The Confessor (Gabriel Allon Series Book 3)

Just great - one of the best Gabriel Allon books from Daniel Silva. I've read six in the series and I think that The Confessor is my favorite so far. As always, Daniel Silva is a master story teller and an excellent writer. I may well end up reading all the Gabriel Allon books. I love the combination of art restorer and assassin. How creative is that? I agree with one of the other reviewers who said that they enjoyed the earlier books in the series. However, they are all excellent. Silva really knows how to weave the story and pull the reader through. Couldn't put it down.

Daniel Silva is an excellent writer in both language and plot. In this book, one of his series about Gabriel Allon, an art restorer and Israeli spy, he intrigues us with an elaborate plot, wonderful characters, and realistic details. My wife and I plan to read all the novels in this series; not in succession, of course, but interspersed with other books to keep the spy fresh and mysterious. If you love spy stories, you'll love this one.

Another outstanding effort by the author. I have read all the stories in this series and he continues to develop the character with suspense and attention to detail. I will definitely purchase the next installment in the Allon chronicle. I am a great fan of the author and his hero. I rate this book at five stars.

I absolutely enjoy Daniel Silva's books, and this story is no exception. However, because I buy the audio cds, the reader is very important. Usually, the readers are great; this one not so much. Boring, droning, and practically put me to sleep. Also, I bought this cd from an outside supplier, and it arrived early and in great condition.

I enjoyed reading this book, as I enjoy reading Daniel Silva's writing. he definitely keep one's attention with his descriptions of events that transpire. the complicity of the church during WW 2 in Rome, makes me sad. But I know there were many Catholics who saved Jewish people too, just as did other people of other faiths. And as it is said, "The rest is history." I plan to delve into it. when a book makes you think, that is a good thing.

I have become a fan of Daniel Silva since reading the "Fallen Angels". I have no hesitation purchasing the Gabriel Allon series and do so when I can afford them.

Always well written with great characters, the plots and action keep me glued to the end.

Well written. Interesting facts that continue to be relevant, unfortunately.
I got hooked up on this character's story.
I recommend this to all readers looking for an great mix of fiction spy thriller and social commentary.

Another great Gabriel Allon mystery involving the enigma that is the Catholic church. Silva has once again entwined historical fact with his story development creating a compelling tale that causes the reader to question the truth as we've come to know it.

This was an excellent book in the Gabriel Allon series. It had a very interesting plot with good information about some of the intrigues in the Catholic church. I have read many of Daniel Silva's books and found that this is one of the best.

Exciting and tells the story of how the vatican covered up the ratline and complicity of Pius XII. The story is concise and very readable. Gets a little far fetched toward the end but returns to a beleivable end. After all a middle age Jew who is a art restorer and paid killer has a glow of the rediculous. Loved the story and the Silva style.

Gabriel Allon faces challenges from the Vatican and the Leopard to find himself digging-up the past to find out why his friend Beni is taken out. I liked the periodic summary updates as the puzzle is solved. It was a rare treat to see an amiable and mutually respectful appreciation and relationship with the Pope.

I've read several Daniel Silva "Gabriel Allon" books and I can tell you, I enjoy them so much. I feel sad when I finish them and can't wait until I can order another.

Mr. Silva is a wonderful writer. He spins a tale which The Rembrandt Affair (Gabriel Allon)keeps me on the edge of my seat. I actually care about the characters and almost feel that I know them. Maybe that sounds a bit silly, but I think Mr. Silva describes his characters so well and I remember them each time I read another book about Gabriel and his team.

Thank you, Mr. Silva, for giving me so many hours of interesting, moving and fast-paced action.

I'm looking forward to another book soon.

This book had an interesting plot. It couild have reality and that is what so intriguing abouit it. Now I think it is it is time for Gabriel to retire and raise his two children. In a couple of years Mr. Silva then can write novels about twin spies, uksing their father as a mentor.

Another solid addition to the series. If you liked the first books, you will probably like this one as well. Lots of background based on factual information, which helps establish realism. Plenty of action and twists to keep things moving.

