Another great novel by Daniel Silva. Gabriel Allon, the retired Israeli assassin and art restorer, has been living a quiet life recently. He lives with wife, the beautiful Chiara, who is rather bored with the cold damp winters in Cornwall, England. Gabriel and Chiara have ventured into London to see a new painting that Julian Isherwood wants him to restore, a Titian. During this same time, there has been a spate of new terrorist attacks throughout Europe, and London is under tight security. However, it’s Gabriel who coincidentally spots the next terrorist who is about to blow up a bomb in Covent Park. He follows the man for some blocks, just to make sure his hunch is correct. Just before the man pushes the plunger on his suicide bomb belt, Gabriel draws his gun to shoot him in the head, knowing that if he hits him from the back, in the brainstem, the guy will never be able to set off the bomb. But, just as Gabriel is pulling the trigger, two English secret service types that have been following him, jump him and knock him to the ground. The bomb goes off and 18 people die, but Gabriel is protected from the blast by the two bodies lying on top of him, the men who kept him from taking the shot. He is questioned closely by the security forces about what he saw in the man that no one else picked up. Suddenly and unhappily to Chiara, Gabriel is back in the game of tracking down terrorists. This is only the gripping beginning to the story, and the rest of the book follows in rapid fashion. It is one I could not put down. Silva is my #1 master of this genre. Will I have to wait until next summer for the next installment?
When creating a new Gabriel Allon novel Daniel Silva's work pattern involves 7 day work weeks, wearing the same clothes, eating the same food, and laying on the same floor spot while writing on yellow pads with the same kind of pencil (paper mate mirado black warrior 2). This ritualized methodology has once again created a masterful literary algorithm that connects the disparate worlds of vast wealth, art restoration, terrorism, and intelligence to an avenging angel protagonist who never stops short. Portrait of a Spy is once again a brilliant synthesis that remains entertaining and extremely easy to read. I am still a huge fan of this series, but from the perspective of all 11 novels, the story-line needs some freshening up. If you have not yet read Gabriel Allon, Portrait of a Spy is indeed a five star read. But if you have read them all, Portrait of a Spy's fifth star shines a little less brilliantly beneath the newly emerging shadow of sameness. Maybe its time to change his work pattern and change his work product.
ReplyDelete