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132nd out of 427 books
—
363 voters
The Confessor (Gabriel Allon #3)
by
Daniel Silva
A New York Times BestsellerIn Munich, writer Benjamin Stern entered his flat to find a man leafing through his research, and said, "Who the hell are you?" In answer, the man shot him. In Venice, art restorer Gabriel Allon applied a dab of paint carefully to the Bellini, then saw the boy approaching with a piece of paper in his hand. With a sigh, the Mossad agent began to p...more
Paperback
Published
April 1st 2004
by Penguin Books
(first published November 7th 2002)
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I don't normally go for thriller spycraft fiction, but I confess I am totally addicted to Silva's spy novels about an Israeli assassin/spy and part-time art restorer named Gabriel Allon. The first book was written in 2000 and the latest in 2012 and in that time span, Silva draws a geopolitical arc starting with Nazi wartime crimes and the complicity of the Vatican and the Swiss in Nazi wartime looting. Then to the Palestinian conflict, Black September and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. And...more
“The Confessor” by Daniel Silva is the third installment in the fictional adventures of the reluctant Israeli agent Gabriel Allon.
Working as art restorer Mario Delvecchio, Allon is called one more time into service to investigate the mysterious murder of his friend Benjamin Stern. As the investigation progresses, Allon discovers that Stern has been working on a book, that once published would cause a scandal in the Vatican and do great harm to the Roman Catholic Churc...more
Working as art restorer Mario Delvecchio, Allon is called one more time into service to investigate the mysterious murder of his friend Benjamin Stern. As the investigation progresses, Allon discovers that Stern has been working on a book, that once published would cause a scandal in the Vatican and do great harm to the Roman Catholic Churc...more
STRONG PLOTTING, POOR BACKGROUND RESEARCH
By the way he writes, Mr Silva is following the footsteps of acclaimed international top notch thriller writers like (i.e) Federick Forsyth.
The Confessor exhibits a polished prose, good plotting, satisfactory outline of characters, and employment of resources to grab the reader attention
The core of this story is the willingness of the new elected Pope Paul the VII to release secluded key information and documents to prove the Church silence and Vatican-Na...more
By the way he writes, Mr Silva is following the footsteps of acclaimed international top notch thriller writers like (i.e) Federick Forsyth.
The Confessor exhibits a polished prose, good plotting, satisfactory outline of characters, and employment of resources to grab the reader attention
The core of this story is the willingness of the new elected Pope Paul the VII to release secluded key information and documents to prove the Church silence and Vatican-Na...more
Dec 31, 2009
Kathleen Hagen
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2009-audio-books,
2009-mysteries
The Confessor, by Daniel Silva, b-plus, narrated by John Lee, produced by Books on Tape, downloaded from audible.com.
This is the third in the Gabriel Allum series. In this one, he learns that he is to go to Munich because a Jewish historian, has been murdered. Again we have a thriller with Gabriel, now partnered with another beautiful woman, another Israeli spy, and the two of them are not only supposed to find out who killed the historian, but why. After Gabriel visits a journalist who was know...more
This is the third in the Gabriel Allum series. In this one, he learns that he is to go to Munich because a Jewish historian, has been murdered. Again we have a thriller with Gabriel, now partnered with another beautiful woman, another Israeli spy, and the two of them are not only supposed to find out who killed the historian, but why. After Gabriel visits a journalist who was know...more
2 likes · like · see review
This Silva work makes Dan Brown look like child's play. There is intrigue, thriller type work, secrets and a link from the Israelies and the Vatican, of all places.
This is spy work at its finest. This was a find, quite by chance. However, I plan to read all the rest of the Dan Silva's now that I have a chance to see his high level of creative writing!
This is the story of Gabriel Allon who poses as an art restorer in Italy. Since he is so skilled, he gets to work on Berninni et al.
However, in the...more
This is spy work at its finest. This was a find, quite by chance. However, I plan to read all the rest of the Dan Silva's now that I have a chance to see his high level of creative writing!
This is the story of Gabriel Allon who poses as an art restorer in Italy. Since he is so skilled, he gets to work on Berninni et al.
