This is a page-turning thriller, well worth the time to read. Gabriel Allon, legendary agent of Israel's intelligence agency, known only as the Office, discovers a terrorist plot threatening London while he is going through the files of a deceased Israeli asset in the Netherlands. On flying to England to warn the British, he becomes involved in the rescue of the daughter of the American ambassador. Well written, tightly plotted, with fully-drawn characters, the book gives an authentic feel to its story of the covert - and overt - war against terrorism. ( )

Love these books!

Another excellent entry in Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series. It has taken some time, but the protagonist has even developed a bit more of a sense of humor which I found to be refreshing. The epilogue is one of the most entertaining parts of any Gabriel Allon story so far. ( )

Excellent! Fast paced and thought provoking.

The Secret Servant, by Daniel Silva, is the seventh book to feature Israeli spy and master art restorer Gabriel Allon. While on a mission to the Netherlands to clean up the files of a murdered terrorism expert (and undercover Israeli contact), Allon discovers a militant Islamic plot to wreak havoc in London. Allon arrives at the scene just seconds too late - while bombs go off in the London Underground system, the US Ambassador's daughter is kidnapped. During the operation, a bystander with a cell phone camera snaps a photo of Allon that is published in the London newspapers, making him a target of the terrorists as well. Allon works with the British, US and Egyptians to search for Elizabeth Halton and to stop her public execution.

Once again, Silva has managed to write an exciting nail-biter with a topical plot. Silva is one of the best "best seller" writers out there - his writing is excellent and his plots well-crafted. However, I'm finding I'm not enjoying Silva's recent books as much as I did the first few in the Allon series. Over time, Silva has pared down his books so that they focus almost exclusively on the search for whatever terrorist Allon is seeking. At one point, Allon's "cover" as a master art restorer played a larger part in Silva's novels, but no longer. It's too bad, because I enjoyed that aspect of his previous books. Additionally, this is probably the 4th or 5th book to focus on Islamic extremists as the "bad guys." Silva is pretty good about ensuring that the reader knows that not all Muslims are extremist terrorists, but given his focus on them as the villains, it's getting a bit harder to see that there is another side to all of this.

Additionally, it seems as if the Allon books are getting a bit formulaic: there is a terrorist plot to blow up something; a beautiful woman is kidnapped or is a major part of the bad guy's plot; politics between the Israelis, the US and European foreign services make it harder for Allon to do his job; the Israelis must keep their presence secret or else the "liberals" in various countries will be angry that they were involved. In other words, there are fewer and fewer surprises in Silva's books. On the bright side, though, Silva's next book, Moscow Rules, promises to take Allon into a new milieu - Russia - and I hope that the change in scenery will re-energize Silva's writing and bring a breath of fresh air to the Gabriel Allon series. ( )