A Death in Vienna

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing, real, haunting
Review: I try and avoid novels and anything dealing with Nazis et al, but lately I've found myself going back to them. Perhaps it has been my period of adjustment over the deluge of these stories in the past twenty years. Having decided that the ultimate experience for me was "Sophie's Choice" I shunned everything after that, but "A Death in Vienna" changed all that, for it was not only well written, well paced, and well thought out, but actually took me someplace I had not been in the cannon of Jewish/Nazi experiences. I greatly applaud Silva's effort and would recommend this book to anyone whether or not you're interested in the subject material

Would also recommend two other books, totally unrelated: Life of Pi by Martel, and The Bark of the Dogwood by J.T.McCrae. Both are great reads, and again, not related in subject matter to "A Death." Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Not Mr. Silva's Best, Not By A Long Shot
Review: I'm truly sorry that I can't join in with crowd that has given this book high praise. "A Death in Vienna" left me strangely disappointed. Mr. Silva claims the book completes a trilogy on the unfinished business of the Holocaust. I finished the book feeling that Mr. Silva left the book itself unfinished - well, if not unfinished, then certainly unpolished [sic].

I have nothing against authors using their novels to bring home a point or issue important to them. But when the point/issue becomes bigger than the book itself, the book suffers. That is what happened in this novel.

Mr. Silva is certainly entitled to remind his readers that the Holocaust should never be forgotten, nor ever allowed to happen again (to any people). However, in his desire to bring that point home, the book lost the rich quality of his other works. I would have been much happier had Mr. Silva written an op-ed piece on the occasion of this book's publishing. Unlike Mr. Silva's previous works, I never got the feeling in "A Death in Vienna" that it was the characters who were tormented. Instead, it seemed all too clear that Mr. Silva was the tormented one. Not good, not even acceptable, for a novelist of Mr. Silva's caliber and capabilities.

Having served in Vienna, the book was somewhat of a trip down Nostalgia Lane for me. However, in painting the right-wing political party of Austria (Freedom Party) as two-dimensional bad guys reduces this book to nothing more than a paperback Western in the tradition of "Shootout At the OK Corral" (et al). "A Death in Vienna" is really nothing more (stylistically and structurally) than a revenge tale (seen "Open Range," anyone?). I don't disagree that Anti-Semitism was/is a problem in Austria, but to single out Austria when anti-Semitism continues to be a pan-European problem is a simplistic "pin the tail on the bad guy" approach to a much more complex issue. To imply that the "right" in Austria are the harbingers of a new Nazi movement is just as simplistic and impunes the majority of "rightists" in Austria who see their party (along with the right-center People's Party) as a solution to the ills of 50 years of failed "left" (Social Democrats) politics.

While I, in no way, am trying to excuse the fact that Austria was the birthplace of Hitler or that a majority of the Austrian population voted for the Anschluss, Mr. Silva displays either a naive understanding of the European (and specifically Austrian & German) political situation of the 1930s (as well as the situation confronting the U.S. in the immediate aftermath of WWII) or has purposely avoided a more balanced presentation in order to cynically highjack his readership for his own ideological purposes. I would remind Mr. Silva that much of the "anti-" sentiment in Austria today is not anti-Semitic, it is "anti-foreigner" (as a result of continuing problems in the Balkans). The "anti-" sentiment seen in Austria today mimics the "anti-" sentiment seen in the southern U.S. as a result of illegal immigration from South and Central America. Speaking of the U.S., I would also remind Mr. Silva that while it is indisputable that the U.S. set up and used the Gehlen Org, it was also the U.S. that pushed for the establishment of a Jewish State and continues to be Israel's staunchest ally.

This review is not meant to be a defense of Austria or of U.S. policies (past and present). Nor was it written to diminish in any way the significance of the Holocaust. Instead, it was intended to let Mr. Silva know that we (his devoted readership) have come to expect better from him. I fully agree, the Holocaust (or any systematic action against any people on any scale, however small) should never be allowed to even gather the slightest bit of momentum. However, if making such a passionate, personal point is crucial to Mr. Silva's telling of a story, please do a better job of it.

Finally, I hope "A Death in Vienna" is not the last appearance of Gabriel Allon. There is much left to explore in Mr. Allon's world and I would like to participate in the discovery.

Rating:
Summary: When do we stop? Never.
Review: Learned historians have argued for years about the cause, loss, destruction and Armageddon-like aspects of the Second World War. Insanity, greed, myopia, good versus evil. One of the more compelling arguments that the storm that gathered which would turn Europe into a giant necropolis was that it was intrinsically evil. More so than in other conflicts dating back to Alexander. And at the heart of that is the death camps.

Hard to explain. It is so horrific as to make the brightest of women and men shudder in attempts to comprehend. Just to understand takes monumental discipline.

Simon Weisenthal, the most known of the Nazi hunters, was once asked if ever we come to the point that we have hunted these monsters of the Reichstag long enough. Weisenthal responded, "never." We must remember. We must have something to remind us. We must never forget.

I'm not sure that the novel is the best forum for that monument. But at times it may be the only forum. Mr. Silva presents a magnetic, riveting novel on the search for a death camp officer who, through a series of believable ironies and misguided assitance escaped detection.

