It was a good spy read. I've read a few of this series and after awhile they all kind of seem the same. But that's not necessarily bad. Good for the beach. ( )

This might be my favorite of the series so far.
It has a little bit of everything, making it an all-around great read. ( )

A pretty typical Gabriel Allon story. He starts out minding his own business, then something triggers a reaction or a situation comes up that needs his expertise, he organizes an almost perfect operation that seems infallible, something goes wrong, he almost dies, but comes through in the end. Then there's the strong bias against the terrorists who cause all the problems for no reason other than historic hatred of Israel, a purely innocent country who does nothing to provoke them.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't know enough about what really goes on to say this is not totally true, and I do sympathize with Israel and the Jews in general (I'm Jewish myself), but I also have some sympathies for the Palestinians and Muslim people (though not the terrorists), and I feel that Israel is often too heavy-handed and unyielding. But to be honest, these stories have helped me understand why Israel is the way it is, and through these stories, I tend to forgive them more for their behavior. Basically, Israel is the only country where Jews are not second-class citizens, so they tend to be very protective.

So, in spite of these shortcomings, I always end up enjoying the stories and not being able to put it down once it gets going. Sometimes, the going is slow for a while, but the people carry it through. There is humor, culture, and lots of great people who are all outstanding in their fields. Ari Shamron, the semi-retired head of Israeli intelligence, is always good for some humor, and he seems like he will never fully retire even though he's lived forever, it seems. Gabriel is an artist both as a painter/restorer and a killer, and it's interesting to hear his thoughts and read about his actions. As a team, it seems like the characters in these stories can do anything. So, if you can forgive the overly political parts of the stories, give them a try if you like this type of book - they have a lot to offer. ( )

Gabriel is again retired when the novel begins--living in Cornwall with wife Chiara and restoring Old Masters again. While in London, he and Chiara see a personal bomber whom he tries to stop. Then he is asked by Adrian Carter to locate the new terrorist network that has arisen. He agrees, but partway through the operation, Adrian, at the request of the US president, insists that the CIA take over. Things do not go well from there. This appears to be another "formula" novel. ( )

Having read a few in this series and becoming less excited about the stories, this one I did enjoy reading. I suspect there was a little inspiration from the time that some Mossad people were found in a hotel in one of the emirates with Australian passports a decade or so ago, but the author did not share that in his wrapup. ( )