The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva

[robert_allen]

Brilliant art restorer and sometime Israeli spy Gabriel Allon believes that his career as an undercover operative is over: after all, in a prior adventure his photo and bio were splashed all over the European newspapers. But he reluctantly agrees to take an easy assignment in Amsterdam going through the papers of a murdered Dutch terrorism analyst who was shot by a Muslim extremist. The analyst was an Israeli asset and his inside informant tells Gabriel of an impending terrorist plot in London. Gabriel is unable to stop the kidnapping of the daughter of the American ambassador to Britain by the radical Islamic group, the Sword of Allah. But it quickly becomes clear that Elizabeth Halton's kidnapping is but one aspect of a terror plot that will have devastating consequences for both Europe and the Middle East.

In his seventh book featuring Gabriel Allon, Daniel Silva reaches a new high. Gabriel is starting to come to terms with his tragic past (his little boy was killed and his wife was left permanently incapacitated in a car bomb meant for him). Shying away from his future as the head of the Israeli spy service, Gabriel is at heart a field operative. The plotting is airtight, the suspense is breathtaking and the characters are memorable. With some very welcome -- and unexpected -- touches of humor near the end of the book, The Secret Servant sets the standard for the modern spy thriller.



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