It is a terrifying journey. Not having read the first two parts of the Gabriel Allon saga, I can at least report that "A Death in Vienna" stands on it's own two legs.

Lengthy and haunting, even for an Irish kid from New York born after WWII, it brings tears to your eyes.

Not your usual mystery/adventure. Worth the effort. 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Vienna
Review: My First Silva novel and I guess I expected more. I guess I was looking more of the writing and plot style of Grisham or Clancy. But all in all, I enjoyed the read and will read his other works.

If you're looking for a different and exciting novel, read LUST OF THE FLESH by Beverly Rolyat. A story about district attorney, Nick Allapapalaus, who finds himself caught up in a web of lust, deceit, mystery, suspense, betrayal, murder and sex galore. Is he really the biological father of his ex-wife's promiscuous teenage daughter's infant son? Or has he been set up? A compelling, riveting, engaging, pageturning novel. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Silva is Gold -- A Master Thriller Writer!
Review: One thing that can always be counted on is that Daniel Silva's thrillers will not only be exciting, they will be very intelligent, well-written, well-researched and compelling. A Death In Vienna completes the Holocaust trilogy that started with The English Assassin and was followed by The Confessor, and it is every bit as good as its predecessors. Each of these books are novels of slow-building, yet non-stop tension and suspense that will keep you glued the edge of your seat. If you haven't read a Daniel Silva book before, do yourself a favor and add this book -- and all of his books -- to your Must Read list. Money and/or time spent on a Silva book is as good as gold. You will be more than satisfied. While the subject matter of A Death In Vienna is filled with the inhumanity that occurred during the Holocaust and with contempt for those who enabled this tragedy to occur, Silva describes these events with tremendous feeling. Silva has become not only a master thriller writer, he has become one of the better writers of contemporary fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Good History Book!
Review: Our hero Gabriel Allon(also known as Mario Delvecchio)is restoring a painting in Venice. An okd friend is severly injured by a bombing at the Holocaust Claims office in Venice.Allon
meets up with another Holocaust survivor named Max Klein who
tells Allon that his friend was hurt because Klein has discovered
a Nazi war criminal is living in Venice.Upon further checking he
discovers that the same criminal is actually Eric Radek who
abused his mother during the Death March.He discovers that the
CIA employed this man as an agent after World War II and also
protected him.Allon also traces Radek through the Vatican and down to Argentina.Allon also discovers that Radek's son is about to be elected Chancellor of Austria.It is left up to Allon to
bring justice to the Holocaust survivors and victims. A very interesting book that you will enjoy reading.

Rating:
Summary: A good finish to Silva's trilogy
Review: Reading this book was a fine finish to Daniel Silva's trilogy of nazi era novels. As a student of the Holocaust, I appreciated the depth of research he used for this work. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a great mystery with enough reality to be believable. Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Silva doesn't disappoint
Review: See storyline above.

The last in a trilogy of novels, dealing with the unfinished business of the Holocaust, does not disappoint.
This well researched novel delivers plenty of action and is written in a gripping and compelling fashion (normal for Silva).
International locales include Vienna, Venice, Argentina, and of course, Israel. As you read through all the action be prepared to live through some of the atrocities of the Holocaust.
A well rounded thriller sure to please everyone.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Plenty of Life!
Review: Silva represents all that I love about the old-school suspense masters, while threading in the wonderful aspects of the new. Once again, in this installment of his Gabriel Allon novels, Silva uses the terse prose and historic settings of Jack Higgins, the conspiracy theory plotting of Robert Ludlum, and--in a nod to the new regime--a dose of emotion and pathos that make his characters memorable.

Although deeper and more convoluted than one might think initially, Silva's plot is delivered with clarity and nice pacing. The characters and settings are drawn with credible detail. The themes of Nazi war criminals, family honor, revenge, and the quest for truth are brought to bear as Allon once again finds himself pitted against a formidable foe.

Racing from Vienna, to Jerusalem, to Argentina, and Poland, this story is a masterpiece of character and conflict. The roots of Allon's own family tree are dug up, and he must choose between burying his enemies or burying his desire for vengeance. Although the issue of a rogue bodyguard is left dangling at the end, the climax is breathless and satisfying.

This is what great suspense tales are all about. Silva deals with national strife and injustice, making his point within the story, while staying away from the pulpit-pounding that LeCarre resorts to in his own latest novel. (I'm a LeCarre fan, but "Absolute Friends" left me absolutely worn out.) Silva may have detailed "A Death in Vienna," but he proves that there is plenty of life left in the Gabriel Allon series.

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best.
Review: Step aside DaVinci Code, there is a new novel for the pantheon of great novels. Silva's trilogy reaches a crescendo in this book and it is the best. I may read a better book this year but I doubt it. Gabriel Allon character is great and the subject is very important. There simply is no better writer than Silva. You must read the previous two novels in this trilogy to fully understand the depth of the book. Silva has been improving all the time and this is his zenith. I would recommend any serious reader of the genre get these books and put them up with the other great novels of our time.