The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon Book 16)

I have been a fan of Daniel Silva since the beginning, since before Gabriel Allon showed up. He has an intriguing, very appealing writing style that makes whatever he says interesting. He can write about spies and action and adventure and superheroes, or he can write about nuclear physics or potato chips, and it all comes out in such way that you can’t put the book down. With the Allon series he has developed characters of such depth that, after reading even a few of the books, you feel as if you know them as well as you know some of your own family. The stories are always well thought out, and the plots are as modern as tomorrow. Plus, each book is a history lesson, containing information that is based very much in reality.In this book, ‘The Black Widow’, the Office (Israel’s intelligence agency) finds itself in the middle of a hunt for Saladin, the new leader of ISIS, who is planning a series of terrorist strikes in America. Gabriel and crew hook up with the French and the Jordanians, and somewhat reluctantly with the Americans, to locate and stop Saladin before he can complete his attacks. They recruit a French national and train her to pose as a radicalized Muslim who wants to join ISIS and help with the war against the West. The story follows her as she first infiltrates the organization, then receives training in Terror 101, and finally as she travels to America to participate in acts of terror in Washington, D.C.The story progresses as it usually does in an Allon book. He becomes aware of a grave situation, he confers with his sources and confidants and works out a strategy to defeat the problem, he recruits an outsider to infiltrate the organization, he invests himself emotionally, his group does amazing things to learn as much as possible about the bad guys, and then the outsider is rescued at the last second.This formula has worked well, but after many Gabriel Allon missions, it is starting to get a little bit predictable. What sets this book apart from the previous ones, and keeps it from getting lost in memory simply because it follows the formula, is its shocking departure from routine at the very end. The ending is actually not predictable; it is disturbing and even frightening. Because of the surprise ending, I give the book four stars instead of three.Why would I consider giving three stars to a well written book by one of the top three thriller writers in business today? It is precisely because of the formula that has worked so well in the past. There are several books in this series, and each is top notch. But you can only use the same trick a certain amount of times. Eventually the thing that worked in the past starts to seem a little stale. In this book you can predict what is going to happen next, and you can almost quote some of the dialog word for word. How many times have we read the following: “Oded and Mordecai, a pair of all purpose field hands.” Or “…his chin in his hand, head tilted to one side.” Or something about Chiara’s “riotous hair” or something about Ari “igniting one of his Turkish cigarettes.” If this were a standalone book, such things would not be noticed. But for the reader who has been with the series since its inception, the repetitiveness is annoying. So, three stars due to predictability and lack of creativeness in describing recurring characters. But it earns a star back based on its departure from the formula by having an ending that is very much not predictable. But don’t do that to us again.As I said, Daniel Silva is right at the top of the list of best thriller writers, but the pattern for his books is just a little shop-worn. As a stand-alone book, ‘The Black Widow’ is great. But for the faithful followers of Gabriel Allon and his band of merry spies, a little departure from the routine would be refreshing. And please don’t do that by blowing up the rest of the country next time.

This time it’s a deep dive into the Caliphate and in the end it’s bound to be one of a series. International in scope, & violent intention and response, I was surprised never to read the name of a certain Adopted Corsican within these pages.But perhaps the man in question was here in disguise.

Another great Gabriel Allon adventure

What was the real-world intelligence community doing while Daniel Silva typed his chillingly accurate fictional account of events that paralleled the November, 2015 terrorist attacks on Paris - which he accurately placed in the Marais - and correctly traced the terrorists right to their doorsteps in Belgium - months before the events occurred? In his foreword to "Black Widow" Silva writes that "...similarities between the real and fictitious attacks, including the links to the Brussels district of Molenbeek, are entirely coincidental. I take no pride in my prescience." However, what Silva modestly calls coincidence is not. His novel is the product of careful research and intense thought brought to bear on the plans of Islamic terrorists. It's extremely disturbing that the global intelligence community and our world leaders, with incredible resources at their disposal, could not and did not envision the scenario that Silva, drawing on far more limited information and his background as a journalist, predicted. It's also a tragedy that they did not act on information that they did have. The Paris and Brussels attacks of November, 2015 might have been averted if Belgium had acted after actually being given a list of names and addresses of about 80 terrorist suspects in Molenbeek, which included two of the terrorists (living 100 yards from City Hall), as well as the name of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, diabolical architect of the Paris/Brussels massacres, terrorist recruiter and subject of an international arrest warrant.Why isn't Daniel Silva working for a U.S. intelligence agency? And what blocks the international intelligence community from putting the pieces together as well as the author of thrillers?Silva does a great service by getting a large audience to think about the terrorist threat, and by giving us insight into the nightmarish terrorist mind. It's a dark place to go, but Silva has to travel there to create complex characters like the megalomaniac "Saladin," pathetic Nabil Ahwad, Qassam al-Banna and Safi Bourihane, a would-be martyr who finds she is afraid to die; a very young person with the beginnings of a conscience who fears meeting in Paradise a woman whom she looked in the face as she shot her. These characters are not just stick figures wearing suicide vests, but humans with histories, hopes and terrors whom we need to understand.No major spoilers, I hope, but a few comments on characters. Gabriel Allon makes important transitions in both his personal and professional lives. Silva weaves these transitions naturally into the story, often through subtly changed relationships with old friends and colleagues. He's closer to seventy than sixty, but the world is full of vigorous septuagenarians, and Silva's wise not to attempt to manipulate Gabriel's actual age. The transition to fatherhood deserved more attention. Chiara is hardly present, although it's good to see her successfully breastfeeding twins, which can certainly be done, and it's an encouragement to mothers who choose to do so. The description of infant Raphael falling away from her breast drowsy, "drunken" and sated is the truest and most beautiful line in the book, surely born of Silva's loving observation of his own children. But the kids celebrate their first birthday before we get a chance to enjoy their babyhood. Faithful readers waited with poor Chiara through several books to see them, and I feel deprived not to have seen more of the lighter side of Gabriel and Chiara as parents. Leah also gets short shrift, but there was a lot to pack into this book. However, Silva fleshed out the character of Dina, and wisely let her get out of her sympathetic victim narrative, behave a bit judgmentally, and let her learn more about herself. Uzi's sulked long enough, so it's good to see signs of moving on. Silva has occasionally shown Uzi's physical courage and decency to good effect. His competence, although mundane in comparison to the stellar Gabriel's, nevertheless deserves appreciation. The contents of his personal safe made me laugh out loud and the welcome humor continued with an appearance by his ludicrously dominating wife Bella and her digital scale.

