Rating: 
Summary: Another solid thriller from the current champ of the genre.
Review: Art restorer and cover operative Gabriel Allon, the hero of Silva's "The Kill Artist" returns to again help Israeli intelligence with a very sticky situation. A Swiss banker (and former Nazi collaborator) has been murdered before he could reveal the secrets hidden in his bank's vaults. It's up to Allon to protect the banker's musician daughter from a similar fate, while he tries to uncover secrets buried for over a half-century.The plot of this one isn't as complicated as most of, say, Ludlum's were (which might be good or bad, depending on your point of view), nor is the suspense as gripping. The characters are good, though, particularly Allon, and the story is interesting. If this isn't Silva's best work, it's still very good. Reviewed by David Montgomery, MysteryInkOnline.com
Rating:
Summary: exciting thriller
Review: English art gallery owner Julie Isherwood obtains a commission for Mario Delvecchio to go to Zurich to restore a painting. Mario has no idea who the client is or what painting he is to clean, but the money is too good to ignore. In Zurich, Mario finds his host is not at his villa and learns from Julie that there is a change of plans. Julie provides Mario with the security codes to enter the villa. Inside Mario learns he is to restore Raphael's Portrait of a Young Man from the early sixteenth century until he finds the murdered body of his client. Relying on his stealth as a former Israeli operative, Mario sneaks away, but is caught by the police as he tries to leave town.
Mario's former boss Ari Shamron obtains his freedom. Ari had arranged for Mario, who is actually Gabriel Allon, to do the restoration job. He wants Gabriel to meet with Anna Rolfe, daughter of the deceased, to see what she knows. Reluctantly, Gabriel becomes involved once again in the deadly world of professional assassinations even as art crimes from the time of the Nazis threaten his life.
The first half of THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN is as good as any thriller readers will find as Daniel Silva sets up his plot with historical references and moral predicaments. However, the latter part of the novel is loaded with action, but turns into a more typical "shoot-em-up" espionage chiller. Overall, fans will enjoy this story, but will feel a bit shortchanged because the second half fails to attain the incredible levels of the first part of the book. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read But Not Up To Par For Silva!
Review: The English Assassin has a lot of good things working for it -- a fast-paced plot, lots of action, decently developed characters, and an interesting historical perspective about the Swiss-Nazi relationship during WWII. I found that I could not put the book down throughout the first half. However, I felt that the second half dragged somewhat and the ending, while still filled with action, left me feeling a bit dissatisfied. This is due to its containing few surprises and being somewhat predictable. Further, Silva's conclusion left some 'threads too loosely tied' for my taste. Perhaps this is because he plans to continue his main character, Gabriel Allon, and his secondary characters, Ari Shamron and Julian Isherwood, all of whom were in Silva's The Kill Artist, in future books. While I continue to like these characters, I think that knowing that he plans to use them in other books detracted from the suspense of the ending. With this said, The English Assassin was an entertaining read and one that I, overall, think you would enjoy. It's just that if you have read Silva's other books, as I have, you might feel that his latest effort isn't among the strongest of his works. Also recommended: All of Daniel Silva's previous books, Snow Wolf by Glenn Meade and Jackdaws by Ken Follett.
Rating: 
Summary: Gabriel Allon
Review: I cannot tell you how happy I am that Silva brought back Gabriel Allon. He is this [really good] Israeli sharp-shooter who we first saw in Silva's last book. He [rocks] once again in Silva's latest The English Assassin. I cannot tell you how happy I was to hear he brought back this character. I certainly hope he brings this guy back in all of his books. Read this book people. And believe me when i tell you that you will not come across a character as cool as Allon. Who knows maybe one day Allon will be up there with some of the greats like Parker's Spenser...
Rating:
Summary: Daughter of God's Assassin?
Review: An excellent read, twists and turns more than the roads leading from Zurich to the Matterhorn. But it seems a bit derivative of another excellent book, Daughter of God by Lewis Perdue: Stolen art, Zurich, Nazis etc.
Rating:
Summary: the wait was worth it
Review: My only problem with Daniel Silva is that he doesn't write books fast enough. The wait for The English Assassin, though, was more than worth it. Silva's a first-rate writer who has taken the well-worn concept of the international thriller and turned it into something compellingly new. The English Assassin is a perfect example of his skill: he throws together the reluctant, tormented spy Gabriel Allon with a tempermental violin virtuoso grappling with her own dark secrets and sends them off to investigate the Swiss collaboration with the Nazis in the theft of priceless art. It is an utterly fascinating story, brought to life with the help of a cast of superbly crafted supporting characters, including a vicious English assassin who is a bit more complex than your usual villain. Along the way Silva masterfully draws us into the worlds of art and music and gives us a tempting tour of some out-of-the-way European locales. I started The English Assassin the other night and finished it in one sitting. My only disappointment? It'll be another year before the new Silva pops up on the shelves.
Rating:
Summary: What a Good Book, What a Good Read, this is.
Review: Silva's hero from last year's Kill Artist is back. This time it is art itself that lies at the core of the murderous problem that draws Allon back into the world of spies, assassins and a festering need to unwind a story hidden by years and years of lies upon lies. The scene now is mostly Switzerland and the accounts yet to be rendered for things done there during the time when Switzerland looked the other way at accommodations with the Nazi regime that surrounded it. The long story unfolds brilliantly, the shorter story, in the book itself, also is fast paced, especially in the second half of the book.
Rating:
Summary: We Need More Authors Like Dan Silva...
Review: I am a new reader of Dan Silva. A friend told me to check out his earlier books a couple of years ago, but I never got around to them. But just this past weekend, I came across Dan Silva's latest book "The English Assassin" and I read it in two nights. I can honestly say that I was stupid for not having read his earlier books. His latest is superb storytelling at it's best. If anybody wants an example of stellar crisp storytelling, you don't need to stray too far from this title. I found the protagonist Gabriel Allon to be one of the most interesting characters I've come across in quite some time. While "The English Assassin" has a fascinating plot with intriguing characters, I cannot stress enough how the eloquent storytelling from Dan Silva seperates the book from others in the genre. Silva is on the verge of breaking into the exclusive upper tier of contemporary fiction writers. He is a name that will be topping the bestseller lists for years to come if this novel is any indication of what he is capable of. I would recommend this book with great enthusiasm.
Rating:
Summary: A Riveting Novel...
Review: I had never heard of Daniel Silva nor seen any of his works until I walked into my local library about a week ago and saw this novel. I decided it sounding like the kind of books I tend to enjoy and I found it was a book that I plan on adding to my massive book collection very soon. The English Assassin is no Dan Brown book to be sure and it was never intended to be marketed that way, especially since it was published long before The DaVinci Code. The plot twists in the book were amazing along with the description of various cities, paintings, and history of World War II to present day. Silva weaves a wonderful thriller novel together with several story arcs at the beginning that converge at the end of the novel to really leave a zinging ending. This is one of the better books I have read and the intensive look at foreign policy and diplomacy that must have been done prior to this novel definately shows.
Rating:
Summary: Hooked from the first chapter
Review: Silva hooked me into this novel in the first chapter and never let up. I won't repeat the story line here; but will tell you that the twists and turns of this story will keep you turning the pages until the end. Silva takes you through the streets of Zurich, Vienna, Paris, London, Corsica, and others in an exciting and thought provoking novel. The history concerning the stolen art by the Nazis during WWII was especially interesting. Enjoy this book.
| 
