The Messenger (Gabriel Allon Series #6) Book

This is book six of this series by Daniel Silva, and having read and enjoyed the previous five, I have to say that this is the best one yet.

For those of you who haven't read any of these, the main character is Gabriel Allon, master art restorer and Israeli assassin/spy. He has been at this for many years. In fact his first job was going after the Black September terrorists who carried out the Munich killings in 1972.

At the beginning of this book, Al-Qaeda terrorists, using suicide bombers and rocket propelled grenades, attempt to assassinate the Pope and destroy part of the Vatican. Shortly thereafter, the car carrying Gabriel's mentor and friend is blown up by a bomb. Needless to say, this puts Gabriel in a bad mood, and the rest of the book is mainly about him going after the perpetrators.

There is also a lot of suspense in the book, as there is a woman involved (of course) who is helping Gabriel, and for most of the book she is in a very dangerous situation, and I found it really nerve wracking wondering whether she was going to survive or not.

Needless to say, as this is a thriller, and Gabriel is an assassin, there is a fair bit of violence in the book and people die. However, it is handled in an almost matter of fact fashion, and isn't overly graphic.

In general, I thought this was a really great read, set in exotic locales and with almost non-stop action. If you are interested, I would strongly recommend you start with the first book The Kill Artist, and continue reading them in order. Events happen in the early books that are crucial to understanding Gabriel as a person, and he has relationships with people that develop over time. In any event, I cannot recommend these books highly enough.

And you get to learn some interesting facts about where the money comes from to fund Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.