This is, as usual, a gripping and very realistic story and worthy of 5 stars. However I really do have an issue with the cost of Danial Silva's Kindle books. Top writers recent new books are under £10 e.g. Stephen King's End of Watch £4.99, Peter May's Cast Iron £6.99 while this is £11.24, double the price of the paperback. I managed to get the Kindle version for 99p but the offer only lasted a day. I also cannot understand why we still cannot get the earlier Gabriel Allon books on Kindle and at a realistic price. Perhaps I could persuade Gabriel to pay Silva a visit and remind him he should be considering his fans a little better.

Mossad’s latest confrontation with the worst the Islamist world has to offer is an annual treat. This year’s villain, as topical as he could be, is an Iraqi known as ‘Saladin’ who is masterminding outrages in European capitals on behalf of ISIS and has the US in his sights.Israeli superspy Gabriel Allon recruits Natalie, an Arab-speaking French Jewish doctor, and creates a new identity for her that will make her attractive to ISIS: she becomes Leila, a Palestinian ‘black widow’ thirsting for vengeance after the death of her husband at the hands of the Zionists. The infiltration works, although Natalie/Leila’s first meeting with Saladin is under circumstances very different to what she or Allon expected.This is Silva’s 16th thriller featuring Gabriel Allon. They have inevitably become formulaic. Israel’s military – and moral – superiority over the Islamists is hammered home, although this time round the Jordanian secret service has a part to play, as also (and more regularly) do the British and French services and, of course, the CIA. The climax in Washington is nothing less than apocalyptic. We are once again reminded that no matter how conclusively the West defeats Islamic State (and Al-Qaeda and the Taliban) on the battlefield, 'the patron saints of terror' will continue to bring their war to our cities and our streets.Another page-turning, nerve-shredding read from Daniel Silva.[Reviewer is the author of SHAIKH-DOWN]

I write as a big fan of Daniel Silva and his world-saving colleagues. But in this book, it seems he has just taken the basic plot of his book The Messenger and changed the settings. In The Messenger, the lovely Sarah Bancroft has to penetrate violent terrorist group. Same thing in The Black Widow, but this time a lovely French doctor is the heroine.For the first time, I started getting impatient with Silva as the stable of old themes, baddies and stereotypes are trotted out. I have no objection to the same characters appearing, they are like comforting characters and you know who and what they are. But a lot to me in this book struck me as a good copy and paste job...pretty disappointing...

I waited a long time for the new Daniel Silva and it was worth it. The research that goes into his novels is outstanding. Sad that this time it should come about with the advent of ISIS in it's present form and for which he truly didn't anticipate. The pleasure was in once again seeing that the previous characters are all accounted for and perhaps now a new one. Natalie. His novels delve deep into Middle Eastern Politics and he obviously has a sound knowledge. Gabriel Allon no longer in the field. He had to get to old at sometime has his finger on the proverbial button.I suppose what drew me to his novels and you must read from the first one was my own interest in paintings and art with the fact that although he was an assassin he was an art restorer and I grew up in the times of the Black September Movement and all that was to follow. Fascinating recreation of historic events. Daniel is a master of his craft.

Daniel Silva's novel couldn't have been more timely, given the recent atrocities in Europe. It's right up to date. This probably added to the fact that I couldn't put it down and it is, without doubt, one of the best novels of it's kind and of any thriller come to that, of recent time. It deals with Islamic terror in Europe and the USA but it is the European aspect that grips because of recent incidents. The authors forward is rather poignant in that he explains that he almost abandoned the project following the terrorist attacks in France. It's also rather refreshing to have a central character that isn't a 6' 2" chisel jawed, alpha male of the Hollywood variety. I'll be reading more of Daniel Silva's work and wholeheartedly recommend this book.