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Gabriel Allon #7
The Secret Servant
A terrorist plot in London leads Israeli spy Gabriel Allon on a desperate search for a kidnapped woman in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva.
While in Amsterdam, Israeli intelligence officer and master art restorer Gabriel Allon discovers a plot that is about to explode in the middle of London. The daughter of the American ambassador is to be brutally kidnapped. But Gabriel arrives too late to save her. And when he reveals his face to the plot’s masterminds, his fate is sealed as well.
Drawn once more into the service of American intelligence, Gabriel desperately searches for the missing woman as the clock ticks steadily toward the hour of her execution. The search will thrust him into an unlikely alliance with a man who has lost everything because of his devotion to Islam. It will cause him to question the morality of the tactics of his trade. And it might very well cost him his life…
While in Amsterdam, Israeli intelligence officer and master art restorer Gabriel Allon discovers a plot that is about to explode in the middle of London. The daughter of the American ambassador is to be brutally kidnapped. But Gabriel arrives too late to save her. And when he reveals his face to the plot’s masterminds, his fate is sealed as well.
Drawn once more into the service of American intelligence, Gabriel desperately searches for the missing woman as the clock ticks steadily toward the hour of her execution. The search will thrust him into an unlikely alliance with a man who has lost everything because of his devotion to Islam. It will cause him to question the morality of the tactics of his trade. And it might very well cost him his life…
514 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2007
2100 people are currently reading
6363 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Silva
185 books9,477 followersDaniel Silva was born in Michigan in 1960 and raised in California where he received his BA from Fresno State. Silva began his writing career as a journalist for United Press International (UPI), traveling in the Middle East and covering the Iran-Iraq war, terrorism and political conflicts. From UPI he moved to CNN, where he eventually became executive producer of its Washington-based public policy programming. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy, a surprise best seller that won critical acclaim. He turned to writing full time in 1997 and all of his books have been New York Times/national best sellers, translated into 25 languages and published across Europe and the world. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Series:
* Michael Osbourne
* Gabriel Allon
Series:
* Michael Osbourne
* Gabriel Allon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,111 reviews
January 28, 2019
“Europe is receding quietly into history.”
Daniel Silva opens “The Secret Servant” with a first chapter that blisters a Europe that has mistaken capitulation to Islamic extremism as tolerance. It does not stop from there.
This is the 7th book in Silva’s Gabriel Allon series and the first one to take on the use of rendition and the role Egypt has played in the geopolitics of the Middle East. The text takes a hard look at the issues in that region of the world. As always in Siva’s books both sides are allowed to air their grievance, but when a Jewish characters says to an devout Muslim “We’re the scapegoat for Arab failings”, and the Muslim character agrees you have to stop for a moment and consider the issues presented in the previous pages.
This book was published in 2007 and yet it predicts with accuracy the so called “Arab Spring” that swept Egypt in 2011. The events Silva predicts actually happened, and just as he did in his novel “The Black Widow” (the first Allon novel I read, which inspired me to go back and read the series in order) Mr. Silva proves a prophet who has a keen insight into the pulse of the issues that he tackles in these books.
Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a wonky policy series, these are espionage thrillers, and I read thru them at a rapid clip. You will keep turning the pages because Silva is a good writer and a good storyteller.
A little dispiriting is the section after the climax where Silva depicts in a sadly realistic manner the way in which media attacks the good guys in the name of tolerance and thinly veiled anti-Semitism. If I did not see it actually happen in the real world I would dismiss it as fiction. But alas, I cannot.
It feels nice to read a book where evil really does lose, and there is not incessant navel gazing by all of the characters. The methods used to fight the War on Terrorism are ugly. Silva does not deny it. Nor does he sit on the moral mountain and pass judgement on those who fight the war for us. He just presents it, you take it from there.
#8 is already on my “to read” pile.
Daniel Silva opens “The Secret Servant” with a first chapter that blisters a Europe that has mistaken capitulation to Islamic extremism as tolerance. It does not stop from there.
This is the 7th book in Silva’s Gabriel Allon series and the first one to take on the use of rendition and the role Egypt has played in the geopolitics of the Middle East. The text takes a hard look at the issues in that region of the world. As always in Siva’s books both sides are allowed to air their grievance, but when a Jewish characters says to an devout Muslim “We’re the scapegoat for Arab failings”, and the Muslim character agrees you have to stop for a moment and consider the issues presented in the previous pages.
This book was published in 2007 and yet it predicts with accuracy the so called “Arab Spring” that swept Egypt in 2011. The events Silva predicts actually happened, and just as he did in his novel “The Black Widow” (the first Allon novel I read, which inspired me to go back and read the series in order) Mr. Silva proves a prophet who has a keen insight into the pulse of the issues that he tackles in these books.
Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a wonky policy series, these are espionage thrillers, and I read thru them at a rapid clip. You will keep turning the pages because Silva is a good writer and a good storyteller.
A little dispiriting is the section after the climax where Silva depicts in a sadly realistic manner the way in which media attacks the good guys in the name of tolerance and thinly veiled anti-Semitism. If I did not see it actually happen in the real world I would dismiss it as fiction. But alas, I cannot.
It feels nice to read a book where evil really does lose, and there is not incessant navel gazing by all of the characters. The methods used to fight the War on Terrorism are ugly. Silva does not deny it. Nor does he sit on the moral mountain and pass judgement on those who fight the war for us. He just presents it, you take it from there.
#8 is already on my “to read” pile.
April 21, 2018
Perfect page turner (and a gratifying installment in a solid series) for some over-the-pond travel. And, rather than getting bored with the series, I find it's growing on me (or, of course, the author is becoming more comfortable with his material ... or both). This one may not have been as informative as some of the others, and it lacks the heft of the holocaust-themed trilogy that anchors the first half-dozen books in the series, but (or conversely) I thought (possibly because it was a tad "lighter" or less encumbered than some of the others) it rollicked along a nice clip....
Like other books in the series, the book contains enough history and historical fiction so that readers can pat themselves on the back for learning ... something ... about historical events and political/social/global issues and relations. (OK, let's not get carried away ... the author provides just enough history/context to make readers feel less guilty for getting sucked into a shoot-em-up mischief-and-mayhem scramble...) For folks who like their action/chase/drama reading sprinkled with travel, the series tends to cover a lot of ground, but this one bounces around more than most, containing enough frenetic border-hopping to satisfying those with serious armchair wanderlust.... The same disclaimers apply here consistent with the earlier books - these books aren't high literature, and they weren't written for pacifists, the squeamish (OK, the violence can get a tad graphic at times), and I wouldn't recommend them to anti-Semites (particularly Western European anti-Semites) or folks firmly opposed (or fundamentally unsympathetic) to the State of Israel or Israel's plight, right to exist, right to defend itself, etc. But that should be obvious, right?
Of course, I'm NOT recommending that anyone start here - I've enjoyed the series (so far) in order, and there are a number of (highly) significant aspects of the story-line that build upon prior books. Sure, in any series, the number of characters ebbs and flows, and you can get by without the cumulative background or pre-requisites, but my sense is that I wouldn't have appreciated a number of the sub-plots in this one if I hadn't previously consumer the prior books.
One minor quibble - Silva likes to add little stingers or post-climax vignettes (not quite epilogues, but more along the lines of supplemental endings) ... almost like, oh, and by the way, let me trim this dangling thread too before I go.... I can't help but analogize to the teasers after the credits in the big-screen Marvel movies ... here, it seemed like the book "ended" three times, in rapidly accelerating order. Granted, each of the endings made sense, and felt right, and were consistent with the book/characters/series .... but sometimes (like in this case) the shorter endings are so abrupt/jarring that they're more disconcerting than gratifying. But hey, it's not the first time, so....
I expect I'll get to the next installment sooner rather than later.
Like other books in the series, the book contains enough history and historical fiction so that readers can pat themselves on the back for learning ... something ... about historical events and political/social/global issues and relations. (OK, let's not get carried away ... the author provides just enough history/context to make readers feel less guilty for getting sucked into a shoot-em-up mischief-and-mayhem scramble...) For folks who like their action/chase/drama reading sprinkled with travel, the series tends to cover a lot of ground, but this one bounces around more than most, containing enough frenetic border-hopping to satisfying those with serious armchair wanderlust.... The same disclaimers apply here consistent with the earlier books - these books aren't high literature, and they weren't written for pacifists, the squeamish (OK, the violence can get a tad graphic at times), and I wouldn't recommend them to anti-Semites (particularly Western European anti-Semites) or folks firmly opposed (or fundamentally unsympathetic) to the State of Israel or Israel's plight, right to exist, right to defend itself, etc. But that should be obvious, right?
Of course, I'm NOT recommending that anyone start here - I've enjoyed the series (so far) in order, and there are a number of (highly) significant aspects of the story-line that build upon prior books. Sure, in any series, the number of characters ebbs and flows, and you can get by without the cumulative background or pre-requisites, but my sense is that I wouldn't have appreciated a number of the sub-plots in this one if I hadn't previously consumer the prior books.
One minor quibble - Silva likes to add little stingers or post-climax vignettes (not quite epilogues, but more along the lines of supplemental endings) ... almost like, oh, and by the way, let me trim this dangling thread too before I go.... I can't help but analogize to the teasers after the credits in the big-screen Marvel movies ... here, it seemed like the book "ended" three times, in rapidly accelerating order. Granted, each of the endings made sense, and felt right, and were consistent with the book/characters/series .... but sometimes (like in this case) the shorter endings are so abrupt/jarring that they're more disconcerting than gratifying. But hey, it's not the first time, so....
I expect I'll get to the next installment sooner rather than later.
October 28, 2017
Another great espionage novel by the legendary Daniel Silva, revolving the even more legendary character he'd created, Mossad agent Gabriel Allon! (I just LOVE this guy). I also appreciate Silva's standpoint in viewing and explaining to the readers the course of happenings in the middle east, and especially Israel. Can't wait to read more books in this series, which became one of my favorite reads.
November 21, 2025
While its not my intention to come across as a 'broken record', I'll simply state that the plot of earlier books differ from the 'formulaic' plots of the more recent ones. If unfamiliar, his recent versions use the formula: 'corrupt billionaires fund terrorist groups through art collections and Swiss bankers; the 'bait' used to capture the mouse, an attractive woman 'with skills'.
For those who are acquainted with Gabriel Allon, you're aware of his unique combination of spy, assassin, art restoration expert and husband. A member of the Israeli intelligence firm referred to as 'the Office', his expertise as spy operations maestro is unrivaled. He relies on a unique team who like himself, are unwavering in their commitment to succeed regardless of the resistance and obstacles.
In this 'chapter' we learn of how Allon is revered by Prime Ministers and the US president, and abhorred by the terrorist community due to countless assassinations. But Gabriel's strength of character and desire for justice is unwavering much as his love for Chiara, an Italian Jew and member of the Office. His 'take no prisoners' characteristic is balanced by compassion and appreciation for humanity. Multi-lingual and master of disguise he's a force to contend with, and then some.
Put simply this is the story of how Allon masterminds an operation to rescue the US President's Goddaughter who was taken captive by a Sword of Allah chief known as 'the Sphinx'. Gabriel has no problem taking on Adrian Carter, Asst Director of the CIA, Graham Seymour of MI5 or other heads of state nor interrogating/torturing known terrorist operatives. He's also willing to put his life on the line while executing the plan to find and rescue the kidnapped woman
As with all my reviews I feel revealing details, plot, characters and intricacies does an injustice to to reader experience. That said, if you enjoy well paced mystery that incorporates numerous locations, characters and plot twists I urge you to add the Allon series to your list
For those who are acquainted with Gabriel Allon, you're aware of his unique combination of spy, assassin, art restoration expert and husband. A member of the Israeli intelligence firm referred to as 'the Office', his expertise as spy operations maestro is unrivaled. He relies on a unique team who like himself, are unwavering in their commitment to succeed regardless of the resistance and obstacles.
In this 'chapter' we learn of how Allon is revered by Prime Ministers and the US president, and abhorred by the terrorist community due to countless assassinations. But Gabriel's strength of character and desire for justice is unwavering much as his love for Chiara, an Italian Jew and member of the Office. His 'take no prisoners' characteristic is balanced by compassion and appreciation for humanity. Multi-lingual and master of disguise he's a force to contend with, and then some.
Put simply this is the story of how Allon masterminds an operation to rescue the US President's Goddaughter who was taken captive by a Sword of Allah chief known as 'the Sphinx'. Gabriel has no problem taking on Adrian Carter, Asst Director of the CIA, Graham Seymour of MI5 or other heads of state nor interrogating/torturing known terrorist operatives. He's also willing to put his life on the line while executing the plan to find and rescue the kidnapped woman
As with all my reviews I feel revealing details, plot, characters and intricacies does an injustice to to reader experience. That said, if you enjoy well paced mystery that incorporates numerous locations, characters and plot twists I urge you to add the Allon series to your list
January 12, 2024
Israeli super-spy Gabriel Allon is sent to Amsterdam to investigate the murder of a controversial college professor who happened to be an Israeli agent. The controversy surrounding Professor Solomon Rosner stemmed from his outspoken views about Muslim extremists. Branded an Islamophobe and a racist by his Dutch peers, Rosner was extremely vocal about his contention that Muslim terror cells were slowly taking over, and planning their global attacks in, the Netherlands. His murder only seemed to prove him right.
Barely settled in Amsterdam, Allon discovers a plan to attack somewhere in London, England. Rushing to warn British Intelligence, Allon stumbles into the middle of a multi-pronged terrorist attack that kills hundreds and results in the kidnapping of an American woman, who also happens to be the god-daughter of the President of the USA. Too late to stop it, Allon suddenly faces a new problem: somebody has leaked his name and history to the press. Now his face is on every front page and TV news program. Israeli’s top secret agent is no longer a secret.
Thus begins Daniel Silva’s seventh novel to feature Allon, “The Secret Servant”. It is another break-neck spy thriller from the current master of spy thrillers.
Being outed doesn’t stop Allon from doing his job, but it certainly makes things more difficult. There’s also the complication of a sinister figure choreographing events from afar. Israeli intelligence knows this person only as The Sphinx, but they know very little else. Allon uncovers clues that indicate that he may be related to Egyptian Muslim extremists trying to overthrow the pro-U.S. Egyptian government led by Hosni Mubarak. The terrorists’ plan to kidnap the American woman may have been a distraction for something much bigger, and the U.S. and Britain have already written her off as a victim of the War on Terror. Allon can’t accept that, though. He has a history of seeing too many innocents die, so he’s made it a personal mission to save the American.
Silva continues his streak of thought-provoking and extremely humane thrillers in which all sides of the struggle are viewed through a lens of compassion. While his terrorists do evil things, Silva never lets the reader forget that they weren’t created in a vacuum but themselves victims of hardship, struggle, and tragedy.
Silva was also fairly prescient in this one, as he correctly predicts (he wrote this in 2007) the 2011 Arab Spring protests which, among other things, resulted in Mubarak’s government in Egypt being overthrown.
Barely settled in Amsterdam, Allon discovers a plan to attack somewhere in London, England. Rushing to warn British Intelligence, Allon stumbles into the middle of a multi-pronged terrorist attack that kills hundreds and results in the kidnapping of an American woman, who also happens to be the god-daughter of the President of the USA. Too late to stop it, Allon suddenly faces a new problem: somebody has leaked his name and history to the press. Now his face is on every front page and TV news program. Israeli’s top secret agent is no longer a secret.
Thus begins Daniel Silva’s seventh novel to feature Allon, “The Secret Servant”. It is another break-neck spy thriller from the current master of spy thrillers.
Being outed doesn’t stop Allon from doing his job, but it certainly makes things more difficult. There’s also the complication of a sinister figure choreographing events from afar. Israeli intelligence knows this person only as The Sphinx, but they know very little else. Allon uncovers clues that indicate that he may be related to Egyptian Muslim extremists trying to overthrow the pro-U.S. Egyptian government led by Hosni Mubarak. The terrorists’ plan to kidnap the American woman may have been a distraction for something much bigger, and the U.S. and Britain have already written her off as a victim of the War on Terror. Allon can’t accept that, though. He has a history of seeing too many innocents die, so he’s made it a personal mission to save the American.
Silva continues his streak of thought-provoking and extremely humane thrillers in which all sides of the struggle are viewed through a lens of compassion. While his terrorists do evil things, Silva never lets the reader forget that they weren’t created in a vacuum but themselves victims of hardship, struggle, and tragedy.
Silva was also fairly prescient in this one, as he correctly predicts (he wrote this in 2007) the 2011 Arab Spring protests which, among other things, resulted in Mubarak’s government in Egypt being overthrown.
January 6, 2019
Daniel Silva writes this series about Gabriel Allon, a master art restorer and part- time Israeli intelligence agent. In this book Elizabeth Halton, the daughter of the American ambassador to England, is kidnapped. The story jumps around from Amsterdam to Germany to Denmark as he attempts to find and rescue Halton.
The book is well written and researched. I enjoyed the fact that Silva provides information about Islam, the Middle Eastern Politics and about being Jewish. The author attempts to present both sides of the issue involved without condoning terrorism. The book is extremely readable and an exciting spy novel.
I read this as a paperback published by Signet in 2008. It is 500 pages.
The book is well written and researched. I enjoyed the fact that Silva provides information about Islam, the Middle Eastern Politics and about being Jewish. The author attempts to present both sides of the issue involved without condoning terrorism. The book is extremely readable and an exciting spy novel.
I read this as a paperback published by Signet in 2008. It is 500 pages.
December 14, 2021
Again, Gabriel Allon is called into service to thwart a world wide threat to freedom. Not only does his Israeli spy agency, The Office, resolve this crisis, they efficiently plan and implement Gabriel’s wedding. A good audio addition to this steady series.
September 26, 2016
This new episode of the thrilling and terrifying life of Gabriel Allon completely pleased me: there was not only the excellent writing and the thrilling rhythm, but also true, solid feeling, good values such as loyalty and generosity, and the scope of the action was even more wide spread than in previous books. Gabriel lives in the permanent contradiction of being, at the same time, a killer and a saviour of sorts, always ready to give his own life, but to escape narrowly after a lot of persecution. Excellent book!
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon 26 September 2016.
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon 26 September 2016.
December 1, 2016
Another great book with Gabriel Allon, my favorite spy/art restorer. The theme of this book is very contemporary since it deals with terrorism and how terror groups recruit their members.
Incidentally, I have read this series out of order and I enjoyed it anyways.
Incidentally, I have read this series out of order and I enjoyed it anyways.
January 11, 2012
My first Daniel Silva read was Portrait of a Spy. Enjoyed it so much, I couldn't wait to get into this one. The Secret Servant goes back a few years in the career of Gabriel Allon, Silva's art-restoring spy (what a combination!). I also noted that this work won the Publishers' Weekly Best Book of the Year award when it came out.
In terms of word craft, The Secret Servant did not disappoint. Silva has a command of the language that can, at its best, enthrall.
But by the time I got about halfway into this book, the cumulative effect of Silva's pro-Israel bias was too much by at least half. Look, I've got no chip on my shoulder against Israel. But after the second book in a row that casts Israeli intelligence as so infinitely superior to its Western counterparts--when it pictures European agencies as so inept they have to step aside to let Israeli agents slap down terrorists on European soil--I think the point is reached when propaganda smothers even well-written prose and I begin to feel used.
If I read another Silva book--and I may give him one last chance--it will have to be a story without Gabriel Allon, Silva's vehicle for undeserved Israeli exceptionalism.
In terms of word craft, The Secret Servant did not disappoint. Silva has a command of the language that can, at its best, enthrall.
But by the time I got about halfway into this book, the cumulative effect of Silva's pro-Israel bias was too much by at least half. Look, I've got no chip on my shoulder against Israel. But after the second book in a row that casts Israeli intelligence as so infinitely superior to its Western counterparts--when it pictures European agencies as so inept they have to step aside to let Israeli agents slap down terrorists on European soil--I think the point is reached when propaganda smothers even well-written prose and I begin to feel used.
If I read another Silva book--and I may give him one last chance--it will have to be a story without Gabriel Allon, Silva's vehicle for undeserved Israeli exceptionalism.
April 23, 2023
"We are not shaheeds, Gabriel. We leave the suicide missions to Hamas and all the other Islamic psychopaths who wish to destroy us. We move like shadows, strike like lightning, and then we vanish into thin air."
Following the murder of a Jewish professor monitoring the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism in Amsterdam, Israeli spy Gabriel Allon is sent there by Shamron and finds himself shadowed by an Egyptian Ibrahim Fawaz, who worked for the professor. Fawaz gives him the name of an activist, Samir-al Masri, possibly implicated in the murder, and a terror campaign centred on London. With MI5 chief Graham Seymour besieged by terrorist threats he is not a willing ear, and Allon tries to head off the abduction of the daughter of the American Ambassador in Hyde Park. Against Shamron’s advice he is drawn into a cat-and-mouse game against a Jihadi group called the Sword of Allah, and its leader, known only as the Sphinx, little realising just how big a target he is.
Published in 2007 and 7th in the Gabriel Allon series, this one was more violent than earlier and later books, with Allon suffering the brutality of his captors who see non-believers as legitimate targets for suicide bombings. It also foreshadows the Arab Spring and sounds warning bells that Europe in general and London in particular is allowing extremists to flourish and foment hatred under the guise of multiculturalism.
“Londonistan,” said Gabriel. “They have allowed their capital to become a breeding ground, a spiritual mecca, and a safe haven for terrorists of every stripe. And it’s a threat to us all.”
Uncomfortable reading at times, with reports of torture and rape, and the annoying Sarah Bancroft mercifully plays only a cameo role here. I enjoyed the side-trips to Denmark in winter and Northern Germany, and Gabriel and Chiara finally tie the knot.
Following the murder of a Jewish professor monitoring the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism in Amsterdam, Israeli spy Gabriel Allon is sent there by Shamron and finds himself shadowed by an Egyptian Ibrahim Fawaz, who worked for the professor. Fawaz gives him the name of an activist, Samir-al Masri, possibly implicated in the murder, and a terror campaign centred on London. With MI5 chief Graham Seymour besieged by terrorist threats he is not a willing ear, and Allon tries to head off the abduction of the daughter of the American Ambassador in Hyde Park. Against Shamron’s advice he is drawn into a cat-and-mouse game against a Jihadi group called the Sword of Allah, and its leader, known only as the Sphinx, little realising just how big a target he is.
