Rating: 
Summary: One of his best
Review: Daniel Silva continues to write about provocative aspects of Europe's history especially during the Holocaust and this is his best effort yet.
Eminently readable as a solid action-thriller, Mr. Silva exposes the culpability of the Vatican during WWII. Despite the Catholic Church's best efforts to continue to hide this shameful chapter of its history, Mr. Silva writes with authority. My father, a member of the resistance in the Lodz, Poland Ghetto monitored radio broadcasts throughout the War. He spent the rest of his life attempting to hold accountable all those who conspired either through acts of commission or omission to help the Nazis with their evil plans. He always told me about the German run papal household and the Pope's refusal to issue the simplest calls for comfort and aid to his clergy and nuns. Can one only imagine how many lives would have been saved if the Pope had said give safe harbor to all? Instead the CHurch sought fit to help German officers seeking safety rather than criminal prosecution after the war!
So bravo Mr. Silva for another terrific story. I will eagerly await the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Weakest Silva Thriller Yet
Review: Like many others mentioned also, I am looking forward every year to a new thriller from Daniel Silva. Especially the first three have been great additions to contemporary spy literature. It seems the intervals between the books have gotten shorter and shorter lately which might explain why "The Confessor" feels like a rather shallow affair. It does not explain why this book has some serious flaws. Yes, it is all there: the agent Gabriel Allon, the European locales , the mysterious Isreali spy agency boss Shamron, a ruthless assassin, beautiful female supporting characters and a plot about some deep, hidden secret that almost kills the Catholic church like a cancer inside. However, only Allon and Shamron really come to life. And even with these two it is mostly because they carry over from the previous two books. The rest of the characters and locales are stuck on the pages of the book, the few words around them don't say much. Ah, there is of course the authentic Frau Ratzinger in Munich, a character the author, as he says in the notes at the end, created from tales of his cousins' experiences in Munich. It is too bad that only this supporting character has real life in her. The plot itself is very thin and mostly predictable. There is one surprising twist at the end. But then, strangely, the book is being wrapped up in a hurry by a series of summaries. Even the chase that we were part of for most of the book, comes to a close in chapter 1 page long. While most of the book is still very entertaining 'cotton candy' I have one big problem with this book. It pretends to tell the real history of the entanglement of the Vatican with the Nazis during the Holocaust. The book cites historic documents at length with a sense of authenticity yet they are purely fictional. If not for the author's notes at the end, many readers are left with a different 'knowledge' of history. This is clearly a case of meddling with history. Truely good historical fiction uses this technique to interweave (and manipulate) historic facts in ways that alters unimportant facets but do not revise history over all. It is very questionable for a book of entertainment to masquarade itself with the presumption to tell history "how it really happened".
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.
Rating:
Summary: Speculative Historical Fiction
Review: Realistic and thought-provoking, THE CONFESSOR is actually speculative historical fiction about the role of the Catholic Church during WW II. Since the Vatican has chosen not to open the Secret Archives, the public (and gifted authors)can only speculate about the role of the Catholic Church and particularly Pope Pius XII as Hitler was devastating Europe and carrying out his Final Solution. Daniel Silva uses a newly chosen Pope and the powerful men of the Vatican as key elements of the plot in this realistic thriller. As protagonist Gabriel Allon is restoring a painting of Bellini's Virgin in Venice, he is summoned by the powerful Ari Shamron to investigate the murder of Gabriel's friend and writer Benjamin Stern, who had been gathering information about the role of the Church during WW II and the effects on the Jewish people. Naturally Gabriel answers the call. During his investigation he meets several intiguing and mysterious characters, encounters many close calls requiring his skills of deception, and undergoes formidable personal challenges