Rating: 
Summary: Not Silva's Best
Review: The first Daniel Silva book I ever read was Mark of the Assassin, and unfortunately my opinion of his books has gone steadily downhill ever since. Perhaps I'm just expecting too much from the man, but Mark of the Assassin had interesting characters, a well-paced plot, and a steady stream of action. The other books I've read by him all fall flat in comparison. The plots seem hackneyed or totally unrealistic, there are too many long, boring passages, and the endings completely fall apart in a way that I can't believe any reader could possibly be satisfied with. Others have written good reviews for this book so obviously my opinion isn't shared by all, but Silva is dangerously close to following in the footsteps of John Le Carre' by writing books that strive to be so realistic that they end up being boring. If I want 100-percent realism, I'll read a non-fiction book. When I read a spy thriller I expect a moderate amount of escapism, at least enough to keep me excited while turning the pages. For me to keep buying Silva's novels, he'll need to do a far better job than he's done over his past 3 or 4 books.
Rating: 
Summary: Crux vera - a crock, or not?
Review: The idea that an evil/power- mad network of clergy operating out of the Vatican was and still is able to override the interests of the authentic Catholic adherents,is,particularly for anyone involved with issues of faith, an intriguing one.It speaks to the reality, for some, of the dichotomy between one's faith and one's actions - a not uncommon conflict.Taking it to the extreme, the author grabs the reader by the figurative lapels , taking him on a harrowing ride through Rome, Venice, Switzerland and London,forcing him to pin down his own take on the Vatican's wartime record.
Rating:
Summary: Missing the detail and depth of a great thriller
Review: This is my second Silva book, after the captivating "Unlikely Spy", and I enjoyed it, although it wasn't as good as it could have been. The book revolves around the death of Benjaman Stern, a jewish professor investigating the Catholic church's reaction to the Nazis and the Holecaust.
Gabriel Allon is the art restorer/Mossad agent who begins the investigation and slowly picks up clues along the way. He avoids assasins, has shootouts with Italian police and slowly makes his way to the truth about the Catholic Church.
At times, the characters seem remote and distant and therefore the novel is hard to get into.
The novel does delve somewhat into the inner workings of the Catholic Church. This subject was covered much better in Dan Brown's popular "Angels and Demons."
I enjoyed "The Unlikely Spy" immensely but was only moderately impressed with this book.
Rating:
Summary: not bad
Review: This is the first book by Daniel Silva that I have read. On the one hand, The Confessor has an interesting premise and plot, and is written in a competent manner. On the other hand, it suffers from being populated by a cast of supermen. That is, almost everyone in the book is some sort of high-ranking official, powerful banker, or expert assassin, etc. These characters glide over the real world, and consequently the action is almost devoid of the sort of gritty details that make a truly great book so captivating. Other reviewers have commented that this is not Silva's best work. I will probably try another Silva book such as Mark of the Assassin the next time I am looking for some light reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Book!
Review: This was by far the best of the Gabriel Allon books.In this
book Professor Benjamin Stern is murdered. Stern was previously a teamate of Allon's on the mission to assassinate the terrorists
who were responsible for murders of the Israeli Olympic team in
1972.Allon begins an investigation into Stern's murder and discovers a giant conspiracy within the Catholic church.A secret
society named Crux Vera is trying to hide the fact that the
Catholic church aided the Nazis during the Holocaust.Crux Vera
has hired an assassin to silence those who may have knowledge of
the Catholic Church's complicity with Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.Silva gives good coverage of the events in this scheme. This book is also action packed and definitely a page turner. Allon and the Leopard make this a good read.Buy this book. You will read it overnight.
Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable story
Review: This was my first read of a Silva book, although I have read a number of the recent religious thriller-type books is this the new hot storyline?) I found the action well-paced and exciting, the story believable (incredible as it was), and the research very detailed. The only criticism I have is that Allon is just not a character you can get into. He is just so stunted emotionally, or perhaps Silva doesn't want us in his head. He was a bit of an automaton in that he just acted, or reacted, throughout the book. If he is meant to be a pure action hero, that's one thing. But he is far too old and experienced as portrayed to go that route, in my opinion. Maybe there is more on him, his psyche, and his motivations in earlier books. Other than that, and the somewhat flatness of most of the characters, it was a fine read.
Rating:
Summary: Superb thriller, one of the best.
Review: What if the Roman Catholic Church made a pact with Hitler and Nazis dirung WWII about Jews and Nazis role in their extermination. This is the story for this superb thriller, which is one of the best in its kind written in some time. Highly recommended, one of Silva's best books.
Rating:
Summary: Another great effort from Silva
Review: With The Confessor, Silva has turned in another fine novel. It was a definite page turner - clearly to put down. In a reprise of Gabriel Allon, the art restorer and sometimes Israeli spy from previous novels, Silva spins a tale of intrigue regarding internecine battles within the modern Catholic Church. Gabriel is called on to investigate the death of a friend and fellow agent. In the process, he uncovers an effort by a powerful group within the Catholic Church at the Vatican to protect a secret regarding the church's complicity with the treatment of the Jews by the Germans in WWII. The core characters from previous efforts are complemented by a new cast of believable characters that come to life within the pages. The story provides action, excitement, intrigue and plot twists up to the very end. The effective inclusion of flashbacks add valuable context throughout the story. There is no question........this is a book worth reading.
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