Gabriel Allon, Daniel Silva's protagonist in an interesting series about a Mossad spy who doubles as an art restorer, returns in a fascinating tale of Vatican complicity in the Holocaust. Author Silva, a political journalist turned espionage writer, has done his homework on some recently unearthed documents and written a fast-paced novel that will reawaken the discussion regarding whether the Catholic Church turned a blind eye to Nazi atrocities against Jews in occupied countries during World War II, and if so, why. Allon remains an enigmatic figure whose desire for revenge against the Leopard, the assassin who killed his wife and child, compels him to put down his paints and brushes and take arms against Israel's past and present enemies. The Confessor is a solidly plotted, well-crafted story that will appeal to fans of Allen Furst, John le Carré, and other standouts in the international espionage genre. --Jane Adams


From Publishers Weekly
"If you think Italians have a long memory, you should spend some time in the Middle East. We're the ones who invented the vendetta, not the Sicilians." So maintains Gabriel Allon, art restorer and Mossad hit man, star of Silva's second thriller series (The Mark of the Assassin, etc.). Gabriel is once again reluctantly dragged from his day job (he's working on a Bellini in Venice) by Israeli spymaster Ari Shamron, who heads a team of sleeper Mossad agents scattered all over the world. This time, it's a revenge mission: one of Shamron's agents (an academic working on an expos‚ about the Vatican's collaboration with the Nazis) has been assassinated. The gunman was working for a secret Vatican society known as Crux Vera. Composed of Roman Curia members and shady rich thugs, this shadow group intends to kill the latest pope to keep him from exposing the Vatican's secret archives. In order to find the gunman (known as "the Leopard," a reclusive European of independent means who hires out his deadly skills to the highest bidder), Gabriel must take up his slain colleague's research, something the Italian and German governments assuredly do not want him to do. Gabriel is hounded all across Europe as he tries to find out the truth about the Nazi collaborators, save the pope and get the Leopard. Silva draws on bizarre WWII secrets uncovered by historians like Susan Zuccotti (whom Silva credits) for his premise. Though the plot sticks close to Silva's well-honed formula, the provocative historical revelations will keep readers enthralled.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Gabriel Allon is Daniel Silva's protagonist in his second installment about a Mossad spy who leads a double life as an art restorer. When Professor Benjamin Stern is assassinated, Allon is drawn into the fray in an attempt to find the assassin and, at the same time, uncover secrets from WWII long hidden by the Catholic Church. Arliss Howard produces a different voice for each person in an international cast of characters, making each one easily distinguishable. Howard reads Allon's parts with a voice that captures the spy's intensity and drive, while at the same time revealing his human traits. Silva's contribution to the espionage genre is matched well by Howard's portrayal of the characters, events, and drama. H.L.S. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
*Starred Review* This is the third spy thriller featuring Gabriel Allon, art restorer and reluctant Israeli agent, following The Kill Artist (2000) and The English Assassin [BKL Ja1 & 15 02], and it is utterly compelling reading. Former journalist Silva is a sophisticated writer with a lean, economical style and a gift for shaping riveting action scenes. In addition, his lead character, Allon, is, at once, fiercely intelligent and infinitely weary, seemingly reluctant to deploy his expert and deadly skills. This time out, Gabriel is asked to investigate the vicious murder of his friend Benjamin Stern, a onetime agent who was researching the role of the Vatican in the Holocaust for a book. Gabriel begins to suspect it is the work of a calculating mercenary known as the Leopard--but who was he working for? All the evidence points to Crux Vera, a secretive, moneyed group of Roman Catholics with ties to the highest levels of power within the Vatican. What's more, Gabriel is certain the pope himself is next on the hit list because of his willingness to throw open the secret archives, which document the extent of the Vatican's complicity with the Nazis. Silva's searing portrait of a church under siege by its own corrupt bureaucracy and corporate publicity machine is particularly resonant. An uncommonly intelligent thriller told with elegant precision. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Washington Post
Accomplished...Elegantly written.


Booklist, starred review
Utterly compelling...Uncommonly intelligent.


Palm Beach Post
A tale of two assassins who, by the end, are hunting each other.

FROM OUR EDITORS

"Who the hell are you?" Benjamin Stern's rude question to the intruder in his apartment was answered quickly by an equally rude -- and fatal -- bullet. This is only the first shot in The Confessor, Daniel Silva's rapidly thrusting thriller. This adroitly plotted, multilayered novel features Gabriel Allon, the ex-Mossad operative art restorer who held us enthralled in The Kill Artist and The English Assassin.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In Munich, a Jewish scholar is assassinated. In Venice, Mossad agent and art restorer Gabriel Allon receives the news, puts down his brushes, and leaves immediately. And at the Vatican, the new pope vows to uncover the truth about the church's response to the Holocaust-while a powerful cardinal plots his next move.

Now, as Allon follows a trail of secrets and unthinkable deeds, the lives of millions are changed forever-and the life of one man becomes expendable...

Author Biography:

FROM THE CRITICS

Washington Post

Accomplished....Elegantly Written.

Booklist

Utterly Compelling...Uncommonly Intelligent.

Palm Beach Post

A tale of two assasins who, by the end are hunging each other.

Publishers Weekly

"If you think Italians have a long memory, you should spend some time in the Middle East. We're the ones who invented the vendetta, not the Sicilians." So maintains Gabriel Allon, art restorer and Mossad hit man, star of Silva's second thriller series (The Mark of the Assassin, etc.). Gabriel is once again reluctantly dragged from his day job (he's working on a Bellini in Venice) by Israeli spymaster Ari Shamron, who heads a team of sleeper Mossad agents scattered all over the world. This time, it's a revenge mission: one of Shamron's agents (an academic working on an expos about the Vatican's collaboration with the Nazis) has been assassinated. The gunman was working for a secret Vatican society known as Crux Vera. Composed of Roman Curia members and shady rich thugs, this shadow group intends to kill the latest pope to keep him from exposing the Vatican's secret archives. In order to find the gunman (known as "the Leopard," a reclusive European of independent means who hires out his deadly skills to the highest bidder), Gabriel must take up his slain colleague's research, something the Italian and German governments assuredly do not want him to do. Gabriel is hounded all across Europe as he tries to find out the truth about the Nazi collaborators, save the pope and get the Leopard. Silva draws on bizarre WWII secrets uncovered by historians like Susan Zuccotti (whom Silva credits) for his premise. Though the plot sticks close to Silva's well-honed formula, the provocative historical revelations will keep readers enthralled. (Feb.) Forecast: National advertising and a radio satellite tour should insure Silva's usual robust sales. Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

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