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

The narrator should be replaced

As with other stories in this series I thoroughly enjoy it as much as I enjoy listening to what I look forward to the next one but this one was a little difficult with innervation situation all the voices were overdone it just thick in unbelievable I have spent many years among these rallies and tremron sounds like an old prophet it's just too overdone Gabriel doesn't sound like Gabriel Uzi none of them.

They just get better and better

The headline says it all. Gabriel Allon is human and real and by now he feels like part of my family.

I love Gabriel Alon

Not only is the story compelling, but the glimpse of how it is for modern day Saudi women returning to Saudi was eye opening. I learn more and more about art. Plus, I always see the world from different points of view. This series allows me to learn more about the Jewish faith and the view of the USA from outside the US. Well done. Thank you Mr. Silva.

Excellant

If you could sum up Portrait of a Spy in three words, what would they be?

The quality of writing is even more superb. The descriptive of the scenes, time of year, and time of year is outstanding. The conversations and dialogue are so real and strong--no fillers, no fluff, just strong material. As you listen to the book, you get lost between fact and fiction - the topic is appropriate for the 21th century and the world on terror. I found this book a real page turner, suspenseful, and thrill-a-minute. This is my first book writing by Daniel Silva, I am already engrossed in his talented writing, and I can't wait to read more.

Good long book for a road trip.

Would you listen to Portrait of a Spy again? Why?

If you like "Homeland" from HBO/Showtime, you will like this book. It's complicated and the reader has excellent dialect.

as always great

as always this is a fun read and entertaining. The Aon series is always great read. You can't go wrong on this one either

best performance yet. Great writing

I have to say possibly one of my favorite books to date of Daniel Silva. I cried I laughed I truly enjoyed this book

Absolutely Brilliant

Loved them all. This was a great reward , a great read - much like the others. Difficult to put down

Acceptable, but declining

As with any author, over time, books generally seem to live off tangents and sound more concocted. I like the narrator, and Silva's books are good. However, its a step down, and is consistent with a decline from the first in this series.
I recommend it, but its no stellar.

Worth Getting Used To

Simon Vance’s voice and style took a few hours to get used to. But eventually, I enjoyed his performance. The spy detail was excellent.