on his journey to uncover the truth. Therein lies the power of Silva's writing. He is able to involve the reader in the characters and their development throughout a complex, absorbing plot while maintaining realism and emotional depth. He uses the continuity of the characters' past, especially Gabriel Allon, by referring to events which occurred in previous novels. This adds color and intensity to the characters, making their behavior more realistic and the plot more believable. THE CONFESSOR is another bold, well-written thriller by an author who has maintained a high standard of thought-provoking, realistic novels since he burst on the suspenseful spy-fiction scene with an UNLIKELY SPY. This latest addition to his highly regarded body of work should interest, entertain, and challenge you; it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: Mea Culpa
Review: Don't tell the advertisers, but I confess that I read during the commercials on commercial TV. This book is so good that I kept on reading during the broadcasting of the NCAA basketball tournament! It is a "what if..." contemplating Roman Catholic clerical complicity in the Holocaust. The Church that never excommunicated Hitler or his henchmen. In the beginning, Silva sputters in fits and starts, but once this theological/political/historical novel of intrigue hits its stride, it is captivating. Move over, Ludlum and Cussler! Now I have to go check my brackets. Reviewed by TundraVision
Rating:
Summary: The Best Thriller Writer Out There
Review: The world needs bad guys. By extension, thriller/espionage novels need bad guys. There was a big crisis in the espionage novel community after the Cold War ended. Where was the big threat, where was the KGB? A lot of Cold War novelists have failed to find a new niche, such as John Le Carre trailing on about pharmaceutical companies. There are a few young writers who have picked up the slack. People like Dan Brown, Vince Flynn, and, in my opinion, the best of them all, Daniel Silva. Silva is without a doubt the best espionage/thriller writer out there today. His skill really shows because his books are becoming better as they become more formulaic. Silva's plots are usually very similar. The bad guys are usually some kind of conspiratorial cabal, be they Swiss bankers or international intelligence agencies. Our hero is usually an operative or an assassin, who is quickly hunted by another assassin. While some readers might find this monotony of plots boring, I find them increasing in quality with each installment. In The Confessor, Silva brings back his fascinating Israeli assassin, Gabriel Allon. Allon is an art restorer, a cover that allows him to travel throughout the world, while at the same time going on covert missions for his Mossad handlers. And when Mossad wants you dead, they send Allon. In this book, Allon, by accident, stumbles on the murder of a friend and the conspiracy behind it. The reader is just sucked in as Allon, an unstoppable but believable human killing machine continues to press his investigation. In this book, the cabal is made up of a secret Vatican group known as Crux Vera. This sect of wealthy and powerful Catholics is willing to do anything to stop further investigation into the Church's dealings with the Third Reich during World War II. Crux Vera also fears the new Pope, who seems much more willing to aid these investigations. As the story rolls on, we are introduced to a whole host of interesting characters. This is where Silva shines, by painting a rich portrait of spies and their handlers. No one can pull that off quite like Silva. Silva also gives great scene descriptions, his knowledge of European geography and social life is one of obvious experience. The endgame is amazingly suspenseful, as Allon is being tracked down himself by a psychopathic Swiss assassin known as the Leopard. The final showdown between the allies of Allon and Crux Vera is just great reading. Again, Silva writes an absolutely wonderful tale of international intrigue. One note about the subject matter that I did not agree with. While Silva is far from anti-Catholic, he does propose some revisionist history as if it is fact. Unless you read his endnotes, a less educated reader might actually believe some of the stories presented in the novel. I felt that, while Silva did a great job trying to present a fair case, he came down a little too much on the Church. It would have been more effective if he concentrated on the actual truth and the Church's confirmed failings than by making new ones up.
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: In a word---exceptional.
