The kill artist

Silva, a former CNN correspondent who covered the volatile worlds of Washington, D.C., and the Middle East, brings his considerable expertise to bear in his spy thrillers. Starting with the World War II cliff-hanger, The Unlikely Spy (1997), and continuing through The Marching Season (1998), which tore through the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and The Mark of the Assassin (1999), which dissected a terrorist bombing of a plane off Long Island, the weight and authority of Silva's research hold the frenetic scene changes and plot switches of this genre together. Silva introduces a new hero here, Gabriel Allon, an art restorer and former key operative in the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Allon is one of the "kill artists" of the title; the other is the sociopathic Palestinian Tariq, who leaves a trail of bodies, starting with the Israeli ambassador in Paris, as markers on his way to assassinate Yasser Arafat. Mossad's spymaster recruits Allon, sick to death of the reprisals and counterreprisals, to get Tariq before he kills more Jews. Although the novel moves at a really fast clip, cutting from location to location, Silva avoids the espionage novelist's sin of glossy locales and comic-book action by giving his characters, even the minor ones, believably complex motivations that come into play in the thriller's overriding conflict. Part of the interest of Silva's work is the way he portrays various professions (here it's art dealership, publishing, and modeling) to be every bit as cutthroat as international intrigue. Connie FletcherAdult Books Young adult recommendations in this issue have been contributed by the Books for Youth editorial staff and by reviewers GraceAnne A. DeCandido, Sally Estes, Connie Fletcher, Sharon Greene, Roberta Johnson, Leone McDermott, Candace Smith, and Linda Waddle. Titles recommended for teens are marked with the following symbols: YA, for books of general YA interest; YA/C, for books with particular curriculum value; YA/L, for books with a limited teenage audience; YA/M, for books best suited to mature teens.

The tragedy of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and despair of its resolution provide the backdrop for Silva's (The Unlikely Spy) heart-stopping, complex yarn of international terrorism and intrigue. Israeli master spy Ari Shamron sets an intricate plot in motion to lure deadly Palestinian assassin Tariq al-Hourani into his net. Art restorer Gabriel Allon, a former Israeli agent whose family was killed by Tariq, is lured back into the fray by Shamron and teamed with Jacqueline Delacroix, a French supermodel/Israeli secret agent whose grandparents died in the Holocaust. Gabriel sets up in London to monitor Yusef, Tariq's fellow terrorist and confidant. Jacqueline is assigned to seduce him in hopes of intercepting Tariq, who is devising a plan to kill Israel's prime minister during peace talks with Arafat in New YorkDand he has similar plans for Gabriel. The tortuous plot leading the various parties to the showdown in Manhattan is a thrilling roller-coaster ride, keeping readers guessing until the mind-bending conclusion. Sensitive to both sides of the conflict, the narrative manages to walk a political tightrope while examining the motivations of Palestinians and Israelis alike. The duplicity and secret financial juggling to keep government hands clean is personified in publishing mogul Benjamin Stone, who backs the Israeli efforts. He is just one of many larger-than-life characters (both real and invented) thrown into the mixDArafat himself has a tense encounter with Tariq that underscores the volatility of terrorist loyalty. An array of global locales adds to the complexity and authenticity of the dizzying, cinematic plot. (Dec.) Forecast: The popular success of Silva's first two novels and the timeliness of this one suggest escalating sales. Random is backing the title with major ad/promo, including a six-city author tour. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

A former Mossad agent, now an art restorer, is tapped to help thwart a Palestinian plot to halt peace talks by assassinating Yasir Arafat. Another December 26 release. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Silva churns out his fourth thrill-a-minute sure-fire bestseller in as many years (The Marching Season, 1999, etc.). Another tale of international intrigue, this one rips Middle East strife from the headlines and introduces hero Gabriel Allon, living quietly away from the Israeli-intelligence work that got his wife and daughter killed. But the threat of Yasir Arafat’s assassination and permanent end to the peace process brings him back into action to chase across continents and put to an end the Palestinian terrorist who has a mysterious connection to Allon. Silva, who’s covered Middle East politics as a journalist and CNN producer, promises intriguing backstory and more twists and turns than you can shake an olive branch at. Author tour

Silva, a former CNN correspondent who covered the volatile worlds of Washington, D.C., and the Middle East, brings his considerable expertise to bear in his spy thrillers. Starting with the World War II cliff-hanger, The Unlikely Spy (1997), and continuing through The Marching Season (1998), which tore through the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and The Mark of the Assassin (1999), which dissected a terrorist bombing of a plane off Long Island, the weight and authority of Silva's research hold the frenetic scene changes and plot switches of this genre together. Silva introduces a new hero here, Gabriel Allon, an art restorer and former key operative in the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Allon is one of the "kill artists" of the title; the other is the sociopathic Palestinian Tariq, who leaves a trail of bodies, starting with the Israeli ambassador in Paris, as markers on his way to assassinate Yasser Arafat. Mossad's spymaster recruits Allon, sick to death of the reprisals and counterreprisals, to get Tariq before he kills more Jews. Although the novel moves at a really fast clip, cutting from location to location, Silva avoids the espionage novelist's sin of glossy locales and comic-book action by giving his characters, even the minor ones, believably complex motivations that come into play in the thriller's overriding conflict. Part of the interest of Silva's work is the way he portrays various professions (here it's art dealership, publishing, and modeling) to be every bit as cutthroat as international intrigue. Connie Fletcher Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews

A former Mossad agent, now an art restorer, is tapped to help thwart a Palestinian plot to halt peace talks by assassinating Yasir Arafat. Another December 26 release. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

The tragedy of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and despair of its resolution provide the backdrop for Silva's (The Unlikely Spy) heart-stopping, complex yarn of international terrorism and intrigue. Israeli master spy Ari Shamron sets an intricate plot in motion to lure deadly Palestinian assassin Tariq al-Houraniinto his net. Art restorer Gabriel Allon, a former Israeli agent whose family was killed by Tariq, is lured back into the fray by Shamron and teamed with Jacqueline Delacroix, a French supermodel/Israeli secret agent whose grandparents died in the Holocaust. Gabriel sets up in London to monitor Yusef, Tariq's fellow terrorist and confidant. Jacqueline is assigned to seduce him in hopes of intercepting Tariq, who is devising a plan to kill Israel's prime minister during peace talks with Arafat inNew York and he has similar plans for Gabriel. The tortuous plot leading the various parties to the showdown in Manhattan is a thrilling roller-coaster ride, keeping readers guessing until the mind-bending conclusion. Sensitive to both sides of the conflict, the narrative manages to walk a political tightrope while examining the motivations of Palestinians and Israelis alike. The duplicity and secret financial juggling to keep government hands clean is personified in publishing mogul Benjamin Stone, who backs the Israeli efforts. He is just one of many larger-than-life characters (both real and invented) thrown into the mix Arafat himself has a tense encounter with Tariq that underscores the volatility of terrorist loyalty. An array of global locales adds to the complexity and authenticity of the dizzying, cinematic plot. (Dec.) Forecast: The popular success of Silva's first two novels and the timeliness of this one suggest escalating sales. Random is backing the title with major ad/promo, including a six-city author tour. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.