Customer Reviews

The English Assassin

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first picked up The English Assassin, I almost did not buy it. I like Silva's earlier novels, but I did not like the level of violence described in the cover leaf. It sounded like a mindless adventure but not in the complex, intricate manner of Silva's earlier works.

I had underestimated Silva, or his publisher had misdescribed him. This is a delightful, deep tale of Swiss abuse of Nazi victims, a generation of Swiss cover-up to keep possession of the stolen goods, the Israeli effort to locate and track down the valuables from pre-World War II European Jews, and the level of violence some people will go to in order to keep what they have even if it was gained illicitly (or maybe even because it was gained illicitly).

Once you have entered the journey of the former Israeli agent turned art restorer and you have encountered the violence and mysteries which surround what should have been a simple trip to look at some art in need of repair, I think you will be as hooked as I was. The larger tale of what happened to Jewish and other goods during the Nazi era will also set you thinking and will put a human face to the stories several years ago of Swiss bank accounts and secrecy about the Second World War period.

This is a fascinating book and fully up to Silva's standards.

My only problem with Daniel Silva is that he doesn't write books fast enough. The wait for The English Assassin, though, was more than worth it. Silva's a first-rate writer who has taken the well-worn concept of the international thriller and turned it into something compellingly new. The English Assassin is a perfect example of his skill: he throws together the reluctant, tormented spy Gabriel Allon with a tempermental violin virtuoso grappling with her own dark secrets and sends them off to investigate the Swiss collaboration with the Nazis in the theft of priceless art. It is an utterly fascinating story, brought to life with the help of a cast of superbly crafted supporting characters, including a vicious English assassin who is a bit more complex than your usual villain. Along the way Silva masterfully draws us into the worlds of art and music and gives us a tempting tour of some out-of-the-way European locales. I started The English Assassin the other night and finished it in one sitting. My only disappointment? It'll be another year before the new Silva pops up on the shelves.

The English Assassin is another fine novel. Daniel Silva provides the reader with his usual blend of action, excitement, intrigue, and plot twists -- all set within the historical context of the secret world of the Swiss banking system from WWII to the present. In a reprise of Gabriel Allon, the art restorer and sometimes Israeli spy from the Kill Artist, Silva spins a tale of a secret Swiss society, long-ago collaboration with Nazi Germany, and a quest to recover art treasures plundered by the Nazi's in WWII. Gabriel is drawn into the plot when he is sent to restore a painting belonging to an elderly Swiss banker. Finding the banker dead, Gabriel is quickly forced to match wits with the mysterious English Assassin and members of the clandestine Swiss organization that seeks to keep the past of Switzerland buried. This book is thoroughly entertaining. A must read for fans of Silva's previous works.

With apologies to Tom Clancy and the late Robert Ludlum, I must say that Daniel Silva has assumed throne among international thriller writers.

His latest novel, The English Assassin, centers around Gabriel Allon, the art-restorer-by-day, silent-killer-by-night from his previous work, The Kill Artist. The book begins with a flashback to the past centering around an unknown woman killing herself upon her discovery of one of her husband's dark secrets. The reader is then taken to the present day when Allon is sent to meet a client to restore a painting. He enters the client's home following a series of strange instructions and finds the man dead. The breakneck plot of the novel follows Gabriel on his quest to determine why the man was killed and how he himself is involved. At the same time, he must protect the man's estranged daughter while he and those with whom he comes in contact are being stalked by the shadowy figure known only as the Englishman.

Silva's writing is some of the most eloquent you will find in a book of this genre. His prose is clear and thoughtful and his characters take on dimensions that make the story all the more meaningful. Allon is a fine protagonist with many layers. The Englishman is a most worthy villian with both flaws and redeeming features that are capable of evoking sympathy from the reader. Silva's attention to detail for the settings of this book and the knowledge he possesses regarding the world of espionage make the reader feel totally enveloped in this book. This is a novel that can be read in a single sitting.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in international thrillers, spy or espionage related plots, or simply a well-written novel that will keep them interested.

Daniel Silva's "The English Assassin" grabbed my interest from the first page and took me on a exhilarating roller-coaster ride. It has non-stop action in a variety of exotic locales, fascinating characters, intelligent dialogue and terrific suspense. It is one of the best spy novels that I have read in years.

Gabriel Allon is a talented art restorer who lovingly repairs old paintings. In his other life, he is a spy for the Israeli government. He can kill expertly and without remorse when the situation calls for deadly force.

Ari Shamron, Gabriel's handler, has a new mission for him. Gabriel is to visit Zurich and speak to an old Swiss banker named Augustus Rolfe, a man who wants to reveal his secret activities during World War II. Gabriel soon encounters some violent men who will do anything to prevent the truth about Switzerland's sordid past from becoming public knowledge. He also meets Rolfe's beautiful and tempestuous daughter Anna. She is a troubled woman who, like Gabriel, is haunted by demons from the past.

Who is the "English Assassin" in the title? He is a former British soldier who has become a ruthless killer for hire. He also becomes involved in the Rolfe case, but his agenda differs markedly from Gabriel's. The English Assassin is a morally ambiguous character who is as fascinating as he is deadly.

What makes this novel better than most of the other spy thrillers around? It does not rely on cliches to keep the intricate plot moving along. The characters are sharply written and the dialogue sparkles with wit, humor and occasional poignancy. What elevates "The English Assassin" most of all is the issues that it tackles. Silva explores the culpability of the Swiss bankers, who apparently were indispensable to the Nazi's war machine. Those who help murderers prosper from their horrible acts also have blood on their hands, Silva implies. Don't miss "The English Assassin." It is an unforgettable and fast-paced thriller that will make you think about the issues it raises long after you have read the final page.

