Customer Reviews

Assassini

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

That Thomas Gifford was met by stiff opposition during his nine years of impeccable research for this work of art speaks volumes about the internal workings of the Catholic Church. It lends credibility to this intriguing array of subplots and characters, while verifying what the rest of the world already knows: that the Church is only marginally unlike any other major multinational corporation. This is a brilliant mystery containing many interesting characters illuminated by a rich tapestry of historical events. Like any roller-coaster ride, the initial pace is slow...but this is a small price to pay for the thrill of this gem.

This thriller is also packed with impeccable research on a vast swath of church history. If you aren't looking for a 24-hour head-spin (The DaVinci Code) and aren't obsessed with leprechauns, you'll be rewarded by Gifford's (Gifford, by the way, is dead) careful plotting, excellent character deveopment, and witty use of history and mystery. The settings alone make the book a good read. As a whole, it's a great read, if reading is what you want.

This book was worth the struggle to get through the first 100 or so pages. Slow to develop, but once the story gets going, it is tough to put down. Gifford has a gift for imagery as well as weaving an intriguing plot. I recommend this book; do not give up if you feel bored to begin with

This book has several mysteries spinning in it.One scenario
has the pope dying and several church members plotting to take his place.Another mystery has the question of a woman doing her
own investigation concerning a suicide during World War II.There
is also a prominant businessman whose sister,a nun is murdered.
The businessman starts his own investigation and discovers a
secret society that kills enemies of the church.He eventually
encounters another woman who is checking out the same situation
in the church.The investigation leads him all over the world
in search for answers.This is a very interesting book that will
keep you reading.Buy it.

A great novel. Lots of intrigue. The characters were made to seem real. The story line was a black eye for the Catholic Church, however with so much factual information produced, it made the history of the church and the mysteries still being unraveled, plausible. It is a bit like the Da Vinci Code .

I have just finished reading "The Assassini" and whilst I enjoyed it as a thriller, I can't say I was overly impressed with it, considering it took the author nine years to research and write. I think my main problem with it was that Driskill, the main character and narrator, was a very unsympathetic hero. I just could not warm to him at all. The plot regarding stolen WW2 art treasures and a mutual blackmail scheme between the Nazis and the Vatican was good and was developed quite well. However, the book became bogged down with too many extraneous characters and I could not swallow the romance between Driskill and Sister Elizabeth, the nun helping him hunt down his sister's killer.

Fantastic! The storyline opens your eyes to the possible verses the probable. Well written and researched. Makes me wish I had done the research along side the author! This work made such an impression on me that I have suggested it to several folks over the past decade. Gifford's 'Assassini' was lent to me over ten years ago and it had such an impact, that I am here looking up a copy for my own.

The most chilling parts of this book for me were the poor diction, specious metaphors, and just plain bad writing. The research was terrible; the characters 1 dimensional with no psychological reality. I am not Catholic, but Catholics do not act or talk like that. I don't mean the idea of assassins or skullduggery or politics or fascism, but matters of referring to the Church. Simple example: they don't refer to themselves as papists. The wealthy also do not live like that, no matter how many expensive brand names Gifford cited. The police procedures even for the time are completely outlandish and inaccurate. I only kept reading as long as I did for the absurdity. Even the DaVinci Code had the features os a decent beach book thriller. Poorly written, poorly researched. Just plain dumb. Only re-issued to get on the Dan Brown boom.

This was a nice read. The story is interesting, and is a nice patchwork of several different but related stories, set in the present and in the past. Essentially, a very sick pope lies dying in the Vatican, and the prime contenders for the throne of St Peter are lining up, organising their support base, and employing each and every ruthless antic in an effort to secure their success at the coming conclave. This struggle, set in the present, is nicely worked in with the complicated relationships between the major players that have their roots in the past. The story nicely highlights some of the major problems, in terms of public image, that the Catholic church and the Vatican face today. I am Catholic; but intrigue, cover-ups, and skeletons in the closet are what is destroying any role for the Catholic church, and by extension, the Vatican, in the modern world. Indeed, the novel sadly paints what is probably a fairly accurate picture of the curial cardinals today. This novel takes the reader to several wonderful places, however, I am not certain that the author actually ever visited Ireland, since his portrayal of that country is a little "off". This novel is long. Too long in my opinion, and I feel it could have been pruned down a little, making it more concise and gripping. I prefer novels that are hard to put down. In this case, I was tired out several times by the novel, and quite relieved to put it down and turn off the light. I have a major marketing issue with the novel. I think that it was very bad form for the publishers to mention The Da Vinci Code on the spine of this novel. It was a cheap shot at trying to push up sales by misleading the public, and I am less than happy with Mr Gifford for permitting this to happen. While I enjoyed the story a lot, something intangiable was clearly missing, and I would rather direct prospective readers to Daniel Silva's excellent "The Confessor", or one of Dan Brown's novels. Those ones which have only one title printed on the spine....... From me: two-and-a-half stars.

When I first read this book back in 1991 it really caught me. It's not suppsed to be a true story but with everything that is coming to light, how can we not realize that this indeed is a true story. But for a person like me that hates to read, this kept me seated and reading it was written in such a way i felt like I was there .