The Black Widow: The true crime book of the year

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Can the Gabriel Allon series get any better? This may be the best book in the series to date. Daniel Silva's writing skills continue to grow. The story could be something straight out of the news headlines. Silva's prescience is uncanny. That doesn't mean, however, that a few things weren't a bit bothersome - the first of which is that the emphasis is far more on politics and history than on the characters. Chiara barely plays a role, and even Gabriel doesn't seem to be at the forefront as much as in previous books. There is almost tedious detail about the relationships (pro and con) among various countries like Israel, France and Syria, and the author makes it abundantly clear what side of the political fence he's on. That's not all bad, mind you; even though I've crabbed about other authors' crossing the line of putting their personal political agendas ahead of the story - and this one comes close to doing just that - Silva manages to write around it all in such an interesting, totally engaging way that in the end it didn't matter a whit to me (the historical parts, in fact, I thoroughly enjoyed).

While this won’t be the first time Gabriel runs an operation in France, it does mark the first time that he’s doing so with their blessing. In fact, they requested his services and even strong-armed him into helping out. This is a story that flows naturally, with an easy reading due to its small chapters and I must say it was my first reading of this highly successful author, but this book is the 16th in a series entitled "Gabriel Allon" and although Read very well as an independent reading, because the author knows how to contextualize everything, the truth is that I believe that there may be details and even relations with some characters that we would understand better if we had followed the series. But at the heart of these stories is Gabriel Allon, a man who has such a colorful history with the legendary Office but has sacrificed much in his personal life as a result. It is a compelling story, not only of the Jewish people as they strive to find a homeland, but of the struggle of Gabriel Allon to heal and pursue the values he holds important. All of this was brought out in a very sensitive way as he looked down at his two beautiful babies and knows that one day, they will ask him why. And his answer will be, "You exist in this place, you sleep peacefully in this land tonight, because of people like me." Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon is poised to become the chief of Israel’s secret intelligence service. But on the eve of his promotion, events conspire to lure him into the field for one final operation. ISIS has detonated a massive bomb in the Marais district of Paris, and a desperate French government wants Gabriel to eliminate the man responsible before he can strike again. In this 16th book in the 'Gabriel Allon' series, the Israeli agent is after an ISIS terrorist. The book can be read as a standalone, though familiarity with the characters is a bonus.

Think of ISIS as the Death Star and their recruiting tactics as the thermal exhaust port. Gabriel, then, would be Luke Skywalker, planning to expose their lone weakness. Mizrahi is the torpedo aimed to bring the whole thing down, if only it were that simple…) I enjoyed the first quarter of the book; thoroughly adored the second two quarters of the book; then found the last quarter didn't live up to the intelligence of the middle of the book.

I enjoyed the book but - to be honest - I prefer the earlier Gabriel Allon tales where he's more involved in the action. Still, this is a good thriller with a minor cliffhanger ending. I look forward to the next book. A pesar de ser una novela de espionaje internacional y plantear una trama un tanto compleja, se entiende perfectamente, el autor hace énfasis en el conflicto valiéndose de los hechos históricos que han llevado a la formación de tamaño grupo terrorista, y nos hace comprender de manera sencilla de dónde proviene su fanatismo y cómo lo contagian. De seguro, a otras personas tanto como a mi me pasa, nos resulta impensable caer en tal extremo, pero los hechos nos han demostrado que efectivamente existe. Saladin, for all his ambition and ruthlessness, has managed to keep his true identity a secret. Everyone from Jordan’s GID to America’s CIA, and, of course, the Office, know him by reputation and name only. Smoking him out will not be easy, especially for a young doctor working as a newly trained, and first-time spy.Written with prophetic-like precision, Silva’s latest thriller is almost too real to be called fiction. As good as Gabriel Allon is with a paintbrush, Silva is even better with a pencil and legal pad, which he famously uses to write out the first drafts of his novels. Daniel Silva has entertained and even educated us, throughout the last 15 novels featuring the brilliant and enigmatic hero, Gabriel Allon - Israeli intelligence agent, super spy extraordinaire, art restorer, family man. We have been taken on journeys to different places throughout the globe, met a cast of varied, interesting and compelling characters. Creative and inventive plots filled with present day situations and past history that affects our lives today. It was interesting to read that the author had written this book before the bombings in France took place this year. I am so impressed by the research that is done with each book that he has written. The vivid imagery is truly astounding. Powerful. “ISIS doesn’t crucify only because it is cruel. It crucifies because, according to the Koran, crucifixion is one of the proscribed punishments for the enemies of Islam. It crucifies because it must. We civilized Westerners find this almost impossible to comprehend.” It seems that this may be the last book in the Allon Series, which makes me feel pretty sad. I have loved this series for years and Gabriel Allon has become one of my favorite fictional secret agents. Hopefully he will make a "guest" appearance in future books. Regardless of how things play out in the future, I have nothing but total trust and confidence in Daniel Silva and wherever he’s planning to take this franchise.

