The Black Widow: The true crime book of the year

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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. Once Silva accomplished his introduction, and we slipped into the middle half of the book, the gripping suspense began. My advice: if you read this book and find it slow at first, don't give up, read on. The middle part of this book was pure gold and comparisons to Le Carre are valid. The voice of the characters and the jeopardy he puts them in brought a level of suspense and tension that is up there with the best.

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. I love Gabriel Allon and have read all of the previous 15 books, but I found this book tiresome for a few reasons. First, Daniel Silva has apparently never met a non-beautiful woman worth writing about. As a female reader, this has gotten quite old by now. Isn't it enough to make the new woman featured in this book a multi-lingual, courageous doctor? Can't she just be normal looking and still be worth writing about? I've found Silva's insistence on creating a world populated almost exclusively by beautiful women to be a bit annoying throughout the series, but it was especially wearing in this novel, perhaps because Silva is once again relying on the trope of inserting a beautiful girl into a terrorist network. You'll notice that the female terrorists had to be beautiful, too. Another interesting point at the end of the book the author gives us a brief explanation about several facts that he wrote in his book and some bridges connecting with previous books. It is a book that goes to the detail of everything, these details enrich this story. 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. 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.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. A woman whom Gabriel knew (she appeared in Silva’s sixth Allon novel, The Messenger) was among those killed in the explosion. She happened to be in possession of a very rare and famous painting that is valued at more than twenty million dollars. In the event of her death, she had arranged for the painting to go to Gabriel. Knowing this, the French confiscated it from her flat and are holding it until he finishes aiding them with their investigation. 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. 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.

For what it’s worth, I think that Saladin is one of Silva’s best villains and a worthy foe for Gabriel Allon. I love the mystique around his true identity, which only adds to the overall suspense of the story. 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.After 18 years behind bars alongside notorious names including Rose West and Myra Hindley, she is released.

As a longtime fan of the series, I’m happy for Gabriel, but sad at the same time. I’m not yet ready to admit to myself that those days of him in the field are over with. However, if they are, Silva has begun setting things up for the future rather nicely. Mizrahi’s scenes are especially compelling, as the magnitude of her mission is never lost on the reader. Silva has done a tremendous job developing her character just enough to make the readers care about her, while at the same time allowing her to remain somewhat of a mystery. That balance allows for some really intense moments later on, as the story eventually takes several surprising turns. Several Israeli citizens, as well as Gabriel's friend Hannah Weinberg, are among those killed in France. So Gabriel postpones his promotion (once again) to chase down 'Saladin', the ISIS mastermind who planned the bombings.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! 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. 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. 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). Daniel Silva Authoer picIf you’ve read Silva’s last few books, then it’s no secret that the Gabriel Allon we once knew is coming to an end. Older, but finally happy and ready to settle down with his wife, Chiara, and their children, Gabriel’s days as a field operative have long been numbered.

Adam Kirsch comments on the challenge that ISIS poses in this book, and for the Allon series generally: The rest of the story plays out with plenty of suspense, tragedy, and heroics....plus a teeny bit of romance. 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. 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 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. 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. 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.