The Fallen Angel: Gabriel Allon, Book 12

By: Daniel Silva

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

After narrowly surviving his last operation, Gabriel Allon, the wayward son of Israeli intelligence, has taken refuge behind the walls of the Vatican, where he is restoring one of Caravaggio's greatest masterpieces. But early one morning, he is summoned to St. Peter's Basilica by Monsignor Luigi Donati, the all-powerful private secretary to his Holiness Pope Paul VII. The body of a beautiful woman lies broken beneath Michelangelo's magnificent dome.

The Vatican police suspect suicide, though Gabriel believes otherwise. So, it seems, does Donati. But the monsignor is fearful that a public inquiry might inflict another scandal on the Church, and so he calls upon Gabriel to quietly pursue the truth - with one caveat.

"Rule number one at the Vatican," Donati said. "Don't ask too many questions."

Gabriel learns that the dead woman had uncovered a dangerous secret - a secret that threatens a global criminal enterprise that is looting timeless treasures of antiquity and selling them to the highest bidder. But there is more to this network than just greed. A mysterious operative is plotting an act of sabotage that will plunge the world into a conflict of apocalyptic proportions....

©2012 Daniel Silva (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

Good book!

I love audio books, the reader makes all the difference in the book. This reader was ok.

Silva does not disappoint!

What a pleasure! Daniel detailed use of locale and complex characters captures the reader in a web of intrigue and mystery. He spoils us greatly🤔

gabriel alon reaches high and slips.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No

What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?

Very much. Hr is wonderful.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really. Story line was weak ad not a page turner.

One of Silva's Best

Would you listen to The Fallen Angel again? Why?

Yes. I normally re-listen a book after a year or so. I usually discover something I missed during the first listen.

What did you like best about this story?

Great plot.

Which character – as performed by George Guidall – was your favorite?

Gabriel as always.

Any additional comments?

If you are a Daniel Silva fan (who isn't), you'll once again hearing your favorite characters come alive. The authors comments at the end of the book are not to be missed.

rambling, getting a little too far fetched

What did you like best about The Fallen Angel? What did you like least?

the archaeological insights

Would you ever listen to anything by Daniel Silva again?

yes

What does George Guidall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

he is the best Silva narrator to date.

Was The Fallen Angel worth the listening time?

yes

Any additional comments?

I have read all of Daniel Silva's books and like them very much. He has set the bar very high. This one did not come as close to books like "The Defector" or "The Prince of Fire." It rambled and had an extremely implausible story. Too many underdevloped themes in one novel. Silva is still well worth reading.

Well-Narrated Story by Excellent Author

If you could sum up The Fallen Angel in three words, what would they be?

I like Allon

Who was your favorite character and why?

Allon because he is a mix of artist and reluctant operative.

Have you listened to any of George Guidall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No.

Any additional comments?

I'll continue to enjoy audible books.

George Guidall lets Silva down

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of George Guidall?

Simon Vance and John Lee are terrific. George Guidall's range is very narrow (for example, Allon's wife sounds like a male), his accents terrible (Allon sounds American, the other characters barely recognizable), and his cadence is just the same as in all the other books he reads (by authors other than Silva). I don't object to Guidall in American murder mysteries that don't call for accents, but in the Allon series he's pitifully inadequate. Please, please drop Guidall for the Silva books -- he's significantly detracting from my enjoyment of a series I've greatly enjoyed to date.

Any additional comments?

Drop George Guidall as narrator. He can't do the Daniel Silva characters.

good listen

i really enjoyed this book although the depth and vastly complex lives of all the characters and the devotion this author instilled in all the characters as well as the the plot reaching far beyond my understanding the book and the realities in it scared me. I have been to Rome and Israel and visited all the places in this story except for the ficticious one that was under ground and listening to them being described or just mentioned brought back many many wonderful memories but gives me great pause for concern. to me this was a work of fiction but fearful that it could become nonfiction.
the narrator was excellent.

great book!

this was a fascinating story, as well as its ability to impart a lot of history.

Daniel Silva's best!

What did you love best about The Fallen Angel?

The interwoven discussions of the black market trading of the ancient arts and a murder plot.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gabriel Allon, of course, as he is the hero of each of the series.

Which character – as performed by George Guidall – was your favorite?

Gabriel Allon

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

They should have known that he wouldn't let them get away with it!