| | |  | Terrorism | Home » » The Messenger (Gabriel Allon) | | | | | | | Description: | | The #1 national bestseller from the author of Prince of Fire On the trail of a deadly al-Qaeda operative, Gabriel Allon returns in a spellbinding story of deception, power, and revenge by the New York Times bestselling "world-class practitioner of spy fiction" (Washington Post).
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Average Customer Review:
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66 of 67 found the following review helpful:
 The best of the bunch...Oct 04, 2006
By Cynthia K. Robertson
The Messenger by Daniel Silva is the most recent in his Gabriel Allon series, and I think it is the best of the bunch.
The Messenger opens in London where a professor of Middle Eastern studies is suspected of having Al-Qaeda ties. The Israeli Secret Service is on his tail when he is killed in an accident. The laptop he was carrying proves that not only was he a recruiter, but that he also was involved in an intricate plot against the Vatican.
Israeli agent Gabriel Allon is once again sent out into the field, trying to avert a tragedy in Rome. At the same time, the agency decides to find the source of terrorist funding through Saudi sources. The Israelis and the CIA concoct an intricate plot to discover the location of a Saudi terrorist financier. The plot involves a beautiful American art curator and an unknown Van Gogh painting.
The Messenger is such a good book in that Silva ties in so many things that are happening today. Al-Qaeda is planning terrorist acts, Saudis are financing the terrorists and can't be touched by the Americans, and the Americans are involved in covert and sometimes illegal operations. The plot of The Messenger is fast-paced and exciting, and it's one of Silva's strongest efforts yet. While Gabriel Allon still plays a major role in The Messenger, Sarah Bancroft (the American art expert who infiltrates a terror group) steals the show.
I have read all of Silva's Allon books except the first one, The Kill Artist, which I just obtained. While it might help to read them in order, it is not as critical as in some other series.
40 of 44 found the following review helpful:
"Jihad without end."Jul 30, 2006
By E. Bukowsky
"booklover10"
In Daniel Silva's "The Messenger," Ari Shamron, special advisor to the Israeli prime minister on security and intelligence, once again lures art restorer (and master spy) Gabriel Allon out of retirement. However, before Allon can decide whether or not he wants the job that Shamron offers him, two deadly terror attacks change both men's priorities.
Adrian Carter, acting as an intermediary for the President of the United States, urges Allon to "run an agent" into the inner circle of Saudi billionaire Abdul Aziz al-Bakari. Al-Bakari, also known as "Zizi," is a well-known supporter of Ahmed bin Shafiq, the mastermind behind a number of bombings that have taken the lives of many of the Western "infidels" whom he despises. The person chosen to get close to Zizi is Sarah Bancroft, a beautiful art historian and curator. Sarah's bait will be a previously undiscovered Van Gogh that she will offer to Zizi, an ardent collector with a fondness for Impressionists. Allon hopes that, with Sarah's assistance, he will be able to find and eliminate not only Zizi, but also his close friend, bin Shafiq. However, Gabriel's plans hit some unanticipated snags, placing both the intelligence operation and Sarah's life in grave danger.
"The Messenger" is another timely and entertaining novel from the talented Silva, who writes knowledgeably about the volatile political, economic, and military situation in the Middle East. As usual, the author has done his homework. The narrative is filled with engrossing and realistic details about art, spying, and the endless conflict between the world's democracies and the Islamic extremists who oppose them. Although the story's conclusion feels a bit rushed, Silva redeems himself with his crisp dialogue, exciting action sequences, and fine descriptive writing. "The Messenger" is an absorbing and thoughtful spy thriller that is extremely relevant in today's age of global terrorism.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Latest Gabriel Allon thriller shows the terror of going undercoverFeb 27, 2007
By Scott Schiefelbein
Daniel Silva's series of thrillers featuring Israeli assassin/world-class Renaissance painting restorer Gabriel Allon continues to amaze. Now into his sixth book, Allon is starting to leave behind more pedestrian thriller-heroes and join the ranks of the elite (such as Lee Child's fantastic anti-hero, Jack Reacher).
Allon, who at the behest of Golda Meir once killed six of the members of Black September who led the attack at the Munich Olympics, is aging. His mentor, Shamron, is sick. The Prime Minister wants to replace Shamron with Allon, which would mean that Allon's field days are over.
This is a logical step for Allon, who is indeed getting on in years. But since it would be the death of the series, Silva creates a meaningful reason for Allon to keep Allon in the field - a terrorist attack in the heart of the Vatican that nearly kills the Pope. Remember, this is a Pope whose life Allon has saved, and Allon is in the Vatican at the time of the attack. As a result, Allon gets personally involved in tracking down the terrorists responsible.
