The Rembrandt Affair

By: Daniel Silva

Narrated by: Phil Gigante

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

Determined to sever his ties with the Office, Gabriel Allon has retreated to the windswept cliffs of Cornwall with his beautiful Venetian-born wife, Chiara. But once again his seclusion is interrupted by a visitor from his tangled past: the endearingly eccentric London art dealer Julian Isherwood. As usual, Isherwood has a problem. And it is one only Gabriel can solve.

In the ancient English city of Glastonbury, an art restorer has been brutally murdered and a long-lost portrait by Rembrandt mysteriously stolen. Despite his reluctance, Gabriel is persuaded to use his unique skills to search for the painting and those responsible for the crime. But as he painstakingly follows a trail of clues leading from Amsterdam to Buenos Aires and, finally, to a villa on the graceful shores of Lake Geneva, Gabriel discovers there are deadly secrets connected to the painting. And evil men behind them.

Before he is done, Gabriel will once again be drawn into a world he thought he had left behind forever, and will come face-to-face with a remarkable cast of characters: a glamorous London journalist who is determined to undo the worst mistake of her career, an elusive master art thief who is burdened by a conscience, and a powerful Swiss billionaire who is known for his good deeds but may just be behind one of the greatest threats facing the world.

Filled with remarkable twists and turns of plot, and told with seductive prose, The Rembrandt Affair is more than just summer entertainment of the highest order. It is a timely reminder that there are men in the world who will do anything for money.

©2010 Daniel Silva (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Get Set for an Action Ride

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.

13 of 14 people found this review helpful

I like this guy

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.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Engaging Read

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.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Silva does not disappoint

This is an intelligent but fun ride. The characters are interesting and the reader gives them distinct and credible voices. Other than "The Mark of the Assassin," which was just so-so, you cannot go wrong with Daniel Silva.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Silva and Gigante -- A Superb Team!!!

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!

25 of 31 people found this review helpful

Not very exciting.............

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?

12 of 15 people found this review helpful

It's not you... it's me.

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.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

its worth the read

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.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

ahhh. gabriel is back!

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.

8 of 11 people found this review helpful

Emotional listen...

My first Gabriel Allon and I intend to return to the beginning. Emotional, painful story underlies the crime they are attempting to solve. I loved the characters and the narrator performed each perfectly, I could picture them in my mind. Easily a relisten for the future.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful