Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding.
Review: I just finished my first book by Daniel Silva, The Kill Artist. It was the BEST book I have read in years! I could not put it down and was sorry when it was finished. The female lead (Sarah/Jacqueline/Dominique) reminded me so much of Charlie in Le Carre's Little Drummer Girl, in the way she was deceived and led to do things by duplicitous men. I am now starting The Confessor and hope it is even half as good. I plan to get all his books. So thankful there is another writer whose thriller/spy novels I can look forward to getting my hands on (like Ludlum, Forsythe, Follet, etc.).
Rating:
Summary: Draws You In
Review: I love books like this that draw you in immediately, to the point where you just can't stop reading 'till you know what happens. Usually thrillers involve so many characters, flashback and plot twists that it's hard to keep track of everything, but Silva does a great job of keeping everything in line. A really enjoyable read!
Rating:
Summary: It's Silva but then its not
Review: I loved The Marching Season and Mark of the Assasin, but this just doesn't seem like Silva. Don't get me wrong I'm a HUGE Daniel Silva fan. I love his common sense detail and easy to follow plots in the past. This novel borders on everything he's created in the past with characters and places. A few of the previous characters are there but hopefully he'll bring back the painter-assassin from Mark of the Assasin and The Marching Season. The story line was a little hard to follow at times, esp. the flash backs, but none the less a great read. Basically this is a good book. If you like Silva you'll buy this book anyways. If you've never read Silva then you'll definately want to buy this book. Reading time is about three to four days, but definately worth it. Can't wait for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: A timely but ordinary spy thriller about the Middle East.
Review: I recently read Daniel Silva's new novel, "The English Assassin," and I was very impressed with its intricate and assured plotting, its meaningful themes, and its fascinating characters. Unfortunately, "The Kill Artist," which was written first, does not measure up to the "The English Assassin." Both novels feature Gabriel Allon, a tormented man who has done undercover work as an agent for the Israeli government. He now spends much of his time expertly restoring valuable works of art that have been damaged over the years. Gabriel is something of a loner who would like to forget his tragic past. He would prefer to stop working for the Israeli government completely and live a quiet and reclusive life in Cornwall, England. Gabriel's spymaster, Ari Shamron, has other ideas. He convinces Gabriel to get back into the spy game in order to trap an old enemy. Soon, Gabriel is on the trail of Tariq al-Hourani, a Palestinian zealot who recently assassinated the Israeli ambassador in Paris. Tariq and Gabriel are old enemies and Gabriel cannot resist the chance to finally even an old score and rid Israel of an ardent and deadly enemy. Naturally, there is a beautiful woman involved, as well. Jacqueline Delacroix, born Sarah Halevy, lost her grandparents in the Holocaust. She, too, has been recruited by Ari Shamron to help Gabriel trap Tariq. She is in love with Gabriel, but he is reluctant to get romantically involved with her, for reasons of his own. The plot thickens, as Gabriel and Jacqueline go undercover and place themselves in grave danger while they track Tariq. Their prey turns the tables on Gabriel and Jacqueline, and Tariq soon becomes the hunter. Gabriel fears that he will never capture Tariq. Worse still, Tariq may be planning to carry out another assassination in order to destroy any hope of peace between Israel and her Arab neighbors. "The Kill Artist" doesn't work very well because Silva relies on cliches and stereotypes rather than spending time developing realistic characters. The ending is melodramatic and forced. "The Kill Artist" has a few exciting scenes here and there, but there are not enough of them to elevate "The Kill Artist" above the level of a pedestrian thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: A Compelling Story
Review: I too, have read all of Daniel Silva's books and while I very much enjoyed this one, it somehow lacked the flow of The Marching Season or The Mark of the Assassin. Perhaps it is because of the subject matter, i.e. Middle East peace or the lack thereof. There are wheels within wheels on both sides of the issue and to explain that to a reader in a manner which still holds one's attention, probably explains the somewhat less than frantic pace of the action in this book. There are facinating insights into the working of the mind of Yassir Arafat and there is some interesting philosophy shared among the Israeli participants as well. I actually turned down the corner on page 75 where Ari Shamron, an Israeli spymaster tells Gabriel Allon, the assasin he has brought back into service, "All right, if you want my opinion, I believe we will be no more secure after a peace deal than before it. If you want my opinion, I believe the fire in the Palestinian heart will never be extinguished until the Jews are driven into the sea....I would much rather do battle with a sworn enemy than with an enemy who finds expediency in posing as a friend." I happen to believe there is more truth in those words than in all of the posturing that came out of the Clinton peace process which ended with one of the participants being voted out of office. So with patience and clear character development, Silva weaves us through the passions and terror of the Middle East which spreads its effect throughout the globe. You will learn from reading this book and you will be well entertained. Not a bad combination!