First let me say that this book has one of the best opening chapters I have ever read! And for die-hard Silva fans, that should not surprise you. This author is tremendous with his "hook" and continues to leave you breathless throughout your entire reading.

In The English Assassin, we meet up again with Gabriel Allon, the art restorer/secret Israeli assassin from The Kill Artist. Through unexpected events, Gabriel comes to the aid of Anna Rolfe, a world-class violinist whose father, Swedish banker Augustus Rolfe, has been found dead in his Swiss chalet. He soon finds that the Rolfe family secrets lead to a tangled web of deception that dates back to the Nazi plundering of World War II. As Gabriel digs deeper into the Rolfe family affairs, an unexpected course of events leads him on a frantic mission to save Anna Rolfe's life from an English assassin who is hired to keep the Rolfe family secrets...secret.

Silva is known for his deep research and vivid description of global locales. I also love his characters; they are rich in personality and very well rounded. The good guys have a dark side that makes them tick and the bad guys have many redeeming qualities. In this book we come to know Gabriel, Ari and Julian on a much deeper level, a welcome surprise for those of us who have read the Kill Artist. As usual, I raced through the first two-thirds of this book in record time (Silva does that to you -- especially if you are a die hard international thriller fan like me), but I thought the last third of the book lacked the strength of his previous works, and the ending left me with more questions than answers. His other books were "beefy" from start to finish -- very thick plot with strong action...unrelenting in its presentation. This one seemed a bit...well, "timid" to say the least. It's as if the bottom fell out just as the time was approaching for a major showdown. I'm sure there's a reason for this...Silva is an extremely talented and thorough writer known for his exhaustive research and narration. I just wish he had given us a that strong last "lap" he is so well known for!

4 and 1/2 stars. "Where's the beef?"

This is my first Daniel Silva novel, but it will not be my last. I was a loyal Ludlum fan and mourned his declining craft long before I mourned his death. I liked Follett in the beginning, but he, too has pandered to the masses, leaving his skills on the word processor.

THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN is Daniel Silva's fourth book and a page-turner from start to finish. While his body count rivals that of early Ludlum, Silva is a more polished story teller.

THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN begins with the death of Augustus Rolfe, an elderly Swiss banker who collaborated with the Nazis (no new territory here) to acquire numerous pieces of art during World War II. At the end of his life, Herr Rolfe decides to atone for his sins and return the paintings to the heirs of their original owners, thus exposing the dirty little secret all Swiss fear. Publicity of this kind just won't do, so Herr Rolfe is killed.

Gabriel Allon, Jewish intelligence agent/art restorer who is set to receive the paintings, finds Herr Rolfe's body and thus the chase begins for the real killer and the enormous power behind the Swiss conspiracy of silence.

While I'm a little tired of the Nazi 'rape of the art world' story, I'm glad to have found someone who writes solid spy stories. I look forward to more work from Silva. As they say in show business, he's got the 'legs' to last a long time.

Enjoy!

Funny how a book can be so well-constructed yet lack the emotional spark to truly involve a reader. Case in point: The English Assassin. The subject matter is compelling, the spycraft believable, the action and pacing fine, the descriptions of Switzerland and the Swiss sharply drawn. But two key relationships--between Gabriel and Anna and Gabriel and the title character--are glancing at best. The way Anna lets Gabriel into her life after being so aloof for so long is unbelievable, and there's precious little interaction to indicate the depth of their eventual relationship. I kept waiting for the pheromones to fly, but that just didn't happen.

Worse, I thought, was the lack of confrontation between Gabriel and the English assassin. Frankly, I felt cheated here. While not looking for a big shootout, I at least expected the two to match wits more directly, some moves and countermoves. My other impression: Gabriel was fortunate that he never had to face the other man, because based on shows of respective skills he was the inferior player.

i love Silva's novels but this one lacked something. First the title is wrong for this book..... dont understand why that tile was chosen. secondly after reading his other books you expect as a reader to be given a decent fast paced ending in my mind he missed the mark.

Lastly the realationships between Gabriel and Anna and gabriel and christopher were only lightly touched upon in the book. As a reader i wanted more depth.

overall the plot was good but the flaws in the novel bring it down to just and average read.

The English Assassin by Daniel Silva is the first in his Nazi trilogy featuring the art restorer and part-time Israeli spy, Gabriel Allon.

The Swiss banker, Augustus Rolfe, asks Allon to Switzerland to see about restoring one of his paintings. Allon arrives in Zurich, only to find Rolfe has been murdered only hours before his arrival. Allon then contacts Rolfe's estranged daughter, the famous violinist, Anna Rolfe. She tells Allon of a ridden room in her father's house that contained countless works of art that were confiscated from the Jews by the Nazis during World War II. The paintings seem to have been stolen at the time of the murder. Every time Allon finds a person who might shed some light in solving the murder and recovering the stolen paintings, that person is mysteriously murdered. Allon and Anna must break through a wall of secrecy that surrounds the Swiss bankers to discover the truth.

Silva's books are woven around true facts. In The English Assassin, he recounts how the Swiss helped to finance the Nazi government. Also, Switzerland acted as a "trade center" for art confiscated by the Nazis. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of these works remain hidden in Swiss vaults and in private homes. Swiss laws also make it very difficult for the rightful owners of these works to reclaim them. A professor tells Allon "Switzerland is not a real country. It's a business, and it's run like a business. It has been that way for 700 years."

Silva's books are always entertaining and fast-paced. But The English Assassin also has a surprise twist at the end.

Having already read the third book in this trilogy, A Death in Vienna, I've now started the second book, The Confessor. The Confessor details the role of the Roman Catholic Church in assisting the Nazis, and their lack of effort in protecting European Jews.