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| The English Assassin |  | Author: Daniel Silva
Publisher: Penguin
List Price: £8.99
Buy New: £5.99
as of 9/9/2010 20:12 CDT details
You Save: £3.00 (33%)
New (25) Used (9) from £2.88
Rating:  12 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0141038985
EAN: 9780141038988
Publication Date: January 29, 2009
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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Product Description
Art restorer and sometime spy Gabriel Allon is asked to visit Zurich, to clean the work of an Old Master for a millionaire banker. But when he gets there he finds the corpse of his client in a pool of blood beneath the masterpiece, and discovers that a secret collection of priceless paintings - stolen by Nazis in the war - is missing.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
a good follow on January 6, 2010
Michael Watson (Halifax, England)
Having moved from 'The Kill Artist' to this novel, the similarities in the formula are very apparent. It seems Palestinian extremists have been swapped for Swiss bankers who now become the focus of the Israeli hit squad led by Gabriel Allon. Given that bankers today are probably viewed as far below estate agents, secondhand car dealers, etc., the story is quite topical, although, as far as I know, no current bankers are involved in the hiding away of valuable works of art originally stolen by the Nazis.
As before, the action moves along nicely. There is, for me, just a little too much catching up from the first book but, essentially what I find strange is that there is no mention of Peel, the young boy and Jacqueline, his previous love interest, even if to tell us they've disappeared into a black hole. Maybe in his next outing we'll learn more, so watch this space.
If you liked the first in this series, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one. Allon has taken a welcome break at the end of the book, so he should be fully fit for purpose in 'The Confessor'. We'll see.
Move over 007 July 22, 2009
Robert M. Hughes (Hereford UK)
This series pulls no punches - either in the action described or the politics commented upon.
Daniel Silva challenges his readers to review their own personal prejudices and reactions.
Not for the faint hearted!
An exciting insight into the world of Gabriel allon August 13, 2008
Curly.Lockz
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was the first book of the crime/espionage genre that I have read I have to be honest that I was completely gripped by the story line. It is an easy read and does not need any concentration to enjoy the script. Following Gabriel throughout the western world I became enveloped in the story line and felt a part of the story as if I was travelling with Gabriel throughout the developing story. Being a general whodunit it was obvious as to who was involved in the murder.
Touching on Silva's previous novel in places this is a great addition to the series of Gabriel Allon books. I would recommend this book to anyone however I feel that the more experienced espionage reader may disagree with my comment due to the ease and predictability of the storyline.
I do not feel that the book was rushed at the end and could have been ended with a more dramatic ending, but is not something to complain about as Silva continues the Allon saga in his next novel.
"Beware the Gnomes of Zurich...All Switzerland is a bank." March 20, 2008
Mary Whipple (New England)
Revolving around the role of Swiss bankers and financiers (the Gnomes) in financing the German war effort during World War II, Daniel Silva's fifth novel, and the second to feature Gabriel Allon, examines the role of this supposedly neutral nation in prolonging the war and in profiting from the looting of Jewish accounts and art collections. Here Gabriel Allon, an art restorer who has also worked as an assassin for Israeli Intelligence, is called upon to restore a Raphael painting, only to discover the owner of the painting, Augustus Rolfe, dead upon his arrival. Further investigation reveals that Rolfe, a banker, also hid a large art collection in his basement vault, though it has now vanished.
As Allon comes to know Rolfe's violinist daughter Anna, he must avoid the Swiss police, who are dedicated to preserving bank secrecy laws and the appearance of propriety even as they aid in the hiding of Jewish artifacts. In league with a secret Swiss cabal which will stop at nothing to preserve their own ill-gotten gains, the police also believe that Anna may know more than she lets on. A second plot, which eventually ties in with the main plot, features "the English Assassin," who works for a don in Corsica who is planning a major assassination. As the plot twists from Zurich to Germany, Portugal, France, England, and Corsica, Allon and the English assassin come closer to a showdown.
Based on facts about Swiss banking and its laws, which guarantee secrecy and allow Nazi plunder to be owned by Swiss citizens if they "acquired it in good faith," the novel allows the author to personalize some of the abuses and weave them into his novel. Though the plot is a bit difficult to follow, at times, since the exact connection with the English Assassin is not clear for much of the novel, it moves quickly and bloodily forward, filled with violence, beatings, torture, and murder. The villains are truly villainous, and the good guys, if not virtuous, are at least "honorable" in intention and ruled by good motives.
Unfortunately, the novel is too broad to allow for much character identification, and the movement throughout Europe prevents a sense of place and atmosphere from developing. Switzerland, though the main location, is shown selectively through negative elements which advance the plot. The climax, when it occurs, is not the blockbuster one would expect. Rather, it is more a fizzling out of details as the novel comes to a conclusion, though not necessarily a resolution. Silva is a terrific thriller writer, but this is not his most thrilling novel. Mary Whipple
 Good story, well researched. September 14, 2007
Garfield Southall (Chester, UK)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Being an avid reader of Le Carre, Deighton, Porter et al I've been looking for another series to work through, and the Gabriel Allon sequence looks like fitting the bill nicely. A great page-turner, very well plotted, extensively researched and some very tense scenes that don't always work out how you'd expect. Now for the next one !...
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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