However, in the...more
The Confessor was a most interesting novel about a renegade group with the Vatican hierarchy that did not agree with the new policy of openness professed by the new Pope. They were especially concerned about his plans for the Catholic Church's relationship with the Jewish people and his plans to open the Vatican archives for intense study with regard to documentation of what happened during World War II that resulted in the decision not to come out in strong opposition to the events leading to t...more
I considered this book so-so. It held my interest till the end, but that doesn't mean the story was very clear or believable. I couldn't connect with the characters very well, and the sound of the story sounded cliched. It was like I read this before but I cannot quite place my finger as to where or when. The deaths were cold, calculated, and nothing to the main character, which is kind of understandable given that he is a trained assassin.
I guess what I dislike is the trend the novels of myste...more
I guess what I dislike is the trend the novels of myste...more
A rattling good yarn, fast-moving - it goes by the Chandler principle, if in doubt introduce a man with a gun - with the darker dimension of how much the Catholic Church knew about the Holocaust, why it did nothing, and what it should have done. The hero is an Israeli agent / assasain, and to my shame I know very little about Israeli politics, so it was a main character with a completely different experience, upbringing and point of view to mine - always interesting. It's always a treat to find...more
I have to admit, I really liked this book, which was quite a surprise to myself, as I expected it to be another Da Vinci Code style concoction of Catholic conspiracies.
Perhaps it was the fact that I have myself lived in a Catholic monastery in the Middle East for three months and still see and hear the main policy line of the Church towards Israel, all the fine talk about peace and tolerance covering up for either a delusional worldview or something much more sinister... The made-up meeting in a...more
Perhaps it was the fact that I have myself lived in a Catholic monastery in the Middle East for three months and still see and hear the main policy line of the Church towards Israel, all the fine talk about peace and tolerance covering up for either a delusional worldview or something much more sinister... The made-up meeting in a...more
I didn't devour "The Confessor" as I did his previous novel, "The Kill Artist." Just to give you a hint of the difference, and this is not meant to be taken in a good way, as if I had been so enthralled I was delicately portioning every turn of phrase for future contemplation, quite the contrary, but...difference being, I fell so completely into "The Kill Artist" I read the thing in a day, I simply couldn't be torn away. However, with "The Confessor" it was more like pick it up, put it down, pic...more
Gripping story with great dialogue, crisp action and depth of character.
Silva provides good insight into the Vatican, albeit biased towards Jews, expected considering the protagonist is a bitter Israeli.
How accurate his research is, will be forever questioned, but there is no doubting the role the Vatican played during the second WW, and the level of corruption that exists still, today.
Allon as a character is brilliant, the perfect mix of a cold-hearted killer and a man clearly hindered by hi...more
Silva provides good insight into the Vatican, albeit biased towards Jews, expected considering the protagonist is a bitter Israeli.
How accurate his research is, will be forever questioned, but there is no doubting the role the Vatican played during the second WW, and the level of corruption that exists still, today.
Allon as a character is brilliant, the perfect mix of a cold-hearted killer and a man clearly hindered by hi...more
Not the best work Silva has done but a compelling story, nevertheless.
Gabriel Allon, the masterpiece restorer and Israeli spy, attempts to track down the murderer of one of his best friends, Benjamin Stern. In the process he uncovers documents that implicate members of the Vatican in the WW II Holocaust. He also uncovers a contemporary plot to take over the Catholic Church by people dedicated to restoring it to its medieval glory. He is confronted by an old foe, Eric Lange, an assassin for hire...more
Gabriel Allon, the masterpiece restorer and Israeli spy, attempts to track down the murderer of one of his best friends, Benjamin Stern. In the process he uncovers documents that implicate members of the Vatican in the WW II Holocaust. He also uncovers a contemporary plot to take over the Catholic Church by people dedicated to restoring it to its medieval glory. He is confronted by an old foe, Eric Lange, an assassin for hire...more
Once again, a thriller that instructs, or at least asks big questions. Gabriel Allon attempts to solve the murder in Munich of a friend. The professor/author was working on something that got him killed. In Rome, the new Pope Paul VII wants to open the Secret Archives (Papal Papers) to let scholars know the actions,or rather inaction, of Pope Pius XII during the Shoah and WWII. Jews were rounded up from the Ghetto the the Pope could see from the walls of the Vatican. But there are many who do no...more
Nov 23, 2008
Susan
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anti-Catholics, thriller readers
Shelves:
fiction
The action is a bit harder to follow than in some of Silva's work and many of the characters are presented in such a superficial shadowy form that it's difficult to know, much less like or care about them.