This book had interesting contextual information about the plight of the Jewish people, the plot was somewhat similar to previous two books. It also had some lapses, in one instance the villain places a Stechkin handgun into his pocket, and the next moment takes out a Makarov handgun the next moment. This should have been caught by the editor. The style is very enjoyable nonetheless. The first two books I couldn't put down, and this one was also swallowed without putting the book down.

Gabriel Allon doesn't ruffle easily. As a full-time art restorer/Israeli agent, firing a few rounds at opposing assassins while swapping out brushes during detail work on the Bellini triptych in Venice's San Zaccaria Cathedral, is all in a day's work. As the son of German Jews incarcerated in Nazi death camps during WW2, this angel Gabriel has seen his share of the world's misery and for him, revenge is less than sweet.

Author David Silva's series of spy thrillers featuring the Allon character begins with Gabriel's out-of-retirement comeback at the behest of "the old man" of the Mossad hall-of-fame, Ari Shamron, an agent whose early career included facilitating the capture of Gestapo leader Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. Silva infuses the relationship between these two Israelis with angst and reprobation---surely Gabriel easily assumes the posture of a reluctant spy while Shamron operates in an older rule-breaking style unappreciated by current Mossad directors. Silva succeeds in perpetuating the uneasy equilibrium between this older mentor and his peace-desiring creation throughout the Holocaust-themed sequence of adventures commencing with "The Kill Artist" and progressing through "The English Assassin", "The Confessor" and finishing with "A Death in Vienna", while revealing the mitigating circumstances of Gabriel's own life that formulate his restless need for self-understanding and retribution.

Rather than review each of this series, individually, I chose "The Confessor" as the most intriguing of the above quartet (Silva has since added "The Prince of Fire" with "The Messenger" waiting in the wings). The characterizations in each of the novels do not necessarily build upon one another --- Allon doesn't grow from his experiences; he is a man on a string of missions which require his particular detached and deadly skill. If anything, Silva conveys to the reader the drive and persistence required to sustain such a lifestyle that consistently borders on the edge of danger and the havoc such an existence wrecks on Allon's already strained emotional stability.

From novel to novel, Silva manages to fan the still glowing embers of duplicity, conspiracy and ulterior motives that involved all the major players in Europe during WW2 to the present day with regard to the dire events of the Holocaust. In "The Confessor", a connection to the Roman Catholic Church is explored so thoroughly, it leads to a possible assassination of a new pope. The plot moves along quickly with interesting European cities as a glamorous foil to the inner workings of shadowy groups with the intent on completing the Holocaust's failed mission. Throughout the series, Allon, not exactly a likeable character remains realistically aloof, understandably burdened by the past and the horrors he has witnessed.

Bottom line: All the books in this series are recommended as fast and uncomplicated reads. However if you are looking to empathize with the main character and watch him unfold negatively or positively with each new mission, look elsewhere----Gabriel Allon epitomizes the perfect assassin---cold and cunning infused with enough grief for an entire misunderstood race.

Great story with a wonderful main character- Gabriel is in classic form! Daniel Silva writes such fascinating stories, with history and intrigue weaved together.

Looking forward to more of this series!

I really like the plots that Daniel Silva writes. It is fun and challenging to guess ahead on where the story is going. I have read a lot of the books in the past but find them just as great on the second time around. Now it's on to book 4.

I have been fascinated with all the Gabriel Allon Novels. He is able to weave the forces of two religions into a believable and not antagonistic scenario in each book. Good teachings about both religions and their possible ability to interact. I have enjoyed each of the books and have just read Fallen Angel and liked it best of all.

Daniel Silver is my favorite author! I have read all his books since he started. He has a great ability to keep you on the edge of your seat while going into great detail. He is a true artistic writer. I would recommend any of his books.