Review: Daniel Silva's "The Confessor" is tightly written with an intricate plot and subplots...a thinking man's international espionage thriller. Full of subtle touches that invigorate the plot...it is a sophisticated novel. Protagonist Gabriel Allon, an art restorer/sleeper Mossad agent is chosen to investigate the murder of an author (and former Israeli agent) whose research unearths the Vatican's dirty secret. The Vatican's silence during WWII shows complicity between the Vatican and the Nazis that furthered the Holocaust. While searching for the murderer Gabriel is hunted by both the assassin and a shadow organization within the Vatican. That organization (Vera Crux) will stop at nothing to keep the secret hidden. Connecting the dots, Mossad uncovers a plot to assassinate the current Pope who desires to make the Vatican's covert files public. The intrigue is intense with a multitude of richly drawn characters. The characters are introduced gradually and are well developed, eliminating the confusion often found in complicated plots. Gabriel's recapping his progress to various contacts is a skillful device that keeps the reader on track with the protagonist. The author's notes at the conclusion, where facts take over from fiction, make the story all the more chilling.
Rating: 
Summary: Revelations Amid Respect
Review: I'm sure I wasn't the only one pleased to see that Daniel Silva was dishing out another post-Cold War espionage novel. Drawing on the work of old masters, such as Ludlum's "The Gemini Contenders" and Morris West's "The Shoes of the Fisherman," Silva gives us a tale of intrigue that uses the secrets of the Vatican as a backdrop. Silva is unflinching in his approach to the abuses of religious power, yet he maintains an air of respect for the Church through the eyes of his characters. The story revolves around the death of an old man in Munich, a writer who had been researching a secretive project. Gabriel Allon, assassin for the Israeli secret service, returns in his third novel, and finds himself caught in the crosshairs as he tries to unravel the deceptions surrounding the man's death. What he discovers will lead him into the heart of the Vatican, both as a hunted man and a protector of the hunted. Ultimately, he will be the confessor to the leader of Catholicism. The story is nicely plotted and paced, and Silva deftly balances his revelations with respect. He touches on powerful issues without ever seeming to be a man with an ax to grind. Unfortunately for me, however, the book did not captivate me the way other Silva novels have. Perhaps it's the lack of a genuine love interest; perhaps it's the lower stakes for Allon's character...Most likely, it was the somewhat protracted and stilted showdown between villain and protagonist. Despite great moments along the way, this novel does not rate as my favorite Silva thriller. Still, even a rung down from his best, this is better and more thought-provoking than most other espionage fiction out there.
Rating:
Summary: Dark Vatican secrets
Review: Unassuming and resourceful hero Gabriel Allon is reprised in Daniel Silva's latest excellent thriller, The Confessor. Allon, Israeli super agent and renowned art restorer is currently working on the restoration of a Bellini painting in a Venetian church. He is summoned by his recently retired boss Ari Shamron former head of what seems to be the Israeli Mossad. Benjamin Stern, professor of European studies at a prestigious Munich university and also an Israeli agent has been found murdered in his apartment. Stern happens to be a good friend of Allon and the son of Shamron. Allon, in his investigation finds out that Stern had been working on a piece that would implicate the Vatican in Hitler's plan to liquidate the Jews of Europe during World War 2. At the same time Venetian Cardinal Pietro Lucchesi ascends to the papacy, installed as Pope Paul VII. The pope is sympathetic to the revelation of secret Vatican documents which proved that Pope Pius condoned the Holocaust by remaining silent as the Nazis implimented the Final Solution. A secret and extensive Vatican group called the Crux Vera consisting of powerful dignitaries lead by Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Marco Brindisi and General Carlo Casagrande would prefer that the secrets remain buried. They are prepared to go so far as to assassinate the new pope to accomplish this. They commissioned Eric Lange, known as The Leopard, a notorious and lethal assassin to silence those that would attempt to speak out. Allon's investigation becomes intertwined with the actions of Crux Vera. He discovers that in 1942 a meeting between Nazi accomplice of Adolf Eichman, Martin Luther and then Vatican secretary of state Bishop Sebastiano Lorenzi took place at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in the lakeside town of Brenzone. There the Vatican policy of silence toward the Holocaust was decided dooming millions of Jews. Silva is very accomplished in presenting his story in an interesting and tightly wrapped manner. His latest offering confirms that he is without a doubt among my favorite contemporary authors.
| 