Published in 2007 and 7th in the Gabriel Allon series, this one was more violent than earlier and later books, with Allon suffering the brutality of his captors who see non-believers as legitimate targets for suicide bombings. It also foreshadows the Arab Spring and sounds warning bells that Europe in general and London in particular is allowing extremists to flourish and foment hatred under the guise of multiculturalism.
“Londonistan,” said Gabriel. “They have allowed their capital to become a breeding ground, a spiritual mecca, and a safe haven for terrorists of every stripe. And it’s a threat to us all.”
Uncomfortable reading at times, with reports of torture and rape, and the annoying Sarah Bancroft mercifully plays only a cameo role here. I enjoyed the side-trips to Denmark in winter and Northern Germany, and Gabriel and Chiara finally tie the knot.
February 3, 2008
I don't know what number this is in the Gabriel Allon series (I think the 9th?), but like all the other books Daniel Silva writes it contains a great deal of information about Middle Eastern politics and the U.S / England's relationships with countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia. Though Jewish himself, Silva writes with the knowledge that certain political alignments will never garner the outcome desired in the region: PEACE.
For any of you looking to learn more, and to read fantastic spy novels written by a former international correspondent, I highly recommend starting with book #1 and reading them all the way through!
Take note: reading espionage fulfills my "La Femme Christiana" dreams. Good Lord, I would be the most talkative spy/assassin ever... would I NOT? : )
For any of you looking to learn more, and to read fantastic spy novels written by a former international correspondent, I highly recommend starting with book #1 and reading them all the way through!
Take note: reading espionage fulfills my "La Femme Christiana" dreams. Good Lord, I would be the most talkative spy/assassin ever... would I NOT? : )
August 13, 2019
The story is okay. But the problem is writer's toiling for establishing his personal political or racial view as an universal truth in a fictional work.This is very ridiculous. Yah, he can make publicity or use his own terms to express his views, but he can't mislead his readers through giving his false political or racial theory like a universal truth .
February 16, 2018
Second read for this one. Every bit as good the second time through as it was the first.
October 14, 2018
suprising plot. light read. ok
June 14, 2023
We are fortunate to have an author like Mr. Silva writing for us. The plots are complicated, intense, and very believable. In this instalment, we focus on a disturbing trend; the surge of radical Islam in areas outside the Levant. When an ambassador's daughter is kidnapped, Gabriel Allon is once more called upon to go to the rescue. What follows is an international spectacle of epic proportions involving several allied governments. A very good read.
April 22, 2019
In Daniel Silva's seventh book of the Gabriel Allon series, the war on terror is in full swing. The first part of the story shows how an Israeli assassin gets involved in said war. Israel, after all, has its own private war on terror doesn't it?
Gabriel had been sent on a routine assignment to Amsterdam, charged with purging the archives of an Israeli intelligence asset who had been murdered while posing as a Dutch terrorism analyst. Gabriel discovers a radical Islamist underground in the city who are planning to kidnap the daughter of the American ambassador to the Netherlands.
As in the last book, The Messenger, Gabriel once more gets involved with the CIA and must also deal with the uncooperative head of MI5 as he searches for the young American woman who was indeed kidnapped. His concern is to find her before she is murdered which would result in many other nasty outcomes.
I don't know how Mr Silva manages to ramp up the tension, danger and entertainment in each succeeding book but he did it once again. I kept telling myself that as there are so far 11 more books in this series, there is no way Allon is going to die, but I was worried for him the whole time nonetheless.
More chilling though is the sense this book gives of the rapidly growing radical Islamist presence in Europe. Reading the news these days, it is obvious as terrorists are either blamed for or claim many violent incidents that seem to occur at least monthly. When Notre Dame caught fire the other day, that was my first thought and probably others wondered the same. Even so, this 2007 novel was sobering.
One extremely tricky plot point in The Secret Servant is a character who claims to have given up any involvement with radical Islam but whose son turns out to be a key member of the terrorist cell holding the American woman. The father contacts Gabriel, offering help.
When I finished this book, I just wanted to pick up the next one.
February 13, 2010
I pulled The Secret Servant out of the bargain bin of my local bookshop some months ago because it ticked all the boxes: Israeli spy story set in Amsterdam and London. It was downhill from there.
Daniel Silva’s weakness is a tendency to be didactic. That need to over-explain becomes problematic when it results in such gems as the “Zuiderkirk church”, which even spelled correctly translates as “South church church”, or “mackintosh raincoat”, which is a “raincoat raincoat”.
The history and politics are bizarre, and master field operative, Gabriel Allon, makes errors a security guard would avoid. After fifty pages I stopped noting the errors. There were too many.
Daniel Silva’s weakness is a tendency to be didactic. That need to over-explain becomes problematic when it results in such gems as the “Zuiderkirk church”, which even spelled correctly translates as “South church church”, or “mackintosh raincoat”, which is a “raincoat raincoat”.
The history and politics are bizarre, and master field operative, Gabriel Allon, makes errors a security guard would avoid. After fifty pages I stopped noting the errors. There were too many.
June 2, 2008
I'm addicted to Gabriel Allon... A hot, greying spy whose cover is as an uber-successful art restorer? How can I not? For someone with an odd affinity for spy novels and a deep love of Renaissance art, this charcter is quintessential.
This is not Silva's best book, but he has managed not to disappoint in the often-difficult task of developing his characters, "growing" them so to speak, as the series continues. I cannot wait for the next one!
