thrillers

This is the first Daniel Silva book I have read and I wasn't disappointed! The stories first chapter grabs you immediatley and it's tough to put this book down. Gabriel Allon is the art restorer/ Isarali secret agent who is called upon to restore a Raphael in the Rolfe home in Sweden. When he arrives, he finds the owner of the home dead and he is later arrested for the murder.
I haven't read the other books about Gabriel Allon but I didn't feel as if I missed out on much. I was able to get into the story with no problem. I can't compare this book to other ones though but I plan on reading more.
As Gabriel gets deeper into this situation people from his past come back to ask him to complete this "job." He meets the daughter of the dead man, Anna Rolfe, who is a famous violinist and diva. He is pitted against the English assasin who is a former army man turned contract killer for an Italian family in Corsica.
Silva continues with the action but also develops his quirky characters. You really are interested in these people and their relationships. I really enjoyed this book and it's unique premise about stolen art that dated back to the Nazi regime. For a good old fashion international spy thriller, this book is it!

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.

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.