This leads to an in-depth examination of what Silva terms as "Jihad, Inc." One of Saudi Arabia's richest men heads a global empire of high finance and terrorism. With an army of lawyers and well-funded academics (not to mention soldiers), the Saudi billionaire Zizi funds terrorist operations as he and his family sail the seven seas in the finest luxury. Allon decides that he must get an agent inside Jihad, Inc.
To that end, he recruits Sarah, a perfect American candidate. Sarah's training is handled perfectly by Silva, as is the ruse Allon uses to insert her into Zizi's lair - the discovery of Vincent Van Gogh's last painting. Silva keeps the tension building, and building, and building, as Sarah enters Zizi's lair, with Allon always watching from a discreet distance. Sarah's problem is that this short distance gives Zizi enough time to have Sarah eliminated any time he wants, if he discovers the truth. In an novel with a pretty high body count, the reader knows that Zizi's discovery of Sarah is always just a slip of the lip away.
Silva is one of our finest thriller-writers today, and for the most part, "The Messenger" does not disappoint. The ending in the Vatican is a bit anti-climactic, given what has already gone on in the novel. But this four-star rating is probably more due to the heights Silva has reached in the other Gabriel Allon novels. This is a must-read for any fan of Silva or Gabriel Allon, and if you haven't read any of these novels yet, grab a copy of "The Kill Artist" and dive in.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Post Cold-War Spy Novel Worth ReadingOct 15, 2006
By Jason LS Raia
"Intellectuals, Inc"
With the dissolution of the Soviet Empire and the end of the Cold War, the international spy novel has suffered from a lack of compelling story lines. Daniel Silva has remedied this deficiency by making Israel as the epicenter of his provocative novels. With a haunting past defined by the Holocaust and a present preoccupied by terrorism, there are storylines aplenty.
Much of Silva's phenomenal success is due to his main character Gabriel Allon, a sometime Israeli assassin who is also a world-renowned art restorer. A child of Holocaust survivors, as an art student Allon was tapped to join the Wrath of God team, which sought retribution for the Munich Olympics terrorist plot perpetrated by Black September. Allon is an assassin with a conscience though, who sees his task as necessary but supremely regrettable. He was changed after his first kill, both physically and spiritually, and by each successive one.
In The Messenger, Silva's latest, terrorists are planning a massive attack on the Vatican. Extending the hand of friendship, Israel sends Allon to help protect the life of the pope. After the attack, Allon's team affects a search for the terrorists who planned and financed the assault on Vatican. Using a once lost Van Gogh and a young American art expert, the Israeli team bates a trap that nearly goes disastrously wrong.
Silva's writing is gripping for intellectual sweep. His use of art, history, music, and travel adds layers of depth that are the hallmark of great novels. Most importantly, Silva is not afraid to take on controversial issues. In The Messenger, he probes real life concerns that international Islamic terrorism is succored doctrinally and financially by Saudi Arabia. His very believable scenario might anger some, but it will be a great conversation starter.
11 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Follow the money, find the mastermind, finish the murderJan 19, 2008
By Judy K. Polhemus
"Book Collector"
Does geography play a role in world politics? Can money buy "moral blindness?" How are evil people punished by courts if no one captures them? What course must religious leaders take concerning world events? Are "special operations" really necessary? What must a country do to protect itself?
The answers or lack thereof point to "The Messenger," latest in the thriller series featuring Gabriel Allon, special operative for the Israeli government. Now middle-aged, Allon is first introduced as the avenger of seven of the murders of Israeli Olympians years ago. Although an artist when he began the assassinations, he had to change directions to become a world-class art restorer whose name recognition is not a problem.
This has been a fascinating series. One reason is learning the inner workings of the Israeli thought process, especially concerning terrorists. If a bomb hit Israel, fully one-third of the world's Jews would be wiped out. Because of Israel's history, Israelis are particularly bold in protecting themselves.
When terrorists hit the Vatican in an attempt on the Pope's life, Allon and CIA operative Adrian Carter join forces to bring down the terrorist behind the action and the money behind the terrorist. Zizi, the Saudi billionaire and the money man, is set up through an art deal, which Allon arranges. He hires an American art manager, a non-professional operative, Sarah Bancroft, who will become the messenger of the title. The meaning is different, however, in an undercover use. She basically becomes the go-between in a very complicated game of human chess. Losing means her life.
What becomes the undoing of extremely careful and detailed preparation to insert Sarah into a terrorist organization is professionalism and zeal. Gabriel is an exacting planner, who knows when to extract his team if a single thing goes wrong. In this case, two teams of planners and killers, Israelis and Saudis, go head to head against each other. It is a single scar that disrupts this deadly game and checks the queen.
What a thrilling series this is, watching seemingly actual headlines play out on pages of a book. Are these actions really possible in covert operations of governments. I don't doubt them in the least. Who is right and wrong in this war? Perhaps a better question is: What are the stakes and what is the outcome?
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