To get close to the elusive Saladin, Gabriel has to insert an agent deep into ISIS - a very difficult task. To accomplish the feat Gabriel recruits Dr. Natalie Mizrahi, a French-born physician who emigrated to Israel. Natalie - who speaks French, English, and Arabic - is given the secret identity 'Dr. Leila Hadawi', a woman of Palestinian ancestry. As Leila, the new agent works as a doctor in a Muslim neighborhood in France. Proving once again to be one of the best authors of his generation, Daniel Silva delivers a stunningly brilliant plot, with a final act that is sure to leave readers speechless! La viuda negra” es el Libro #16 de la Serie Gabriel Allon, y pufffff como me ha gustado! Éste ha sido un thriller más que apegado a la realidad actual, y nos muestra el mundo convulso en el que vivimos a raíz del fanatismo religioso.

Comienza con un atentado terrorista que te deja sin palabras, en donde inocentes son acribillados sin piedad; marcando el inicio de una investigación entre agencias de inteligencia que se traduce en infiltraciones y persecuciones que te mantienen enganchado. Con este libro (el tercero de la serie que he leído) puedo entender porque Daniel Silva es el No. 1 en este género. After 18 years behind bars alongside notorious names including Rose West and Myra Hindley, she is released. There is a mystery that is not revealed at the end of this book and that left me wondering if it would not be a character that has appeared in the other books, because he knows Gabriel Allon, it's about the identity of the "Saladin"? The leader of the terrorist who seems to have had a past in espionage, but that left us with several questions that makes us want to wait for the next book to see if this mystery is unraveled. El autor se encontraba escribiendo el manuscrito de este libro cuando ocurrieron los atentados perpetrados en París y Bruselas por el mismo grupo terrorista que aquí encontramos, ISIS. Y es triste, cuando como en este caso, la ficción juega una mala pasada, y salta de las páginas de un libro a hechos vividos en la vida real, y no al revés. Sin embargo, aplaudo la iniciativa del autor al mantener la línea original del libro, porque es verdaderamente adictivo.

In the last few 'Gabriel Allon' books the Israeli agent has been preparing to take charge of his country's spy agency, 'The Office.' Daniel Silva is the master of spy thrillers and one of the best authors on the planet. To not read his books and call yourself a fan of the genre is nearly criminal. Adam Kirsch comments on the challenge that ISIS poses in this book, and for the Allon series generally:

HOWEVER ... With one important exception, Silva repeatedly expresses great disdain for a not at all disguised President Obama, which I find overdone and offensive. On the other hand, there is almost no criticism of Israeli actions which, in my mind, have made things worse rather than better, and continue to do so. Despite the fact that the novel is a bit of a dark read, it does end with a sense of hope. The good guys will fight on. That is the stuff of movies, and hopefully of reality. Its ending however leads me to believe that Mr. Silva intends to continue another frame of the story in the next novel of the series. The story does not quite feel complete. The ISIS headhunter arranges for Leila to take a month-long vacation in Greece. After a couple of days, however, Leila is spirited off to Syria - where she's interrogated by a top ISIS official. Apparently passing muster, Leila starts training to be an ISIS terrorist. Meanwhile, she keeps her eyes and ears open for information about Saladin.