Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Random House Audio (2004), Edition: Abridged
Description
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Gabriel Allon's nightmares come back to haunt him in this tense thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva. Art restorer and sometime spy Gabriel Allon is sent to Vienna to discover the truth behind a bombing that killed an old friend, but while there he encounters something that turns his world upside down. It is a faceâ??a face that feels hauntingly familiar, a face that chills him to the bone. While desperately searching for answers, Allon will uncover a portrait of evil stretching across sixty years and thousands of livesâ??and into his own personal nightma
User reviews
LibraryThing member theportal2002
Fantastic book. I really love the Gabriel Allon character. This book takes you through the world of Nazi war criminals.
LibraryThing member MSWallack
With each succeeding book, I feel that I get to know Gabriel Allon a bit better. The first half of this book may have been the best of the series; however, the second half (and the ending in particular) was somewhat of a letdown. The book finished with a whimper rather than the bang it needed.
LibraryThing member Joycepa
4th in the Gabriel Allon series.
Gabriel Allon is an Israeli Secret Service agent who “poses” as Mario Delvecchio, a very well-known and highly respected art restorer. At the moment, he is working in Venice, and living with his lover Chiara. But Gabriel’s life is not his own; he owes his
A straightforward, dangerous mission for Allon. But during its course, he will have an unexpected and deeply disturbing encounter with his own past.
No matter how you try to write a review of one of Danilel Silva’s books, you always wind up sounding like a hyped-up dust jacket blurb. The problem is that the books are that good. I think that sSlva has no peer in the international spy/thriller genre. This latest installment just confirms my opinion of him.. Well-written, fast-paced page turner that keeps you up at night.
Highly recommended.
Gabriel Allon is an Israeli Secret Service agent who “poses” as Mario Delvecchio, a very well-known and highly respected art restorer. At the moment, he is working in Venice, and living with his lover Chiara. But Gabriel’s life is not his own; he owes his
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allegiance to Israel and to Ari Shamron, the Old Man of the Israeli Secret Service. Whenever Shamron appears, Gabriel embarks on a mission of death—to track down and kill those responsible for blowing up an office in Vienna and in doing so, killing two young women, one Israeli, the other American, who worked there. The office is known as War Time Claims and Inquiries. Its work is to sift through “the unfinished business of the Holocaust”, such as helping a survivor press her claim for restitution from a Swiss bank.A straightforward, dangerous mission for Allon. But during its course, he will have an unexpected and deeply disturbing encounter with his own past.
No matter how you try to write a review of one of Danilel Silva’s books, you always wind up sounding like a hyped-up dust jacket blurb. The problem is that the books are that good. I think that sSlva has no peer in the international spy/thriller genre. This latest installment just confirms my opinion of him.. Well-written, fast-paced page turner that keeps you up at night.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member heidialice
Gabriel Allon is called to Vienna by the Israeli Secret Service to investigate a murder, and to avenge the deaths if possible. He is hesitant to return to Vienna, given his history there, but ultimately goes and gets tangled up in a web of cover-ups, leading all over the world and back to Nazi
Well-written and exciting plot, with difficult but important historical details, this is a well-executed suspense novel. However, as someone with an (admittedly biased) high opinion of Vienna, it seemed like a stretch to me to set this in modern-day Austria. This was my first Silva novel, and I would certainly read more when I'm in the mood for a fast-paced, intelligent and interesting action novel.
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money and his own family's history.Well-written and exciting plot, with difficult but important historical details, this is a well-executed suspense novel. However, as someone with an (admittedly biased) high opinion of Vienna, it seemed like a stretch to me to set this in modern-day Austria. This was my first Silva novel, and I would certainly read more when I'm in the mood for a fast-paced, intelligent and interesting action novel.
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LibraryThing member AnneliM
Gabriel Allon, art restorer and underground operative of the Israeli secret service, is called to Vienna to bring to justice a former SS Sturmbannfuehrer, active in the "Final Solution"
LibraryThing member miyurose
Much like the two before it, this book focuses not on Israel and Palestine, but on continued ramifications of the Holocaust. Another stellar entry in the series. New love interest for Gabriel in this one, who appears to maybe be more permanent. I still want Jacqueline to come back!
