I recently read a Daniel Silva novel featuring the Israeli spy, Gabriel Allon. I picked this novel up quite by accident (never having read anything by Silva before) because it was set in Europe and the plot involved European art- Old Masters to be precise. Now I’m hooked, totally. As you can see, I have a nice collection of Gabriel Allon tales to work my way through.
Now, I have absolutely no interest in James Bondish type spy stories- too much gadgetry and espionage for my liking, but the Israeli spy is quite different. Old fashioned sneaking around. And the art world setting is very complimentary to the narrative. An excellent fit. I also love that Gabriel is a name filled with religious and historical symbolism and it is my youngest son’s middle name!
Daniel Silva also weaves tales of the Holocaust throughout his novels and his characters often borrow the stories of real people who experienced the Shoah. For excellent factual reading on the Holocaust, click here. Silva also raises the issue of the involvement of the Vatican in aiding and re locating Nazi war criminals. It would be fascinating to get a look at the Vatican archives. Here is an interview with Ricardo Eichmann (son of Adolf) in which he explains his desire to create a life for himself far away from his father’s influence and that of the Eichmann name.
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