The Rembrandt Affair

The main requirement for reading The Rembrandt Affair, by Daniel Silva, is not to think too much. It is filled with always beautiful women, always smart and tough men, characters who are savagely beaten only to magically arise and walk away in tact, a villain with an operational support system which would be the envy of any government, government bureaucracies which make decisions quickly and act decisively, and electronic devices that work flawlessly the first time. No glitches permitted. Yet, The Rembrandt Affair is about as good as this international intrigue genre gets. It’s exciting, forward moving, engrossing, and thoroughly entertaining. How does Daniel Silva get the reader to suspend belief? First, he involves the reader in the personality of the protagonist, Gabriel Allon, the reluctant Israeli intelligence operative with multiple talents, a complex person with an admirable core set of values, whose personality has been developed over several books in this series. Add to this, a love affair or two, interesting interpersonal relations between members of various intelligence agencies, and the reader is quickly involved in Allon’s world of intrigue, rooting for him all the way. Another Silva attribute is meticulous and fascinating research so that the book sounds historically grounded and familiar to any reader of the daily newspaper. It has the feel of authenticity. Finally, the plot is so fast moving that the reader has no time nor need to ponder any of its details. Nor does Silva stop along the way to explain motivations, internal musings or conflict resolutions. Any need to understand is provided by the action itself. Any existential angst, which is sometimes hinted at, is tossed aside by the relentless pursuit of evil by the good guys. This is the third book in the Gabriel Allon series that I’ve read, and it is the best. Although the plot neatly resolves itself, the main characters are still very much alive at the end. I'll read the sequel.

I have so thoroughly enjoyed Phil Gigante reading the Gabriel Allon series that I cannot bear to read them myself anymore. I had pre-ordered this book at Amazon, but was afraid they would send me the hardbound addition, so I cancelled it a week before the release date. Then came the long countdown until July 20th followed by an eager audio download, then a few hours of complete pleasure before the novel ended. I could not stop listening. It was that good.

This is perhaps my favorite of all the Allon stories. It depicts Gabriel with the rapid brush strokes of a master at the top of his craft. It enriches with the heartwarming and noble cast of Gabriel's team and a striking and an authentic new female protagonist whom I hope will return in future stories. It contains all the elements that draw me to Silva's work time and again: fabulous settings meticulously drawn, holocaust history sensitively presented, contemporary international intrigue that is both intelligently written and flawlessly paced.

My only wish for this book would have been more of all of the above. But I totally understand the reason for keeping Silva's novels somewhat short, so he can keep them coming. I'm ready for the next one TODAY but now will need to wait another year. Boo-hoo!!!

Bravo, Daniel Silva -- may your success continue for many years to come!

I guess because I've read all of Daniel Silva's novels, I found this book to be much too "padded" with flashbacks and information from his earlier works. It would seem to me that the story should be able to stand alone without rehashing all of what happened in the books that came before. WHY?? - is it just a lazy and easy way to pad a book and get the number of pages one needs for publication?

I don’t really have much to say about this book. If you are a fan of the series, then you don’t need a recommendation because you’ll read the book no matter what.

I was lost - but it wasn’t the book, it was me. I was not paying attention during crucial times in the story and therefore missed a lot of important info. Sometimes I go back to re-read (or listen to) what I miss, but I was just not motivated to do so this time… and beside there was enough exposition that I felt “caught up enough”.

I didn’t care more so I didn’t try harder, and because of that, overall I think it was just OK.

The story is great. The reader's accents are good but pronunciations awful. I'm not talking erudite, but awful.

I've now read a couple Gabriel Allon stories. Daniel Silva does a great job with the character. The other players are well fleshed out, as well. The story is once again steeped in history, but very current. The plot kept me guessing in a good way.

The book I had finished immediately before this one was a Jack Reached story. The Reacher character is bigger than life in an over-the -top way. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy Reacher, but I savor Gabriel Allon.

This one is read by Dick Hill. When it comes to these kids do of action-mysteries, he and Scott Brick are the best. Hill doesn't disappoint here. He's flawless.

Daniel Silva didn't disappoint as this story weaved its way through the storied history of the Holocaust to the affairs between Israel and Iran then back again. It flowed easy and the main character, Gabriel, served as both an easy to love protagonist and narrator of the past. I was on the edge of my seat when it could have been so easy for Silva to kill off a decent character, the Russian Mikael, but spared him to likely make an appearance in a later installment. The narrator's intonation the female voices was like listening to a drag queen but otherwise took on the smooth, debonair attitude of Gabriel with expected accuracy. Very enjoyable to those seeking a decent historical fiction.

I love the Gabriel Allon series and The Rembrandt Affair is probably the most interesting story line yet. Mr. Silva brings out the injustices done to the Dutch Jews during the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazi's and the local population occupied by the Third Reich. Hatred and distrust may have been the main reason for the Dutch to sell out their Jews, but money and opportunity was nipping right at it's heels. The story opens with a modern day murder over a little known work by Rembrandt that was stolen from Julian Isherwood, a friend and cohort of Gabriel Allon. Julian is an art dealer, who is threatened by ruin if the painting is not recovered. Thinking this was a relatively simple investigation, Gabriel agrees to look into the matter. What he and his usual team of spies uncover is a complicated and twisted story about greed, sorrow, guilt and redemption for those who were connected to the painting and the great crime that is uncovered by a secret it holds. As always, Allons' powers of deduction and total commitment to the task at hand, makes for a fast paced and often violent story with a bit of Jewish wit and wisdom thrown in for good measure. As a result, I could relate to the characters because I grew up Jewish and understand the mentality, even though I'm not a famous spy and assassin. I'm looking forward to the next book in the Allon Series.

I have read all his books, by far his best book is Mark of the assassin it is still his best. This book is much better than some of his, how silva ties in a missing painting that this time starts the mystery makes it a much better read and storyline. Silva for some reason, I assume personal, always is bringing the story line of Jewish persecution and the Nazi’s into his books. In this book he does not go overboard as he had in some of his other books. It’s a good read.

i love this series. silva writes with such a sure tone. the characters have gotten richer with each successive book. the plots have gotten more complex and the revenge is sweeter than ever. thank you dan silva.