But if you're looking for an excuse to paint Catholicism with a broad brush, this is a book that will help you do it. Silva, while doing a good job with minute details of his story that takes us from modern day Europe to Rome and Germany during the Nazi persecution in WWII, unfortunately - perh...more
But if you're looking for an excuse to paint Catholicism with a broad brush, this is a book that will help you do it. Silva, while doing a good job with minute details of his story that takes us from modern day Europe to Rome and Germany during the Nazi persecution in WWII, unfortunately - perh...more
So viel Mühe ich mir auch gebe, ich kann was Daniel Silva angeht einfach nicht objektiv sein, oder was schlechtes über seine Bücher sagen, weil ich dafür viel zu sehr mit Gabriel Allon symphatisiere.
Diesmal muss Allon nach Rom. Im Vatikan hat sich eine Geheimloge gegen den Papst, der vor hat sich vor versammelter Öffentlichkeit, für das Stillschweigen der katholischen Kirche während des 2. Weltkrieges zu entschuldigen, verschworen, und der Mossad Agent muss natürlich dafür sorgen, dass dem (fik...more
Diesmal muss Allon nach Rom. Im Vatikan hat sich eine Geheimloge gegen den Papst, der vor hat sich vor versammelter Öffentlichkeit, für das Stillschweigen der katholischen Kirche während des 2. Weltkrieges zu entschuldigen, verschworen, und der Mossad Agent muss natürlich dafür sorgen, dass dem (fik...more
This is the third book in the Gabriel Allon Series. Just to give you an idea of the main character.Gabriel Allon restores fine paintings by day but is a secret Israeli agent by night, or whenever, ready, willing and able to do battle with Arab terrorists. In THE CONFESSOR, however, the stalkers of Jewish victims are Catholics operating out of the Vatican in an effort to cover up the evidence of the Church's collaboration with the Nazis in World War II.
The plot is based on the silence of Pius XII...more
The plot is based on the silence of Pius XII...more
Daniel Silva uses the center of power of the Roman Catholic Church, a newly chosen Pope and the powerful men of the Vatican, as key elements of the plot in this realistic thriller. As familiar protagonist Gabriel Allon is restoring a painting of the Virgin by Bellini, he is summoned by the enigmatic Israeli, Ari Shamron, to investigate the murder of Gabriel's writer friend Benjamin Stern who had been gathering information about the role of the Church during WWII and the effects on the Jewish peo...more
Very good. But made me sad to realize the correlation between the Vatican's complacency (at the least!) during WWII & the Holocaust & today's Roman Catholics disillusionment with the Church. Their continuing denials & silence regarding the culpability & errors made during times of world crises, has created the cynicism of their followers. It is this continuing archaic stance on most modern "political" issues that's caused so many to turn away from the Church.
The Vatican & Ca...more
The Vatican & Ca...more
Having read the first 3 books in Silva's Gabriel Allon series, I can see that the writer follows a very specific formula. It is a winning formula - all three have been great, intelligent reads - but a formula nevertheless. The conspiracy, the guy, the girl (toned down here thankfully), the evil assassin, the twist (unique in every one). Not complaining, I liked all three books and will finish the series at some point. But being such a huge fan of his "The Unlikely Spy" novel (seriously one of th...more
In this the third volume of Gabriel Allon, much of the action moves to Rome. More than ever, the focus is on the horrors that befell so many European Jews in World War 2. This forms the backbone of the story, which is all the more poignant for it. Its a fascinating blend of espionage, politics, and religion, maybe stretching credibility to extremes in places, but an exciting story none the less, and all the familiar characters are there.
We are shown many facets of Gabriele's character, and learn...more
We are shown many facets of Gabriele's character, and learn...more
I am really enjoying reading the Gabriel Allon books by Silva. The author obviously has traveled to all the places his spies visit as he captures the essence of each city perfectly. I like the author's use of politics, history, culture, and suspense in each of his books, and especially appreciate Silva's ability to paint a fair view of more than one political view, even when describing an enemy.