Daniel Silva brings back his enigmatic hero, Gabriel Allon, in "The Confessor," to investigate the mysterious murder of a dear friend, the unpopular aspirations of a newly elected Pope, a secret society in the Vatican, and long hidden secrets from World War II. Allon, is a brilliant Israeli art restorer and a complex, melancholy man. He had worked for many years as an Israeli intelligence agent, and assassin, (when necessary), losing his young son and wife to violence as a consequence of his work. Now he just wants to restore paintings and be left alone with his grief and his guilt.
Allon's boyhood friend and associate, Benjamin Stern, is murdered in his Munich apartment while writing a secret expose on Pope Pius XII and the Church's involvement in the Holocaust. Ari Shamron, Gabriel's old mentor, former head of Israeli intelligence, and the father of Ben Stern, finds Allon in Venice, restoring a Bellini altarpiece. He has little difficulty persuading Allon to accept this assignment to find Stern's killer, even though it means leaving the Bellini, at least temporarily.
Although Allon runs into a stone wall with his investigation in Munich, he begins to discover clues to the secrets of his friend's manuscript. Apparently Stern had been writing about material from top secret Vatican archives that proves Pope Pius XII, and the Church, were directly involved with the Nazis in the implementation of the Holocaust. Evidence also points to a deadly secret Vatican society, the Crux Vera.
Pope Paul VII, known by his Vatican detractors as "Pope Accidental," has recently been elected to the Papal Throne. He has pledged to review the Church's alleged complicity in the Nazi extermination of the Jews, and make available the Secret Vatican Archives regarding the Holocaust - archives that certain Vatican officials would do anything to keep suppressed. Allon's life, and the Pope's, are in terrible jeopardy.
Whatever your opinion on these controversial issues, Daniel Silva has written his best novel with this mesmerizing tale of Vatican politics, intrigue, murder and World War II history. Mr. Silva's style is reminiscent, but not derivative, of Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth and John LeCarre. He is definitely in their league and oh, so original, with his 21st century relevant storyline. I have waited for a long time for an author of this caliber to appear and keep me on the edge of my seat, reading through the night. I was unable to put this book down.

The Confessor had an interesting story line involving the lack of intervention by the Catholic church during the Holocaust, and a plot to assassinate a pope who plans to take a moral stand to atone for it. Character development was nil, but the writing was good and there was a good balance between action, plot, suspense and principles.

The problem was that the book didn't really start until the last third. The writer filled the first two thirds with a hodgepodge of characters with their own nationalities, names, code names, co-conspirators, enemies, lovers, and motivations. There were too many international locales and too many foreign words. (And I admit I am not a fan of this genre anyway.) At the halfway point there was still no coherent story line except that no one dared turn their back on anyone else.

I would have given this book three stars instead of four except that the story was so good once the plot developed.

The Confessor had an interesting story line involving the lack of intervention by the Catholic church during the Holocaust, and a plot to assassinate a pope who plans to take a moral stand to atone for it. Character development was nil, but the writing was good and there was a good balance between action, plot, suspense and principles.

The problem was that the book didn't really start until the last third. The writer filled the first two thirds with a hodgepodge of characters with their own nationalities, names, code names, co-conspirators, enemies, lovers, and motivations. There were too many international locales and too many foreign words. (And I admit I am not a fan of this genre anyway.) At the halfway point there was still no coherent story line except that no one dared turn their back on anyone else.

I would have given this book three stars instead of four except that the story was so good once the plot developed.

Another page turner from the hand of Daniel Silva. Cross, double cross and intrigue lead the reader through a maze of historical fiction where the truth may never be known. To the memory of the six million lost and the countless number who could have been saved.

These books are very well written and hard to put down. In addition I have learned a lot about history in the Middle East and now understand a bit more about the troubles of the world today. Of course you have to use the fiction in these books with some actual factual history available to all of us.

I am looking forward to reading the entire Gabriel Allon series.

Silva does not disappoint. His sense of place and character always ring true. I love learning about the locations, art restoration, and not least, the Israeli perspective of the holocaust. Fascinating depiction of Vatican politics.

The Confessor was an enjoyable summer read. I hadn't read an Gabriel Allon book for sometime and this was a refreshing light read that didn't make any pretentious demands or provide any new insights. Altogether, an enjoyable way to waste time.