The Cellist (Gabriel Allon, #21) (2024)

Yikes, I hesitate to put DNF because I know I'm gonna get pummeled by Silva fans. But this one, like the last one, just didn't have the mojo to hold me in the story. I gave it until page 200. I'd read three wonderful books of his right in a row, then the last two...not so much.
This is a great book the way it describes all the ins and outs of money laundering but there's too much of it. This is a spy thriller.
What I also missed was the conflict being firmly set. I didn't know what was going on, what the goal was. And the real big one, there wasn't any jeopardy in the first 200 pages. There wasn't anybody after anybody, no tension. If it gets better toward the end I didn't wait for it.
Alas, because the two in a row, I'm afraid I am no longer a hardcover-the-day-it-comes-out kinda guy. I'm gonna have to wait on the paperback for the next.

Disapointment

Terrible, first half to 2/3 was great. But when it goth to Washington it became pure propaganda.Silva has a severe case of Donald Trump derangement syndrome. Mr. Silva has deeply disappointed me.
Wayne Elkinsa

Disappointing. Truly disappointing. After 21 books I guess it’s time to retire Gabriel Allon. I didn’t think I’d ever say that, but it was a good run.

Unfortunately, this is just the latest entertainer, actor, sports person, now writer that thinks the public needs to see and agree with their political point of view. I’m so tired of this. I wish entertainers would understand that if they bring politics into things, you are going to alienate 50% of the public. You could still get your point across by using a fictional president like all of the other books in this genre. Did you really have to go to such great lengths to destroy years of readership? I’m just so tired of this. I never thought I would DNF an Allon book but after chapter 44, I just could not go on.

21 books……wow, it takes a lot to destroy a fan that completely.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed 20 ⅔ Gabriel Allon books. The last ⅓ of The Cellist is pure political propaganda. Mr. Silva has been masterful over the years with his ability to tell geopolitical stories of intrigue with subtle allusion to current events. There is nothing subtle as he puts his thumb on the scale embracing disproven conspiracy theories and exhibiting a degree of Trump Derangement Syndrome on par with the most flamboyant personalities at CNN and MSNBC.

What a shame!

I hope this is not a preview of his future works.

Too political too forced to boring

If I wanted to relive the last 18 month of the pandemic and a one sided view of US politics, I might, only barely have liked this book. It’s really sub-par writing for Silva. I’ve enjoyed most everyone of his prior Allon books! However, Silva’s treatise on his obvious world views, from carbon footprint, to sustainable green energy, evil billionaires, corrupt banks was too much.
And no I do not forgive this author for making me pay to read his personal opinions! I read for enjoyment, and at this time in history a little escape into good fiction is something I’ve longed for!
I cannot recommend this book to anyone of any political persuasion, if you want to read a better written political review of the last 18 month or a scientific read regarding climate change there a better more fact based well written books out there. As regarding the pandemic, books will come but there are decent ones already out there! In summary, I wish I could get a refund on my purchase, because the book is not recognizable as a true Gabriel Allon book!
I can only suggest to anyone who has so enjoyed the past books in the series to not pay full new price, but to wait and buy it as a used paperback if you are so inclined not to skip this one!

Oh the sadness of the woke!

For no good reason plot-wise in this novel Silva pushes his usual liberal/progressive politics out of the novel's background and into the foreground. Orange Man Bad, "insurrection" worse than 9/11, etc, et al, and very tediously boring and much of it (no election fraud! No way!!) rendered dubious by post-publication events.

There's a decent novel in here (Silva can write, after all) but this is woke nonsense.

The summary - with a tweak to Mr Silva - is simply this: "Sad!"

Edit: the last 15% of the book is unreadable conspiracy theory material. "Terribly sad."

Very disappointed. Too much propaganda.