The added treat of Allon being an art conservator only adds to the charm of the books, but my sister w...more
The added treat of Allon being an art conservator only adds to the charm of the books, but my sister w...more
You should be able to pick this thriller in almost any bargain bin, or super bookstore bargain shelf. Reads like a movie, and to tell the truth has a better secret religious organization (this one is fictitious as the author points out in his afterword) then The Da Vinci Code. The locations added much to the book, and the only flaw I saw was the too wishful thinking on part of This fictious Popes view towards Judaism. Still, that is a minor flaw at best and should in no way discourage anyone fro...more
#3 in the Gabriel Allon series. I'm reading them out-of-order but it doesn't bug me a bit. Though several of the characters are carried through each book, the stories can stand on their own. Exciting spy-stuff. This one deals with the Catholic Church and their help, or lack there-of, in saving the Jews during WWII. The big controversy is discovered by a friend of Allon's, who is then killed, which starts the story off. Lots of good spy stuff before the end, all good. I enjoyed and will read more...more
Daniel Silva still writes a finely-paced thriller, but this one was simultaneously over-the-top and somewhat rote. The main plot thread and the coincidences needed to resolve it strain credulity, while the mechanics of getting from point A to point B - not to mention the villain - have all been done as well or better elsewhere, and sometimes by Silva himself.
Worth reading for fans of the Gabriel Allon series, but not a book that will be remembered in the same breath as the first two novels about...more
Worth reading for fans of the Gabriel Allon series, but not a book that will be remembered in the same breath as the first two novels about...more
This was a whale of an adventure/spy story with many twists and turns. I was aware of the non-role Pope Pius played in the rescue of Jewish people in WWII, one of the themes. The "hero", Gabriel Allon, is an interesting character, who is perfectly capable of killing in cold blood. His antithesis, the Leopard is a paid assassin, but also with interesting twists in his background. Most sympathetic character is the new Pope, beset by murderous forces in the Vatican. It was a page turning book, and...more
I continue to love the protagonist, Gabriel Allon, a Mossad agent. Allon searches for the killer of his friend, Benjamin and gets caught in Vatican intrigue which centers on the the public silence of Pope Pius XII in the face of annihilation of Europe's Jews and the sanctuary and aid given by other Catholic church officials to Eichmann and other prominent Nazi murderers.
The current Pope in this fictional story wants to address these issues, but a secret, powerful order within the Vatican fights...more
The current Pope in this fictional story wants to address these issues, but a secret, powerful order within the Vatican fights...more
Dec 23, 2012
Ric
marked it as to-read
Reading the Gabriel Allon backlist in reverse order, I note that the author, Daniel Silva, improved as he progressed. For clearly this early (#3 in publication sequence) Allon is a developmental piece where Silva is still working on the style that would later enliven such work as The Fallen Angel. In The Confessor, Silva aims high and broad, in the all-encompassing scope and audacity of The Da Vinci Code, and in the wish-fulfilling formulation of the invincible, impervious and unerringly-accurat
...more
The holocaust is a topic of such magnitude that all aspects of it have not yet been studied as thoroughly as it should be.
This story depicts the omissions and commissions of the Catholic Church in regard to the holocaust. Some sections of the church are shown to have had active participation in the event that they colluded with the Nazis to accelerate the final solution found by Hitler.
I must admire the courage with which the successive generations in Israel have been fighting back for survival...more
This story depicts the omissions and commissions of the Catholic Church in regard to the holocaust. Some sections of the church are shown to have had active participation in the event that they colluded with the Nazis to accelerate the final solution found by Hitler.
I must admire the courage with which the successive generations in Israel have been fighting back for survival...more
This was the third book I have read in the Gabriel Allon series and it was easily my favorite. The story was a page-turner and kept me wanting to find out what was coming next. This particular story involves the Catholic Church and its relationship with Germany during the Holocaust period in WWII. Rather than just portray the Church as full of bad guys, Silva did a good job of creating characters both good and bad throughout the novel.
I am now hooked on this series and look forward to future boo...more
I am now hooked on this series and look forward to future boo...more
O terceiro livro da série do charmoso Grabriel Allon, tal como os anteriores, leva-nos numa viagem pelo mundo. Desde Veneza até Roma, de Munique até um palacete de luxo na Suíça, de um convento ao pé do lago até Londres e França, o livro tem um ritmo extraordinário e a leitura decorre com naturalidade. E pronto, aqui terminam as minhas observações positivas.
Em relação às personagens, Daniel Silva não as apresenta com sucesso. Limita-se a bombardear o leitor com nomes e cargos profissionais e afi...more
Em relação às personagens, Daniel Silva não as apresenta com sucesso. Limita-se a bombardear o leitor com nomes e cargos profissionais e afi...more
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Daniel Silva began his writing career as a journalist for United Press International (UPI), traveling in the Middle East and covering the Iran-Iraq war, terrorism and political conflicts. From UPI he moved to CNN, where he eventually became executive producer of its Washington-based public policy programming. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy, a surprise best seller that w...more
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Dec 25, 2012 07:54pm