Portrait of a Spy

A Novel

By: Daniel Silva

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Haunted by his failure to stop a suicide bomber in London, Gabriel Allon is summoned to Washington and drawn into a confrontation with the new face of global terror. At the center of the threat is an American-born cleric in Yemen who was once a paid CIA asset.

Gabriel and his team devise a daring plan to destroy the network of death - from the inside - a gambit fraught with risk, both personal and professional. To succeed, Gabriel must reach into his violent past. A woman waits there, a reclusive heiress and art collector who can traverse the murky divide between Islam and the West. She is the daughter of an old enemy, and together they form an unlikely and dangerous bond.

Set against the disparate worlds of art and intelligence, Portrait of a Spy moves swiftly from the corridors of power in Washington to the glamorous auction houses of New York and London to the unforgiving landscape of the Saudi desert. Featuring a climax that will leave listeners haunted long after the final words, this deeply entertaining story is also a breathtaking portrait of courage in the face of unspeakable evil - and Daniel Silva's most extraordinary novel to date.

©2011 Daniel Silva (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

another "10" for Silva

once again Allon comes thru in another blockbuster book
just when you think you know what will happen Silva throws a curve

Another Great Restoration

As with all Daniel Silva novels a picture is told to us stroke by stroke on the canvas. We as readers have to wait to the end to visualize the finished portrait. We are so wraped up in the production that we keep wanting more when the story is over. Portrait of a Spy is no different. I was hooked with the first novel and still with this one.

Boring story, poorly developed, unconvincing plot

What did you like best about Portrait of a Spy? What did you like least?

Best-the subject matter.
Worst-poor character and story development. Plot was unconvincing.

Would you ever listen to anything by Daniel Silva again?

Maybe.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

Gabriel Alon

Did Portrait of a Spy inspire you to do anything?

Be more selective next time.

I always look forward to the newest Allon book

This is another excellent work by Daniel Silva. The stories are intoxicating. This is my second time through the series (and therefore no waiting for the next book) and they are still wonderful. There's not as much action in this book but that doesn't lessen the enjoyment.

I liked the way Simon Vance read most of the voices in this book but there are still some pronunciation errors that are distracting. If I had one complaint about the series it's that there is no consistency in narrators. I wish there was one narrator for all the books. I still love them though.

I miss Phil Gigante narration!

Did Simon Vance do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I felt lost with the new narrator. It is like I do not know the characters anymore because their voices are different. I really loved how Phil Gigante brought Gabriel and the other characters to life.

Great book and narration!

Another great Daniel Silva novel and the details on Saudi Arabia, et al are very interesting!

Simon Vance is just brilliant!

Great

The narrator, Simon Vance, was a perfect choice and made the listening experience one to be relished.

Fantastic storyline

I have to say this is probably my favorite Gabriel Allon novel to date. Still working my way through the series, but out of the last 12 or so this one has such a fantastic storyline that it stood out from the rest.

No action, just dialogue

Let me start out by saying I loved this series of books until the last two. This book was just dialogue, no action, and for me, no real plot like we have come to expect from prior books. I finished listening but I really had to force myself. In the past, I would stay up late into the night because I got involved in what was taking place. Three star reflects this book was just just an average read.

FANTASTIC!

I look forward to Daniel Silva's novels. I love Gabriel and the crew. I thought the narration was terrific. I don't know what these people are talking about. I thought this was his best book ever.