LibraryThing member skinglist
Wow, I absolutely loved this book. There was the thread a few weeke sback on changing a screenname to a fictional character and without a doubt I'd chose Chiara Zolli. She's one hell of an agent and she's got Gabriel Allon in her bed!
And a young Stephen Collins? (See photo in entry) Been driving me
My obsession with history sucked me in to this book and re-kindled my desire to go back to Europe and see Poland. I had the option to do a trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau but didn't and now I'm regretting it so I think that's going to happen on the way home. MOre on that to be posted to my website soon though.
One thing that drove me a bit batty was his random use of Hebrew and German, OK it fit the story but the usage is hard to sort and I have yet to find a good translation of the Hebew on line which made me feel as if I was missing something. As for the German, only one phrase I can't get and explaining that will be Ute's fee for my passing on this book :)
I like the ties to Argentina and Eichmann, again the history buff in me and it's kind of odd looking back. We can't criticise with hindsight but sometimes I have to wonder what our leaders were thinking, or rather weren't.
I liked the chance to get inside Radek's head on the trip to Birkenau. Though fiction, maybe it is close to the truth. Did some really not believe they'd done anything wrong? Iliked his meeting with Gabriel--drop the euphemisms indeed--call a spade a spade and what not. And of course the tie ins with Haider, I remember that campaign and wondering what would come with it. Hard to imagine.
HIs mentions of Yad Vashem have re-kindled an interest initially sparked by "Auschwitz and After" a course I took, taught by a Catholic nun, at Naz. Was the first time I'd met a Holocaust survivor and some of their words are still with me. Even as Gabriel travelled to Safed to meet Tziona I felt as if I were transported back in time-Galilee, Nazareth, Bethlehem. I hope one day those places are safe enough to visit.
Per Sally's request, this is going to be released in Japan. Ute wants to read it first though, so I will pass it on to her when I see her on Thursday. Thanks again, Sally, for sending this my way :)
And a young Stephen Collins? (See photo in entry) Been driving me
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nuts but he *is* my Gabriel. As was the case in The Confessor, Silva drags us in immediately--Death had joined them in the beginning, and death remained the foundation of their bond. I love Shamron, still working on who fits my mental picture of him.My obsession with history sucked me in to this book and re-kindled my desire to go back to Europe and see Poland. I had the option to do a trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau but didn't and now I'm regretting it so I think that's going to happen on the way home. MOre on that to be posted to my website soon though.
One thing that drove me a bit batty was his random use of Hebrew and German, OK it fit the story but the usage is hard to sort and I have yet to find a good translation of the Hebew on line which made me feel as if I was missing something. As for the German, only one phrase I can't get and explaining that will be Ute's fee for my passing on this book :)
I like the ties to Argentina and Eichmann, again the history buff in me and it's kind of odd looking back. We can't criticise with hindsight but sometimes I have to wonder what our leaders were thinking, or rather weren't.
I liked the chance to get inside Radek's head on the trip to Birkenau. Though fiction, maybe it is close to the truth. Did some really not believe they'd done anything wrong? Iliked his meeting with Gabriel--drop the euphemisms indeed--call a spade a spade and what not. And of course the tie ins with Haider, I remember that campaign and wondering what would come with it. Hard to imagine.
HIs mentions of Yad Vashem have re-kindled an interest initially sparked by "Auschwitz and After" a course I took, taught by a Catholic nun, at Naz. Was the first time I'd met a Holocaust survivor and some of their words are still with me. Even as Gabriel travelled to Safed to meet Tziona I felt as if I were transported back in time-Galilee, Nazareth, Bethlehem. I hope one day those places are safe enough to visit.
Per Sally's request, this is going to be released in Japan. Ute wants to read it first though, so I will pass it on to her when I see her on Thursday. Thanks again, Sally, for sending this my way :)
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LibraryThing member Jenbug
This book seemed to have some really neat spy stuff in it. They didn't have the cool gadgets but instead focused on what is normally availble to use for spying. I really don't ever read books about the holocaust but this book focused on it. I now feel like my goal for this year may be to read some
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non-fiction books about those times because this book has piqued an intrest. Show Less
LibraryThing member nikitasamuelle
While the plot and characters are different than the last book, The Confessor, the structure and story arc are very similar. Parts of the book--Gabriel's memories of his mother, in particular--are very good. But overall it felt very formulaic. Overall, it was disappointing.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
You could fill in the dots somewhat with this plot. Story starts with the blowing up of a Jewish war-crime office in Austria and when this is investigated it opens a huge can of worms that lead to more deaths and a lot of twists and turns.