This is not Silva's best book, but he has managed not to disappoint in the often-difficult task of developing his characters, "growing" them so to speak, as the series continues. I cannot wait for the next one!
June 25, 2023
Another rollicking ride of espionage and bang bang, featuring the Don't-Bother-Thanking-Me Gabriel Allon.
I enjoy Silva's thrillers. Some readers might find this one a bit too action-packed - how many times can Allon sacrifice his body for Israel and freedom? I guess, in this instance, to save the daughter of an American ambassador and to save London. I love the stories. A person can even learn a thing or two about the Middle East situation post-9/11.
I have ordered Moscow Rules. Keep 'em coming, Mr. Silva.
I enjoy Silva's thrillers. Some readers might find this one a bit too action-packed - how many times can Allon sacrifice his body for Israel and freedom? I guess, in this instance, to save the daughter of an American ambassador and to save London. I love the stories. A person can even learn a thing or two about the Middle East situation post-9/11.
I have ordered Moscow Rules. Keep 'em coming, Mr. Silva.
August 30, 2014
Middle East Fiction/Nonfiction
This has got to be one of Daniel Silva's best in the Gabriel Allon series. Although well written,the predictable plot somewhat smacks of a potboiler. However, the expected conclusion of this story is overridden just by the excitement of getting there.
What makes this story stand out is its presently still timeliness in reference to the Islamic Jihad problem. Interspersed among numerous fast-paced short chapters are statements like "The Americans threw in their lot with the secular dictatorships of the Middle East a long time ago, and now the oppressed are rising up and taking their revenge on symbols of American power." And in trenchant reference to the justification of torture you read,"But then we've all crossed a line. The Americans crossed a line after 9/11, and now they're trying to find their way back to the other side. Unfortunately, the goals of the terrorists haven't changed -- and the generation soon to emerge from the killing fields of Iraq is going to be much more violent and volatile than the ones who came out of Afghanistan." "We dare to fight back, and the terrorists accuse us of being the real terrorists."
At the end of the book there is a valuable "Author's Note" wherein the author describes the notable sources that contributed to his understanding of Islamists, Jihadists, Egypt's religious radicals, and Europe's rellavent growing concerns, particularly in the Netherlands and Great Britain.
This has got to be one of Daniel Silva's best in the Gabriel Allon series. Although well written,the predictable plot somewhat smacks of a potboiler. However, the expected conclusion of this story is overridden just by the excitement of getting there.
What makes this story stand out is its presently still timeliness in reference to the Islamic Jihad problem. Interspersed among numerous fast-paced short chapters are statements like "The Americans threw in their lot with the secular dictatorships of the Middle East a long time ago, and now the oppressed are rising up and taking their revenge on symbols of American power." And in trenchant reference to the justification of torture you read,"But then we've all crossed a line. The Americans crossed a line after 9/11, and now they're trying to find their way back to the other side. Unfortunately, the goals of the terrorists haven't changed -- and the generation soon to emerge from the killing fields of Iraq is going to be much more violent and volatile than the ones who came out of Afghanistan." "We dare to fight back, and the terrorists accuse us of being the real terrorists."
At the end of the book there is a valuable "Author's Note" wherein the author describes the notable sources that contributed to his understanding of Islamists, Jihadists, Egypt's religious radicals, and Europe's rellavent growing concerns, particularly in the Netherlands and Great Britain.
September 8, 2011
I took a break from Silva's series and now I've back to it still pleased with the way the hero is not a superhuman and bad things happen to him. In fact, bad things happen to everyone which means that as a reader, even though this is a series, I'm not really sure if the kidnap victim gets saved. Silva's protagonist is a government secret ops worker for Israel. Even so, Silva presents both sides of the very difficult conflict that exist between the Israeli and Arab worlds. What he doesn't forget, and I don't think we should either, is the fact that terrorism can never be condoned as a way to right wrongs. He also presents some very troubling statistics and prognoses if you listen (or read), the notes at the end of the book. These are based on current studies.
So, the only thing I really have to grouse about is the fact that Gabriel Allon is always beaten up so badly and yet survives and manages to act even while being totally and completely black, blue, and broken up. But hey, I believe in suspension of belief. If not, Lee Child would totally be off my reading list and I love Jack Reacher.
So, the only thing I really have to grouse about is the fact that Gabriel Allon is always beaten up so badly and yet survives and manages to act even while being totally and completely black, blue, and broken up. But hey, I believe in suspension of belief. If not, Lee Child would totally be off my reading list and I love Jack Reacher.
December 12, 2009
É o 7º livro da série Allon e mais uma vez não desiludiu, apesar de existirem algumas diferenças em relação aos anteriores, como por exemplo o tema "arte" ter menos destaque, mas afinal, não nos podemos esquecer que Allon deixou de assumir o papel do restaurador de quadros.
Allon depara-se novamente com terrorristas e que o levam a viajar pela Europa, para tentar encontrar a filha do embaixador americano que foi raptada.
Allon vê-se a braços com um resgate que acabará no dia de Natal, em que porá em risco a sua própria vida, bem como a de muitas pessoas inocentes.
Os livros com Allon têm sempre como pano de fundo a guerra entre Israel e Palestina, e desta feita sobre o fanatismo religioso que se vive desde o atentado de 2001.
Só posso recomendar que leiam os livros do Daniel Silva, e à Bertrand que se despache a editar os 2 seguintes livros da série Allon.
Allon depara-se novamente com terrorristas e que o levam a viajar pela Europa, para tentar encontrar a filha do embaixador americano que foi raptada.
Allon vê-se a braços com um resgate que acabará no dia de Natal, em que porá em risco a sua própria vida, bem como a de muitas pessoas inocentes.
Os livros com Allon têm sempre como pano de fundo a guerra entre Israel e Palestina, e desta feita sobre o fanatismo religioso que se vive desde o atentado de 2001.
Só posso recomendar que leiam os livros do Daniel Silva, e à Bertrand que se despache a editar os 2 seguintes livros da série Allon.
March 15, 2019
The best gets better-another great adventure in Gabriel Allon series. Elizabeth Halton, daughter of the American ambassador, has been kidnapped by terrorists who called themselves sword of Allah. Their demand to release a prisoner in exchange for Elizabeth life. Gabriel Allon hurls himself into a desperate search for this missing woman. Gripping with a lot of action and twist.
July 23, 2019
Gabriel Allon gets a routine job of cleaning out the archives of killed asset, one the Israeli government is not willing to be associated with Israeli Intelligence. What they find are the remnants of a terrorist plot in London and so Allon travels to London to issue a warning. He gets not taken very serious buut ends up nearly foiling the hostage taken of the daughter of the American ambassador and the goddaughter of the current US president. But she is taken nonetheless and Allon gets caught and locked up.
After being freed by the very powerful US government Allon gets involved in the hunt for the hostage takers who are masterminded by the unknown Sphinx who wants something else to begin with. It takes the Israeli master-spy through Holland , Germany, Denmark and Great Britain in a showdown that could kill both Allon and the hostage.
A very decent and satisfying thriller that is not the best of the Allon series by any means but delivers a well written story that has some interesting twists. As always Silva does deliver.
After being freed by the very powerful US government Allon gets involved in the hunt for the hostage takers who are masterminded by the unknown Sphinx who wants something else to begin with. It takes the Israeli master-spy through Holland , Germany, Denmark and Great Britain in a showdown that could kill both Allon and the hostage.
A very decent and satisfying thriller that is not the best of the Allon series by any means but delivers a well written story that has some interesting twists. As always Silva does deliver.
July 22, 2018
The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva begins with a dead Jewish scholar, as Gabriel Allon books often do. Professor Solomon Rosner is “the first asset in the annals of Office history to have proven more useful to them dead than alive.” He is killed in Amsterdam in a normally a peaceful neighborhood. Rosner runs the Center for European Security Studies. “[T]he center had managed to produce a steady stream of authoritative reports and articles detailing the threat posed to the Netherlands by the rise of militant Islam within its borders.” Rosner had a lot of enemies both Islamic and Dutch. He is killed on the way to lunch by one of the painters who has been working across the street from his office. Obviously painting is not the man’s only job.
Gabriel Allon flies into Tel Aviv and is met by Uzi Navot. Once a katsa or western European undercover case officer, Uzi is now Chief of Special Ops. He had done jobs no one else wanted to do, executioner, kidnapper, bugger, blackmailer. Uzi is a bit bitter about Gabriel’s star status. Uzi to Gabriel: “Art restoration was your cover job, Gabriel. You are not an art restorer. You are a secret servant of the state of Israel and You have no right to leave the fighting to others.”
Shamron reveals that Rosner also worked for the Office. Rosner was to keep eyes and ears on Islamic extremism to give some early warning of possible terrorist targets. Rosen helped them stop and assassinate the members of an al-Qaeda affiliated “cell operating in West Amsterdam [when they] got their hands on a missile and were planning to shoot down an El Al jetliner."
The painter who killed Rosen was named Mohammed Hamza and there was a videotape found in his apartment. Gabriel is to go get all of Rosen’s files which ends up being about 500,000 documents. Rosen started out as a sayan. “[S]ayanim are a worldwide network of volunteer Jewish helpers, Bankers are used to provide cash for Office agents, doctors treated them in secret, hoteliers gave rooms under false names, rental car employees gave them untraceable vehicles. Then Shamron recruited him.
Gabriel is given an assistant, Eli Lavon. He is described as small and bookish, with wispy unkempt hair and quick brown eyes – As usual he seems to be wearing all his clothes at once. And he is “the finest street surveillance artist the Office has ever produced.” He is an archeologist by training and has also been an ayin or tracker.
Gabriel and Eli Lavon meet Sophie Vanderhaus, Prof. Rosner’s assistant at the same café where Rosner was killed. At the end of a long day going over files Gabriel goes out for Thai food – and never comes back. Someone, an old Arabic man wearing keffiyeh and kufi, follows Gabriel and, after Gabriel almost kills him, the man says he has come to help them. He worked with Rosen. He is Ibrahim Fawaz.
Ibrahim tells Gabriel that, “Takfir was a concept developed by Islamists in Egypt in the nineteen seventies, a theological sleight of hand designed to give the terrorists a sacred license to kill almost anyone they pleased in order to achieve their goals of imposing sharia and restoring the Caliphate. To the Takfiri, democracy was a heresy, for it supplanted the laws of God with the laws of men.” “Muslim citizens of a democracy were apostates and could be put to the sword.
Fawaz also tells Gabriel about Samir al-Masri who is a dangerous man, and that Samir and four other young men have disappeared from Amsterdam. They go to search his room. In Samir’s room they find photos of Samir in Trafalgar Square, Samir with a member of the Queen’s Life Guard outside Buckingham Palace, Samir riding the Millenium wheel, Samir at the House of Parliament and the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square. Guess who’s going to London now?
As they part ways Eli says, “And so here we are again two nice Jewish boys, sitting on a European street corner at three o’clock in the morning. My God when will it end.” “It’s never going to end, Eli. This is forever.”
It can take a lot of build-up to get to the heart of the action in Silva’s popular spy thrillers. Back stories are long. Some readers run out of patience. But we are there now.
