The Messenger (2006)

This was another good one by Daniel Silva. My only complaint is the improbable events. It has been too many decades since I read the Ludlum novels, but in the Bourne movies the scenarios are quite possible. Or like the genius of Stieg Larsson where no matter how twisted the characters and plotlines are they are not only possible they are highly probable; the truth is stranger than fiction sort of thing.

Here we have another Gabriel Allon, who is a wicked smart guy like Jason Bourne, but unlike Bourne his story can read like complete fiction. For instance, anyone can shoot missiles at the Vatican seven days a week, but it only happens in a Silva novel when the good guy is in the middle of the action. That way he can save the day, or not save the day, or sorta save the day by saving millions of lives all in one-one-millionth of a second. And those aren’t isolated incidents, they can happen repeatedly in a single book.

Yeah, that bothers me. Otherwise, the characters, both good and bad, are well developed and interesting. The general story is really good; the (mostly) well thought out terror attacks and the unorthodoxies Allon and his associates go through to track them down and stop them. Like the others, worth reading. ( )

Clear evidence of a planned terrorist attack on St. Peter's Square, The Vatican, calls Gabriel Allon back to King Saul Boulevard where Ari Shamron wishes him to become chief of Special Operations. Allon fails in his attempt to forestall the attack which takes many lives and does much damage to St. Peter's Basilica. We learn that the Saudi who conceived and carried out the attack is code name Khalil.
Much of this novel is spent expounding the justifications for the violence of Israel's response to Arabic terrorism. The terrorist choice of the Vatican, "...while the Pope's plea for peace fluttered from the façade in the gentle morning breeze," is also, I think, meant as a particular justification.
The intensity of this novel increases measurably when the action, and sometimes the point of view, shifts to the recruitment and exploits of the American, Sarah Bancroft, beautiful, talented art curator.
Again in this novel there is promise of the marriage of Gabriel and Chiara.

In this installment Gabriel hears of a coming attack on the Vatican in Rome and is there when it happens. Several Cardinals are killed and the Dome is partially destroyed, but the Pope survives. He and his team hunt down and punish those responsible wit the help of American Sarah Bancroft, an art history PhD, and a previously unknown painting by Van Gogh. Gabriel's wife Leah is still institutionalized. In order to marry Chiara he must tell Leah and divorce her. ( )

Quick read. ( )

Even though I do not read the series Gabriel Allon in a row, I really like this exciting spy series. This time Gabriel has to prevent an assassination attempt in the Vatican. At first there was some damage in St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica, but the Pope survived. Gabriel was convinced that this was not the actual goal of the terrorist attack. The journey of his investigations led to a rich Arab, who has a very dark group around him. An American spy was smuggled in and nearly died. The actual goal of the attacks was surprising.
It was exciting from the beginning. ( )