The Kill Artist: (Gabriel Allon 1) - Softcover

Silva, Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0752847856 ISBN 13: 9780752847856

Publisher: Orion, 2002

Synopsis

.

About this title

Review:

Fans of Daniel Silva's well-received earlier novels, especially The Marching Season, will welcome his newest novel of espionage, revenge and Middle Eastern politics. Gabriel Allon is an art restorer who is persuaded out of retirement by Ari Shamron, the crafty Israeli spymaster bent on a deadly mission: killing a Palestinian agent named Tariq before he can carry out his plan to assassinate an old comrade-in-arms, the treacherous peacemaker Yasir Arafat.

Tariq's role in the murder of Gabriel's wife and son draws both Gabriel and Sarah Halevy, the beautiful French model whose affair with Gabriel led to the assassination of his family. Still in love with Gabriel, Sarah allows herself to be set up with a cover and infiltrated into Tariq's inner circle. But before Gabriel can rescue her and fulfil his mission, Tariq turns the tables to get his old adversary as well as Arafat in his own sights. A particularly resonant scene in which Tariq and Arafat confront each other and discuss their former friendship, as well as the change in tactics that has brought Tariq to the ultimate betrayal, reveals Silva's deep comprehension of Palestinian rivalries. He puts a clever little fillip on the ending that adds to the brio of this strongly paced thriller. Silva creates complex, fascinating characters in Gabe, Ari and Tariq, and more than fulfils the promise of his earlier books. --Jane Adams Amazon.com

Review:

A thrill-a-minute sure-fire bestseller [that] rips Middle East strife from the headlines (KIRKUS)

Although the novel moves at a really fast clip, cutting from location to location, Silva avoids the espionage novelist's sin of glossy locales and comic-book action by giving his characters, even the minor ones, believably complex motivations that come into play in the thriller's overriding conflict. Part of the interest of Silva's work is the way he portrays various professions (here it's art dealership, publishing, and modelling) to be every bit as cutthroat as international intrigue (BOOKLIST)

A master writer of espionage ... [Silva's] writing is clean, crisp, and compelling (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER)

The tragedy of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and despair of its resolution provide the backdrop for Silva's heart-stopping, complex yarn of international terrorism and intrigue ... An array of global locales adds to the complexity and authenticity of the dizzying, cinematic plot (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY)

About this edition

• Publisher: Orion
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0752847856
• ISBN 13: 9780752847856
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432