historical fiction, this book may be just for you. If you are looking for a modern espionage spy thriller, you will be disappointed. All-in-all, the book is rather weak, though the characters are interesting and the history lesson (be as it is, true or not) is useful, confrontational and provocative. Even the final pages -- Gabriel's big mistake and his eventual fate in the hands of those he seeks to bring down -- are anti-climactic and not riveting. The wrap-up final 15 pages are epilogue. This book is not Silva's best work by a long shot. It's kind of a lazy effort, actually, even if the plot and history are engaging on the surface. I give it a 3 and feel generous doing so.

The English Assassin by Daniel Silva is a masterclass in modern spy fiction. Silva weaves an intricate web of art theft, political intrigue, and deadly secrets, all centered around Gabriel Allon—a haunted yet brilliant Israeli intelligence operative. The pacing is relentless, the characters are richly developed, and the European settings add a cinematic depth to the story. What I love most is how Silva balances action with intelligence, crafting a thriller that’s as thought-provoking as it is pulse-pounding. If you’re into espionage with a touch of sophistication, this one delivers.

With a background founded on real situations, this well written novel will not only attract but also captivate the reader

Lots of twists and turns in different parts of the world. The series with Gabriel Allon is very entertaining. I randomly bought one of the novels while being in Portugal and trying to learn more the language. Now, I started from the beggining of the collection and I'm hooked.

This is my second Gabriel Allon book and I am hooked! The suspense, the amazing characters and the history in these books make them unputdownable! Thank you Daniel Silva! I can’t wait to read the whole series!

Instigante como todos os livrado Silva

Fantástico.come.tutti.i libri di Silva che ho letto. Avvincente, ben.scritto. Da.leggere in inglese, senza.dubbio,.x.scorrevolezza, dialoghi, etc. Xo xx xx xx xx