As I said I found it pretty predictable but it moved at a
As I said I found it pretty predictable but it moved at a
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fairly good pace and I finished it pretty quickly. However I didn't really engage with any of the characters, the author seemed determined that I should without showing me why I should. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmbohn
Themes: WWII, revenge vs. justice, politics, secrets, espionage, art
Setting: Vienna, Israel, and Poland, not sure what year
Gabriel Allon is an intelligence agent for the Israeli government. He's a bit of a renegade, even for them. His boss calls him in for a somewhat unofficial job - find out why
The first part, finding whodunnit, takes most of the book. Gabriel discovers the identity of the man behind the bomb, but who is he really? He suspects the man is a former SS agent, but getting the truth is not easy, especially since post-war Vienna is not interested in reliving their Nazi past, and soon, someone is trying to kill him. Bring in the Vatican, a Swiss banker, and the CIA, and things get pretty complicated.
This is not the type of book I normally enjoy. Life is complicated enough without trying to puzzle out spy thriller and secret agents and so on. But I wanted to keep reading. Some very grim stuff related to the Holocaust, but still worth reading. 4 stars.
Setting: Vienna, Israel, and Poland, not sure what year
Gabriel Allon is an intelligence agent for the Israeli government. He's a bit of a renegade, even for them. His boss calls him in for a somewhat unofficial job - find out why
Show More
an office related to the Holocaust and war crimes was bombed and two people killed. Find out who did it, and make them pay.The first part, finding whodunnit, takes most of the book. Gabriel discovers the identity of the man behind the bomb, but who is he really? He suspects the man is a former SS agent, but getting the truth is not easy, especially since post-war Vienna is not interested in reliving their Nazi past, and soon, someone is trying to kill him. Bring in the Vatican, a Swiss banker, and the CIA, and things get pretty complicated.
This is not the type of book I normally enjoy. Life is complicated enough without trying to puzzle out spy thriller and secret agents and so on. But I wanted to keep reading. Some very grim stuff related to the Holocaust, but still worth reading. 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member skraft001
A well written novel that moves at a very fast pace. A number of characters in the book, so I found it best to not put it down too much or else I'd lose track of the cast of characters. That may be attributed to the fact that this was the first in the Allon series that I read -- I didn't find that
The only issue I had with the novel was the resemblence at times to The Odessa File by Fredrick Forsyth.
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to be any problem.The only issue I had with the novel was the resemblence at times to The Odessa File by Fredrick Forsyth.
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LibraryThing member ThorneStaff
A very well written book, with little strong language. With the theme of revenge and justice, I wasn't quite sure what would be coming next.
LibraryThing member SharronA
Good abridgment (to 5 CDs), didn't seem chopped at all. Following Gabriel Allon on his travels to exotic and dangerous places is always fun. This time it was a little less due to poor narration. We groaned aloud every time the narrator mispronounced "Xavier" as "EX-avier," for example.
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I listened to this book, read by Tony Goldwyn, and it worked really well as an audiobook. At times the information was almost too harrowing to listen to, dealing as it does with the Nazi death camps and the human atrocities carried out there.
Gabriel Allon is an Israeli secret agent who works as an
Gripping and informative, not a combination you often see. I'll be looking for more books by Silva.
Gabriel Allon is an Israeli secret agent who works as an
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art restorer. He is called away from a project to investigate who blew up a Jewish agency in Vienna. The chief of the agency has not been killed but he is in a coma. Gabriel discovers an old Jewish man hanging around the hospital who tells him he believes he caused the explosion. He doesn't mean he set it but he had given them some information about a well-connected Viennese businessman that he believed had been a Nazi officer in the war. Gabriel starts to investigate the businessman and soon comes across some information that causes him to believe the old man was right. He follows an evidence trail from Rome to South America to the USA and even to his mother's artwork in Israel. Gripping and informative, not a combination you often see. I'll be looking for more books by Silva.
