With all the action and adventure, this is ultimately a melancholy book. Allon is a flawed hero (but aren’t they all), who is, this time, out for revenge

Israeli art restorers/ spy Gabriel Allon is called one more time into service to investigate the mysterious murder of his friend Benjamin Stern

The plot of A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva is full of twists and turns, a wonderful cast of characters, worldly events and double crossing figures

The pace is fast but the story is predictable, about half way through (if not sooner) I already figured out the ending which, this time, had no twists.

There are many elements in the mix: political intrigue, a wife, medical issues, international locations, twists, turns and a few surprises

reluctant Israeli spy, Gabriel Allon, is joined by a world famous woman, this time though she is a violinist named Anna Rolfe, on his adventures

A fictional, fast paced page turner, set mostly in days preceding the Normandy invasion in WWII. The story’s unlikely hero is recruited by Churchill for MI5.

The Kill Artist is a well written spy novel, filled with details in all the right places as well as several characters from Silva’s previous novels.