The Messenger

June 19, 2006
Bestseller Silva continues to warrant comparisons to John le Carré, as shown by his latest thriller starring Israeli art restorer and spymaster Gabriel Allon. Ahmed bin Shafiq, a former chief of a clandestine Saudi intelligence unit, targets the Vatican for attack, in particular Pope Paul VII and his top aide, Monsignor Luigi Donati, who both appeared in Silva's previous novel, Prince of Fire
. Shafiq, who now heads his own terrorist network, is allied with a militant Islamic Saudi businessman known as Zizi, a true believer committed to the destruction of all infidels. Gabriel's challenge is to infiltrate Zizi's organization, a task he assigns to a beautiful American art expert, Sarah Bancroft. Gabriel promises he'll protect her, but plans go awry, and by the end Sarah faces torture and death. While Sarah's fate is never in doubt, the way Silva resolves his plot will keep readers right where he wants them: on the edges of their seats. Author tour.

Starred review from July 1, 2006
In his ninth novel, the sixth Gabriel Allon thriller, Silva ("Prince of Fire") focuses on the threat of Saudi-funded terrorism. Allon, art restorer extraordinaire by cover, Israeli assassin by profession, faces a daunting task. The Brotherhood of Allah, a group sponsored by a Saudi billionaire and headed by a reclusive terrorist living in the West, is preparing an attack on the Vatican. When the terrorists succeed in damaging St. Peter -s Basilica and its cupola, in the process slaughtering more than 700 tourists and nearly killing the pope, Allon accepts a mission sanctioned by the U.S. president and the Israelis. He must track down the terrorists, infiltrate their organization, and assassinate their leaders. Silva, a master craftsman, offers a perfect blend of all that matters most in fiction -a significant theme, believable and engaging characters, authentic settings, and an engrossing plot -detailed in precise prose that flows with seductive ease. Unlike other thriller writers who rely on tricks and seemingly endless (and ultimately unrealistic) twists for effect, Silva builds suspense through realistic threats, harrowing situations, and gripping action. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 4/1/06.]" -Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2006
A terrorist bombing in St. Peter's Square leaves hundreds dead, the Pope injured, and the Basilica a ghastly, smoking pile. This tragedy confirms what began in London weeks before when a traffic accident killed a talent scout for al-Qaeda, leaving his briefcase, filled with surveillance photos of the Vatican, in the hands of Israeli agents. Silva's series hero, Gabriel Allon, is at the center of this fast-paced, completely absorbing international spy thriller. Allon is an art restorer and sometime spy. While restoring Old Masters is Allon's passion (and a wonderful source of intriguing details about the art world), he is called back into service from time to time. Allon's double life began in the aftermath of the Olympic massacre in 1972, when he was recruited to hunt down the Israeli athletes' killers. His sense of urgency in thwarting terrorism was brought into play by the deaths of his wife and infant son in a car bombing 13 years before. What makes this series fascinating is the interplay between standard spy-thriller fare of glamorous locales (here, the action breaks in Rome, Venice, Jerusalem, Paris, and D.C.), double and triple crosses, and justified paranoia with the passionate, tragic figure of Allon himself. An engrossing and beautifully written contemporary spy thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

Starred review from October 2, 2006
Recording the audio version of an exciting, well-crafted thriller must be one of the entertainment world's hardest and least appreciated jobs. In the case of Silva, who creates explosive stories where violence and terrorism share space with the history of art and the secrets of a spy whose day job is to restore old classic paintings, the task is definitely fraught with its own kinds of danger. Luckily, Lane has all the right equipment for the job: a voice that can be strong as well as sensitive (sometimes both at the same time) for Gabriel Allon, Silva's shrewdly conceived lead character—a man who can shift from paint and varnish to guns and bombs without losing credibility on either side. Lane also has the depth of talent to bring to instant life a gallery of Vatican insiders, art types, and terrorists of every stripe and inclination. For listeners who like to mix richer ingredients into their crime fiction choices, Silva's latest gets the topnotch audio treatment they—and he—deserve. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Reviews, June 19).