Rating:
Summary: Spy v. Spy
Review: I walk to work, and at this time of year, I'm often walking in the dark. I take the same route every day, which takes me from a side street to a main street about a quarter-mile from my house. Anyway, one morning shortly after finishing this book, I had just turned on to the main street when a car came down the hill at the same time as a car was traveling from the opposite direction. And my first thought was, "Oh, my goodness, they've caught me!" And my second thought was, "Wait a minute, I'm not a spy." This book is that engrossing ... you get completely caught up in the whole spy story until it takes over your life. And I mean that in a *good* way.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the metal detector?
Review: I was really excited about Daniel Silva after finishing his excellent WWII thriller "The Unlikely Spy". However, his subsequent books have been uneven - "Mark of the Assassin" was OK but bordered on copyright infringement on "Patriot Games", while "The Marching Season" was virtually unreadable. So, I got scared off from him until my Dad loaned me this pleasant surprise. Again, nothing groundbreaking, but at least the characters are well-rounded and the interpersonal conflicts are interesting. Also, the Gabriel Allon protagonist has the potential to be a good franchise base - the duality of assassin and art restorer has the makings of many interesting reads.
Rating:
Summary: Quick, Entertaining Summer Reading
Review: I was really excited about Daniel Silva after finishing his excellent WWII thriller "The Unlikely Spy". However, his subsequent books have been uneven - "Mark of the Assassin" was OK but bordered on copyright infringement on "Patriot Games", while "The Marching Season" was virtually unreadable. So, I got scared off from him until my Dad loaned me this pleasant surprise. Again, nothing groundbreaking, but at least the characters are well-rounded and the interpersonal conflicts are interesting. Also, the Gabriel Allon protagonist has the potential to be a good franchise base - the duality of assassin and art restorer has the makings of many interesting reads.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed feeling
Review: I was really excited about getting my hands on this book after reading some of the reviews but I really cannot highly recommend this one. My number one complaint is that Allon comes off kinda lame. He is built up throughout the story but at every time he is to rise to the occasion, he falls flat. Tariq is a interesting character but I am really confused to why he didn't kill the model when he killed all the other women without a second thought. Overall, this book reminded me of something I would read in my college writing classes.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Read with lots of info
Review: I've read a lot of books non-fiction and fiction on the Intelligence community from around the world. Its obvious from Daniel's book that he's done his research right in getting the feel and capabilities of the agents fictionalized in the book. I urge you to read the resources that he lists at the end of the book as well if you want more info. The book is set in modern times, concerning an Israeli agent who's mastered the art of restoration as a cover to such a degree that he in fact became one of the world's best art restorers. The story does not circle around this fact. It is about the chase of an old rival bent on destoying the mideast peace process and the details involved in preparing and executing the mission from both sides. There are some twists in the end of the story to be sure. It is a fast paced, action adventure story that takes you across Europe which also touches upon both side (Israeli/Palestinian) views of the peace process and the history of Isreal. I will be definately reading more books of this sort from Daniel Silva.
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