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

Can't get enough Gabriel Allon

I'm a sucker for Gabriel Allon. I cannot get enough of these books. If you feel the same way, this one won't disappoint. (I also like Vivaldi even though he wrote the same concerto a hundred times.) It's not his most "believeable" work, but then are any of them? Isn't that why we love them?

I prefer the books with ex-Nazi or Russian crime lords as antagonists, as opposed to middle eastern terrorists (too close for comfort?) but if you are hooked on this series like I am, this one will satisify.

I'm not sure how long this series can go on, though. Gabriel and gang are getting a little old for this line of work--he must be at least 60 so, how old must chain-smoking Shamron be by now?

If you are just beginning to read Daniel Silva, this is not the best one to start with... I'd recommend "The English Assasin" which is still my all-time favorite.

What is the Real Theme ???

While this is another Gabriel Allon novel, it seemed to illustrate a few real issues/peeves of the author: treatment (bad) of women in the islamic world, dedication of the radical jihad adherents against western morals and views and spy trade craft...to name a few. I couldn't help drawing those conclusions even though the story was fictitious. Well researched, I'd say.

Miss Philip Gagante

It was hard to listen to this one following Philip Gagante’s performance on prior books.

C+

OK, I am a big Daniel Silva fan and if you've been one too in the past... this will be a mediocre for you. If you are new to Silva's books, start at the very beginning where the writing is exciting and the narration superb. I was hoping that there would be more action and thrill in this long awaited book but it was more like talking you too death. I love Simon Vance but Not for this series... he made Gabrial sound like Dracula. Bring back Gigante or Lee please!!! And please give Gabrial's and his crew some action or just retire them all.

As always a great listen

Where does Portrait of a Spy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks right up there with the best

What did you like best about this story?

The history that comes with it and the enterplay between the characters.

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

I am afraid I am not very good at remembering who the performers are. I did enjoy his performance!

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

History comes alive

One of Daniel Silvia's Best

Remarkable story line, very good performance and enough unexpected turns to be a very interesting read.

Performance

I've listened to a lot of Daniel Silva's book and the gentleman who read this book made it very difficult to listen to.

Another great book! ☺

I'm always impressed by a narrator who can pull off both genders and speak in many different accents. Great job!

Very Good listen

I have read all the books in this series, this is the first time I listened to one. I enjoyed it as well. Gabriell is such a great character you just have to want everything to go well for him. I'm always rooting for him to find some peace and time to just paint, however, that wouldn't make for a good story so im happy he is always brought back to work.

Great story and well read

Finally a decent reader who can actually pronounce the words ( except for clapboard). Good art, good action and good travel. Thank you for Simon Vance.