As others who have read the series from the start, I will read any Gabriel Allon book. That said, this is a weak sister in the group. Little participation from the usual support gang at his intelligence service. Rather, the plot resembles others where Allon trains and places an amateur into a group he wants to fight (for example, Islamic terrorists, with Natalie the doctor from Marseille or Russian oligarchs, with Sarah the art expert from New York). Two more problems. 1) Mr. Silva's extreme dislike for President Trump colors and weakens about the last third of the book. 2) He begins to deal with Gabriel's imminent retirement by suggesting a candidate to replace him as head of the Israeli intelligence service. But this person lacks the combination of biography, experience and talents that make Gabriel such an engaging, complex character. It's not unlike the prospect of the Prince of Wales (whose life had mostly been waiting) replacing HM the Queen...who has such depth of experience, and history going back to the abdication and WW2. Maybe Mr. Silva should just end the series and not continue with a new head of intelligence.

I was gifted an advance copy of The Cellist by the publisher.

I have been a devoted fan of Gabriel Allon and have read every book, some even twice,and have enthusiastically recommended the books to many friends. First of all, it was quite fun to see so many previous characters brought into this storyline, but I found the story to be a rehash of previous books, to the point that I could foresee how it was going to unfold. I was not fond of the covid inclusions, but it is part of our global history so I am willing to accept. However, I read to escape harsh realities. About 2/3 through the story it became glaringly obvious that Mr. Silva has a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, which had no bearing on the story whatsoever. Bringing his political opinions into the story added nothing except perhaps to lecture the reader. I was disappointed in the previous Gabriel #20 last year and was so hopeful that the old Gabriel would be back in this one. Alas, he is not. At this point, I believe I will remember Gabriel as he was before he became politically correct and will not be purchasing or reading any future Gabriel Allon stories.

Disappointment that it became too political

I read for relaxation. I don’t need to know the authors political views. I’m terribly disappointed that he felt it should be included in the story. Not sure if I’ll continue to be a fan.

I'm not much of one for spy novels or government agency intrigue but Daniel Silva has always been my one of my few exceptions. His books have always tackled current issues and were often prescience in their plots. More than once I've scratched my head a few months after reading one of his books thinking "how could he know that was going to happen"? This book is a change. Written during the Covid lock down, it deals with Vladimir Putin's interference in Western politics, especially around influencing the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Silva brings back many characters from previous novels--and, no, you don't have to have read all of the previous novels to know what's going on--to my great delight. The target this time is bringing down Putin's right-hand man and investor of his looted Russian assets. Insinuating an art agent and exceptional cellist into the man's organization is the goal of the Israeli intelligence spearheaded by Gabriel Allon. The cellist, art historian and finance manager, Isabel Brenner, has previous ties to the CIA and Allon from an earlier Israeli operation. Knowing that the targeted Russian Arkady Akimov has a weakness for art and certain cello pieces, Allon arranges a concert centered around the unveiling of a newly discovered painting by an obscure artist. Setting Brenner up to work in a Swiss bank noted for its underhanded tactics and money laundering, Allon concocts a way to launder Akimov's money such that he cannot help but be sucked into the trap to defraud him and, by extension, Putin.

Although Putin and Trump are not mentioned by name, Putin plays a big part in this novel and his tactics to undermine Western democracy. As always, the research behind the story is obvious and enriches the plot. The Author's Note at the end detailing his research is almost a book within a book. Set during the pandemic and before and after the U.S. election is interesting even though it's recent history. This may not be a book Trump fans will get behind as it reiterates his known actions and non-actions in regard to the pandemic and his reaction to losing the election. I didn't think Silva let his personal politics influence the story, he just laid out the facts of the time. All in all, this book is another great read from Silva in this long running series.

The same formula for his book. The last 1/4 of the book was Mr. Silva on his soapbox making a 2 star read to become a 1 star book.

I have read every book in this series and the last two were back on track. This book was one of the three worst in the series. Wow this book really missed the mark. I thought the book had a good premise from the beginning but it went south fast. One two many books in a row where there is a super model who is super talented who Gabriel is going to use to get the bad guy-played out. I think this book was the most boring in the series, it was flat, story was a struggle it just was not there. There were huge parts of this book Where Gabriel and his crew were not even present and I am not sure why some came back for a cameo role. I did not like the ending. This book went political big time like no other book in the series and I thought he was getting away from doing that but he fell back into that trap. The funny thing is usually when he does that he was attacking the Democrats which I vote for but not this time-he savaged trump in this book and that did not bother me lol. In the end that stuff for the most part should be left out of the book. There was no real suspence to this book and when it did happen I was long gone. I did not care about the bad guy and if he was called mr big one more time meh. This book was a huge , huge diseaster like some of his other fans have written just read the reviews.