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LibraryThing member magentaflake
a very good read. love gabriel allon
LibraryThing member jackiemcd
The start of a fictional series, this book delivers a highly entertaining history lesson. It got me hooked on the hero, Gabriel Allon who is with Israeli intelligence. A great series to follow! [Deborah - Patron]
LibraryThing member jmoncton
This was my first Daniel Silva mystery, but will not be my last! This is the 4th in the Gabriel Allon mystery series, starring Allon, an Israeli intelligence agent. In this mystery, Allon is tracking down a Nazi war criminal who was responsible for hiding the murder of thousands of Jews at
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Treblinka. The flashbacks to the Holocaust were vividly described and brutal. What I enjoyed about this book is how it really made me reconsider some of my thoughts about the effort placed in bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. When you read about this in the papers, sometimes you have to wonder what the purpose is in chasing down these men who are footsteps away from the grave. Does it really matter? After reading this book, I realize that crimes like these cannot be ignored or forgotten - no statute of limitations for cruelty or genocide. Good story! Show Less
LibraryThing member Pmaurer
My introduction to Daniel Silva. More of an adventure writer, less of a human interest writer than I usually read. Well written, but don't think I'll read another by this author.
LibraryThing member utbw42
This one gets real personal for Gabriel Allon, and his quest for justice concerning an SS officer from the Holocaust makes for an outstanding, fast-paced, well-constructed novel. Silva has created a very strong, very interesting character in Allon. I will quickly be moving to the next in this
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series.... Show Less
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
I listened to this book on a long road trip. This tale of espionage was very fast moving, as well as being just long enough to engage me, the listener without exhausting me. The reader was good and it truly held my interest while keeping my eyes alert and on the road. While it was not rocket
It basically begins with an explosion that takes the life of two young employees working for an office investigating Holocaust crimes and seriously injuring the elderly man who runs it. Apparently a Nazi murderer has been discovered in Vienna, living a very fruitful and successful life, gleaning much respect from those with whom he is in contact because of his position. This explosion starts a pattern of violence as this Nazi seeks to protect his hidden identity from discovery. Who was this Nazi murderer? Where did he do his dastardly deeds? Why is he going to such lengths, now, in his old age, to prevent his discovery?
These secrets are revealed in the book as the CIA and Israeli Spy network work to find out the secrets behind the bloodshed. It takes place in several countries, America, Israel, Austria, Italy and Argentina. As our heroes and villains move from place to place, the story gets more and more exciting, the secrets more and more perplexing. Underlying the political intrigue, there is also a tragic story of loss and a current story of love. This is book four in the Gabriel Allon series of which there are several.
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science, it did provide a history of parts of the Holocaust, never actually getting into the weeds, just imparting the information necessary for the story to take shape. It basically begins with an explosion that takes the life of two young employees working for an office investigating Holocaust crimes and seriously injuring the elderly man who runs it. Apparently a Nazi murderer has been discovered in Vienna, living a very fruitful and successful life, gleaning much respect from those with whom he is in contact because of his position. This explosion starts a pattern of violence as this Nazi seeks to protect his hidden identity from discovery. Who was this Nazi murderer? Where did he do his dastardly deeds? Why is he going to such lengths, now, in his old age, to prevent his discovery?
These secrets are revealed in the book as the CIA and Israeli Spy network work to find out the secrets behind the bloodshed. It takes place in several countries, America, Israel, Austria, Italy and Argentina. As our heroes and villains move from place to place, the story gets more and more exciting, the secrets more and more perplexing. Underlying the political intrigue, there is also a tragic story of loss and a current story of love. This is book four in the Gabriel Allon series of which there are several.
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LibraryThing member buffalogr
Book #4 in the Gabriel Alon series, Gabriel chases down a Nazi war criminal. There are many interesting characters and some of them are of interest. The story has action aplenty, but there aren't a lot of twists. . Another steady read.
LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
In this book Venice-based art restorer and Mossad spy Gabriel Allon must exact justice against former Nazi war criminals. When he’s convinced by Israeli intelligence chief, Ari Shamron, to explore a murderous bombing he encounters a wall of obstacles. Then, a Jewish concentration camp survivor
As always, a great series with a central character that never grows old and stale. I listened to the audio version, narrated by John Lee, and it was wonderful. This series is probably one of the very best of the spy/foreign intrigue thriller novels available.
