Book Review: The Confessor

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Confessor     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Daniel Silva
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Gabriel Allon
Putnam, Feb 2003, $25.95, 400 pp.

At one time Gabriel Allon and Benjamin Stern were operatives in the Israeli security branch known as The Office. Now Gabriel, working as the great art restorer Mario Delvechio, is working on a Bellini masterpiece in a church in Venice. Ben is taking time off as a professor at the Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich to write a book about the relationship between the church and the Nazi regime.

When Ben is murdered, Gabriel is asked to investigate and he knows from the beginning that his friend died at the hands of a professional assassin. There is no evidence of a manuscript, notes or even a computer in Ben’s apartment. Determined to find justice for his friend, Gabriel follows the trail into the very heart of the Vatican where he finds surprising allies and even more astonishing enemies.

Daniel Silva’s protagonist can turn from an artist to a killer in the blink of an eye yet the readers will find their hearts go out to this complex man who has known much pain and suffering. The inner workings of the Vatican are presented as a microcosm of any city in the world. With a strong story line to encase Gabriel and the Vatican, THE CONFESSOR will have a widespread appeal to anyone who likes a very good reading experience.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner