Before the holiday gets here and I forget what I wanted to say, I thought I better write down my thoughts on The Kill Artist
by Daniel Silva. Below is the plot summary I found on the web:Gabriel Allon had a simple but brutal job: he tracked down and eliminated Israel's terrorist enemies. But when his wife and son fell victim to the danger that accompanied him everywhere, Gabriel quit and devoted himself to the work of art restoration, an occupation that had previously been a cover for his secret assignments.
Now Ari Shamron, the head of Israeli intelligence, needs Gabriel's particular kind of experience to thwart a Palestinian plot to destroy the peace negotiations in the Middle East. The architect of this plot, a Palestinian zealot named Tariq, is a lethal part of Gabriel's past, so as the two begin an intercontinental game of hide-and-seek, with life and death as the prizes, the motives are as personal as they are political.
The story features a vivid and fascinating supporting cast, including the magus-like Ari Shamron, a beautiful French Jewish model who is seeking retribution for her family's death in the Holocaust, and a marvelously comic down-at-the-heels London art dealer. Set these colorful and varied characters against a brilliant background of political intrigue and vengeance at the highest levels and a manhunt that covers three continents, and the result is a smart and electrically exciting global thriller.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. Before I got into my 3 year fantasy binge, I used to read a lot of spy/espionage books, and after reading 2 in a row, I am reminded why I like this genre. Gabriel Allon is the lead character, but he isn't the typical spy hero. He is approaching 50 years of age, meaning he isnt a young fellow anymore. While this didn't have a big impact on this particular story, I am guessing/hoping it will in future volumes (the series is 9 books long at the moment, with #10 coming out in 2010 I believe). Allon is a conflicted guy..he gave up the assassin game after his wife and son were the victims of a bombing. Naturally, in stories like these, the guy who killed Allon's family did it for revenge, as Allon had killed his brother many years ago. Now, in The Kill Artist, Allon is brought back into the game to chase down the guy who attacked his family. I thought Gabriel's back story was filled in very nicely. I really felt his grief at what had happened to his family, and how he felt responsible. There is a really touching scene relating to this, but it to discuss it in any detail would reveal a minor secret. Even the supporting cast gets pretty good character development, notably Ari Shamron (Allon's boss, basically) and the model, who also has a tie to Allon's past. Note that like many spy books, there is a romantic tie between Allon and the model/spy, but it stays below the surface for the most part.
Much of the action takes place in Europe, though the ending sees the characters visit Canada and New York. One of the things that appeals to me about spy novels is the globetrotting, and this one has just enough to meet my requirements. I don't think its a coincidence that I like epic fantasy and globetrotting spy books..they actually have a lot in common (but that is a topic for a future post).Unlike some spy novels, tech gadgets do not play much of a role in this story. So, if you like your espionage novels filled will cool James Bond-y gadgets, don't look for that here. I wouldn't even say this one is action-filled. There is a good bit of it, but there is equal focus on building the Gabriel Allon character for future novels.
I had just a couple minor quibbles. The ending was a bit uneven, and I would liked to have seen a little more "spy trade" in action. By this I mean cool spy tricks. There was a minimum of this in The Kill Artist. Most of it involved repeated moments of Allon dropping his keys so he could look under his car for a bomb before getting in. Besides the action and the world travel, I like learning cool spy tidbits, and this novel lacked those.
But again, overall, I found this a very entertaining novel, with a sympathetic lead character. The plot made sense, and after it was over, I had a desire to buy the next book to see what happens to Gabriel and Ari Shamron next. Definitely recommended, and I fully expect the series to get better as it goes along. With a strong first novel, that means future books have a lot of potential.
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(PRS-300). This is the barebones Sony reader: 5 inch screen, 3 font sizes, no expandable memory, and a price in most stores of $199 US. Naturally, I got the itch to use an e-ink reader right after selling my Sony PRS-505 to Donna (Fantasy Dreamer's Ramblings blog).
by Alex Berenson. I have to say I liked it..liked it a lot. The novel takes place post 9/11, with most of the action occurring in the US (though early parts of the book take place in Afghanistan. The basic premise is that the US gets a spy, John Wells, into al-Qaeda. John is in place for quite awhile, evening converting to Islam (legitamately, not just to fit in). he has to give us his family and everything in his past, so that al-Qaeda accepts him. As the novel opens, John will shortly be on his way back to the US, but still undercover as an al-Qaeda terrorist. He has been undercover so long, his own government doesn't know whether to trust him or not. And being an American at birth, al-Qaeda doesn't completely trust him either. 