Gabriel is not exactly warmly welcomed in London and his cohorts there do not take the threat very seriously because they have been through so much. Gabriel narrows down the threat to Hyde Park and the American Embassy.
Robert Halton, the ambassador, waves his daughter, Elizabeth Halton, MD goodbye, not without trepidation, as she leaves for a run in the park. She is kidnapped in broad daylight by men dressed all in black and driving a park maintenance truck. Gabriel’s warning came too late, but he is in time to see the attack and shoot some kidnappers. Still, Elizabeth is gone.
Now Adrian Carter from the CIA, who is always a good partner joins the hunt since the American ambassador’s daughter is involved.
Who took her? What do they want? Will Gabriel get her back alive? What injuries will he sustain this time? Who is the mastermind of this plot.? How is Egypt involved? Who are the Swords of Allah? Who gets married?
Gabriel Allon flies into Tel Aviv and is met by Uzi Navot. Once a katsa or western European undercover case officer, Uzi is now Chief of Special Ops. He had done jobs no one else wanted to do, executioner, kidnapper, bugger, blackmailer. Uzi is a bit bitter about Gabriel’s star status. Uzi to Gabriel: “Art restoration was your cover job, Gabriel. You are not an art restorer. You are a secret servant of the state of Israel and You have no right to leave the fighting to others.”
Shamron reveals that Rosner also worked for the Office. Rosner was to keep eyes and ears on Islamic extremism to give some early warning of possible terrorist targets. Rosen helped them stop and assassinate the members of an al-Qaeda affiliated “cell operating in West Amsterdam [when they] got their hands on a missile and were planning to shoot down an El Al jetliner."
The painter who killed Rosen was named Mohammed Hamza and there was a videotape found in his apartment. Gabriel is to go get all of Rosen’s files which ends up being about 500,000 documents. Rosen started out as a sayan. “[S]ayanim are a worldwide network of volunteer Jewish helpers, Bankers are used to provide cash for Office agents, doctors treated them in secret, hoteliers gave rooms under false names, rental car employees gave them untraceable vehicles. Then Shamron recruited him.
Gabriel is given an assistant, Eli Lavon. He is described as small and bookish, with wispy unkempt hair and quick brown eyes – As usual he seems to be wearing all his clothes at once. And he is “the finest street surveillance artist the Office has ever produced.” He is an archeologist by training and has also been an ayin or tracker.
Gabriel and Eli Lavon meet Sophie Vanderhaus, Prof. Rosner’s assistant at the same café where Rosner was killed. At the end of a long day going over files Gabriel goes out for Thai food – and never comes back. Someone, an old Arabic man wearing keffiyeh and kufi, follows Gabriel and, after Gabriel almost kills him, the man says he has come to help them. He worked with Rosen. He is Ibrahim Fawaz.
Ibrahim tells Gabriel that, “Takfir was a concept developed by Islamists in Egypt in the nineteen seventies, a theological sleight of hand designed to give the terrorists a sacred license to kill almost anyone they pleased in order to achieve their goals of imposing sharia and restoring the Caliphate. To the Takfiri, democracy was a heresy, for it supplanted the laws of God with the laws of men.” “Muslim citizens of a democracy were apostates and could be put to the sword.
Fawaz also tells Gabriel about Samir al-Masri who is a dangerous man, and that Samir and four other young men have disappeared from Amsterdam. They go to search his room. In Samir’s room they find photos of Samir in Trafalgar Square, Samir with a member of the Queen’s Life Guard outside Buckingham Palace, Samir riding the Millenium wheel, Samir at the House of Parliament and the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square. Guess who’s going to London now?
As they part ways Eli says, “And so here we are again two nice Jewish boys, sitting on a European street corner at three o’clock in the morning. My God when will it end.” “It’s never going to end, Eli. This is forever.”
It can take a lot of build-up to get to the heart of the action in Silva’s popular spy thrillers. Back stories are long. Some readers run out of patience. But we are there now.
Gabriel is not exactly warmly welcomed in London and his cohorts there do not take the threat very seriously because they have been through so much. Gabriel narrows down the threat to Hyde Park and the American Embassy.
Robert Halton, the ambassador, waves his daughter, Elizabeth Halton, MD goodbye, not without trepidation, as she leaves for a run in the park. She is kidnapped in broad daylight by men dressed all in black and driving a park maintenance truck. Gabriel’s warning came too late, but he is in time to see the attack and shoot some kidnappers. Still, Elizabeth is gone.
Now Adrian Carter from the CIA, who is always a good partner joins the hunt since the American ambassador’s daughter is involved.
Who took her? What do they want? Will Gabriel get her back alive? What injuries will he sustain this time? Who is the mastermind of this plot.? How is Egypt involved? Who are the Swords of Allah? Who gets married?
October 19, 2021
Allon at his best
What starts as a simple operation to clean files turns to a high profile kidnapping. A European chase with multiple countries law enforcement involved Gabriel puts himself on the line. A gripping story hard to put down.
What starts as a simple operation to clean files turns to a high profile kidnapping. A European chase with multiple countries law enforcement involved Gabriel puts himself on the line. A gripping story hard to put down.
April 28, 2024
Like all the others, but this time the terrorist plot is masterminded by a mysterious Egyptian known only as “The Sphinx”
March 8, 2025
Time for a change of genre.
Interesting read, but the Middle eastern plots are getting a little heavy for have read 6 back to back. I'll have a break and come back to the Gabriel Allon series a little later.
Interesting read, but the Middle eastern plots are getting a little heavy for have read 6 back to back. I'll have a break and come back to the Gabriel Allon series a little later.
May 30, 2021
Another great book in the Gabriel Allon series. Probably the best book in the series so far.
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