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who can identify a high-ranking Austrian official with a deadly past dies. Allon, whose mission takes him to Rome, Argentina, and America, must confront conspiracies that turn the case highly personal....track the Nazi murderer who tormented his mother fifty years ago.As always, a great series with a central character that never grows old and stale. I listened to the audio version, narrated by John Lee, and it was wonderful. This series is probably one of the very best of the spy/foreign intrigue thriller novels available.
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LibraryThing member janetcoletti
I have never read a book that I disliked all the characters. A disappointment.
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Setting aside the suspension-of-disbelief conventions of the spy genre, Silva's books about the assassin-cum-art-restorer are among the best of the breed. This volume brings Allon back to Vienna, where his family was destroyed in an earlier book, with ensuing complications, in order to solve a
The rationale for the entire series is to disclose the horrors of the Holocaust to a new generation, in an era where forgetfulness, as well as out-right denial, are rampant.
Addendum: I really should read these in the correct order for series continuity (so far have read #10, 8, and now 4), but Silva covers the back-story naturally and fully enough for the drop-in reader.
NOTES: The Code of the Spooks is something like the Code of the West in Louis L'Amour books: a set of principles that sometimes has to be explicated for the reader. And sparks disagreement between the principals.
P. 252: "Sometimes, intelligence services must utilize the services of evil men to achieve results that are good.." vs. "There's a difference between using evil individuals as sources and hiring them as intelligence officers."
p. 300: Why pursuing the elderly Nazis and putting them on trial differs from assassinating the Black September killers of Israeli Olympic team members. "I don't just want to kill him. I want the world to know what this man did." vs. "So they could spout their propaganda from an Israeli court?...They already did that...right here in this city, in front of all the world's cameras. It wasn't our job to give them another opportunity to justify the massacre of innocents."
(pointing out that The Office is confident it always gets the right perpetrator, which is necessary to the genre -- but raises real-world questions).
p. 355: "As for the truth (about the Final Solution), no one cared while this place was in operation, and no one will care now." On a page I can't find now (twice, IIRC), the old Nazi expresses his amazement that the Reich's commanders ordered him to destroy evidence of the mass murders by incinerating the bodies, and yet live prisoners walk out of one of the camps to escape the oncoming Allies, "because they still needed their (totally useless) labor."
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mystery surrounding his own mother and a hitherto-unknown SS monster. As always, Silva explores the rotten under-layer of US and Vatican complicity in the Nazi atrocities (pre and post war), but is not uncritical of Jewish and Israeli actions as well. Even when you know The Office is in control, though, you can't be sure which setbacks are contrived for a purpose, and which ones are real.The rationale for the entire series is to disclose the horrors of the Holocaust to a new generation, in an era where forgetfulness, as well as out-right denial, are rampant.
Addendum: I really should read these in the correct order for series continuity (so far have read #10, 8, and now 4), but Silva covers the back-story naturally and fully enough for the drop-in reader.
NOTES: The Code of the Spooks is something like the Code of the West in Louis L'Amour books: a set of principles that sometimes has to be explicated for the reader. And sparks disagreement between the principals.
P. 252: "Sometimes, intelligence services must utilize the services of evil men to achieve results that are good.." vs. "There's a difference between using evil individuals as sources and hiring them as intelligence officers."
p. 300: Why pursuing the elderly Nazis and putting them on trial differs from assassinating the Black September killers of Israeli Olympic team members. "I don't just want to kill him. I want the world to know what this man did." vs. "So they could spout their propaganda from an Israeli court?...They already did that...right here in this city, in front of all the world's cameras. It wasn't our job to give them another opportunity to justify the massacre of innocents."
(pointing out that The Office is confident it always gets the right perpetrator, which is necessary to the genre -- but raises real-world questions).
p. 355: "As for the truth (about the Final Solution), no one cared while this place was in operation, and no one will care now." On a page I can't find now (twice, IIRC), the old Nazi expresses his amazement that the Reich's commanders ordered him to destroy evidence of the mass murders by incinerating the bodies, and yet live prisoners walk out of one of the camps to escape the oncoming Allies, "because they still needed their (totally useless) labor."
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Subjects
Awards
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 2005)
Barry Award (Nominee — Thriller — 2005)
Gumshoe Award (Nominee — Thriller — 2005)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2004
Physical description
4.9 inches
ISBN
0739309323 / 9780739309322