I usually enjoy the Gabriel Allon books. The central story was fine, but the continual virtue signaling and leftist misrepresentation of those not on board with their agenda was nauseating. Not worth reading. I’m done with Daniel Silva.

If there was a ZERO star that's what this latest Silva book deserves, and at one time I was a dedicated Daniel Silva fan, couldn't wait for his next book, until recently when his personal left-wing, progressive attitude went in another direction.

Put it this way, I didn't finish the book, I read his "Author's Notes" and decided that if I wanted to read about left-wing personal opinions I would entertain buying such a book.

IMHO, and it's just MY opinion which doesn't make it right, don't waste your time or money. The book, at times, was slow reading, I think because he needed to fill the pages with blah-blah. I'll give him this: In the beginning it was very interesting, as he described the different cities, etc., but then it got way too left-political for me. And one-sided!!!

Mr. Silva, stick to write and not politicizing. Let your spouse do that.

In London. A Russian is dead. Poisoned. In his own home.

The Cellist plays her cello only at home for her own pleasure because she is employed in a high powered high paying job at a financial institution.

As per usual Mr. Silva has weaved an intricate nail-biting story of spy craft that only Gabriel Allon could conceive and carry out, and cleverly set amid current events.

Gabriel’s operation involves complex banking and sophisticated financial transactions (none of which I understand), but still I could not put this book down.

Gabriel has brought together many of his old friends (from previous books) as well as his current team of experts from the Office. I especially enjoyed having Christopher Keller (one of my favourites) and Anna Rolfe again.

But it is the cellist that takes centre stage in the planning and execution of this operation.

Gabriel has only seven months left as Director of the Office and this is #21 in the series so my fingers are crossed that Mr. Silva is not bringing this series to an end.

Well...
In my review regarding "The Order" I was hard on the book and it's author, saying no more Silva's books for me.
Many reviews below describe this book "The Cellist" perfectly so there is no reason for me to repeat the same words.
Because Gabriel Allon is my hero, I though ok- one more chance to read the Daniel Silva I knew so many years ago who caught my attention then.. That feeling of being disappointment again still lingers, coupled with the two books before this one. It has been a long time since I have seen an author change his books so drastically. Twenty-Two books, I can't believe he did this.
I have never divorced an author before :)

I don’t read fiction to be lectured on current political events. I read fiction to get away from all the crap in the news. Leave your politics to yourself.

Torn between 3 or 4 stars when in reality earns 7 of 10 stars.

