Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva

Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva

This wonderful tale by the famed author of spy fiction weaves

magic and reality together.  I enjoyed reading this story of the Israeli

spy, Gabriel Allon and his glamorous wife, Chiara and also other members

of his team who stop terrorists in their tracks.  I am always amazed at how

prescient and contemporary Daniel Silva’s stories seem to be even though this

particular book was written seven years ago.

Following a complex trail of money and people Gabriel Allon and his team aided

by the assistance of a wealthy woman manage to infiltrate the terrorist mind-set

and also their network.

This is a compelling tale combining exotic locations of the desert of Saudi Arabia

and Dubai and beautiful windswept places on the Cornish coast of England.  London,

New York and Washington D.C. are also settings and it is fascinating to learn of the

intricate workings of the spy agencies. 

Gabriel Allon is also a fascinating character in his own right as he is a wonderful

art restorer and painter.  This aspect of his character is recognised in Portrait of a Spy,

where  as well as restoring noted art works he also paints a portrait of a beautiful woman.

However, events have often conspired to keep him away

from his favoured occupation and he is obliged to turn his hand to infiltrating the

terrorist networks and seeking out known terrorists.

This is another excellent book by Daniel Silva and I look forward to reading more of

the exploits of Gabriel Allon in other books.

  

The English Spy by Daniel Silva

Once again Daniel Silva has written a book which enthralls.  This book is very contemporary and the writer certainly keeps abreast of the political situation and world events almost as they are happening though this book was published in 2015.

It is almost uncanny the book seems so realistic.

Gabriel Allon, the Israeli spy, who is also a famous art restorer,  is sent on a mission with his colleague, Christopher Keller.  This is a wonderful story of beautiful landscapes and scenes in Vienna, England and Ireland.  Also of the beautiful island of Corsica, where Gabriel Allon renews his friendship with Christopher Keller, an Englishman who resides in his villa there but is induced to leave the island with Gabriel Allon.   They get on well together and work in unison as a team.  There are often traces of humour as well.

There are moments of sentimentality in the book as many past events come to the fore and it is often a revelation to understand the motives of the characters and the compelling reasons for the situations and actions in which they become involved.

 This book is very insightful and gives detailed descriptions of the workings of MI5 and MI6 in London.  Of course this book is fictional but seems very authentic when reading of the exploits of Gabriel Allon and Christopher Keller.  These two characters also featured in The English Girl by the same author.  This was also an enjoyable book to read and I have previously written a review of this book.

  There are several books in the series now of Gabriel Allon and his adventures in the spy genre.  The books which I have read are excellent and make compelling reading.  Gabriel has  a wife in Jerusalem and Christopher has his parents in London and this makes for fascinating reading as the reader also learns about their personal lives and private sorrows.  The characters in many ways are quite complex and the lifestyle which they lead would not be suited to many people.

Hope and good can often come out of a bad situation as the story unfolds and comes to its conclusion with its redemptive  qualities which are shown clearly in the end.  Christopher returns to his parents in London after a lengthy absence and Gabriel returns to his wife where she is expecting twins.

  

The English Girl by Daniel Silva

The story in this book is quite riveting and well worth reading.  It is a different style of genre from which I have normally been reading.  The story takes place amidst the political machinations of England and the kidnapping of an English girl who had a promising career within the parliamentary establishment. 

To prevent a scandal an Israeli intelligence officer is called upon to investigate the matter with as little repercussions as possible in the political establishment.

The story has wonderful settings of Israel, France and Corsica.  It is a roller coaster of a story which I enjoyed reading.  The action, the mystery and the intrigue keep thereader guessing the motives. 

The fascinating dialogue and camaraderie of the characters also plays its part.  There were also clever repetitive actions and manners of speech which added a certain quirkiness to the novel.  I also enjoyed the mood and ambience of the novel.  It was wonderful.   A brilliant story and I am now reading another book by the same authorof the tales of the Israeli spy, Gabriel Allon.