Gabriel Allon is leaving the Office in a year and a half. That is not a spoiler, if you’ve been reading Daniel Silva’s books you know this. He’s earned the right to his happy ending; to live out the rest of his life with his children and his beautiful and extremely smart wife doing exactly what makes him happy which is restoring art and people.
Now that that’s out of the way onto the housekeeping. Yes, I received an ARC (Advance Reader’s Copy) which means I’ll read, and it be completely honest. If I don’t like it, if in any way I am disappointed I’m free to say that. In all honesty, that has never happened although I do have several all-time favorites.
When I started reading The Cellist, I was happily meeting old friends from The Office and smiling every time one of them appeared especially David Bull. It was as if a breeze of fresh air blew into my home. Layer by layer like a painter restoring an art treasure or page by page like an author who is master of his craft a spell was being woven. There was the sly, dry humor and the familiar repetition of phrases. Just ask me what someone important was wearing; I can repeat verbatim and ‘the waiting, always the waiting’ among other descriptions of character or clothing. Silva’s characters are as real to him as they are to the readers; you can hear that when he discusses them in an interview. His admiration and respect for women is also clear in the way he writes about them and talks about them which is a rare treat.
The Cellist brings Gabriel and The Office back to an old enemy one who is one of the few who tried to kill his wife and still lives one whose goal is to destroy the West from within by any means but especially money and delight in it while he’s amassing huge amounts of money and power. This would be the leader of Russia of course. Gabriel is drawn into this by an old friend who owns an art gallery in London after another old friend who saved his life and his wife’s is killed by the Russian leader’s minions and by using his alliances with the UK, France, Switzerland he begins to pull the threads of the deception and the murder together into an unsettling picture not just of corruption but of a plan to bring down the United States from within. Mr. Big as he’s referred to in this book uses a Russian think tank to question democracy and feed false information into the ears of Tucker Carlson and others of the same ilk who would broadcast these lies to a gullible but willing audience.
The most important part of this story takes place in The United States at the worst time in our history leading up to January 6, 2021. To see exactly how the Russian despot could play the long game and use the former president, his weaknesses and foibles and innate corruption to try to overthrow our Democracy from within which has always been his plan. The long game was never to destroy this country from without but to use someone like this to bring down this country from within and turn the US into his own version of Stalin’s gulags for the twisted pleasure and greed of a despot.
This was a story that had to be told. It was important enough to be told in the context of fiction so people would be willingly educated while being entertained. He used actual events which he wove into this story so much so that it’s difficult sometimes to see where the truth ends, and fiction begins. We were lucky to have had him and his past experiences as a journalist which enabled him to understand political gamesmanship and treachery to write this book right now!
Even though it has heart stopping moments that take your breath away it ends, as they all do, with humor and matchmaking. So, it ends with a smile and hope.

Thinner than ever, Allon disintegrates

The plot of these gets thinner and thinner with every new release over the past few years. And, predictably repetitive: a beautiful woman, an espionage novice, is guided by Allon to take down the bad guys. Limited character development of new characters, repeat characters reduced to caricatures, abundant repetition of boilerplate, and unforgivably bad editing. The vivid supporting cast from previous novels barely appears and has virtually no dialogue. Most of the novel is presented via a smarmy-toned omniscient narrator who does nothing to breathe life into the characters we all love. I so much miss the depth and rich complexity of the early Allon novels. The past few have been worthless money grabs profiting from the affection readers have for the earlier works. A sad disintegration of what was once a great series.

The 21st installment in the Gabriel Allon series is a bit of a reunion. Of course there is Gabriel's team from King Saul Boulevard and Christopher Keller but the story features many of the characters we have met in previsous stories. One of those is Viktor Orlov who is living in exile in London. Another is Sarah Bancroft, now managing partner of Isherwood Fine Arts. When Sarah goes to Orlov's mansion in Chelsea’s exclusive Cheyne Walk she finds him dead. Before him the telephone receiver, a half-drunk glass of red wine, and a stack of documents.

The documents, which had been delievered by one of Orlov's employees, had been contaminated with a deadly nerve agent. The employee has slipped out of London and MI6 believes she is a Moscow assassin. Gabriel, who owes his life to Viktor Orlov, believes otherwise. It wasn't just Gabriel's life that Orlov saved. He help save the life of Gabriel's wife, Chiara.

Gabriel sets out to learn the truth and seek retribution. Once again he will recruit a woman in his cause. In this story that is Isabel Brenner, a finance office with the Swiss office of RhineBank. She is also a gifted cellist. Isabel has learned that RhineBank is laundering Russian money and Gabriel comes up with a plan to recruit Isabel and hit his old nemisis where it hurts. In the pocketbook. As the story unfolds we meet several characters from previous stories in the series.

As is usually the case Daniel Silva's story is right out of today's headlines and showcases the influence of dirty money, Russian interference in global affairs, and the fragile state of democrary. Something that shouldn't be taken for granted.

In the Acknowledgments section at the end the author indicates that he rewrote his original ending following the events that took place in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. It is somewhat obvious that it does not fit in very well with the rest of the story but the author felt it was important to include this. To thank the bravery of the police officers who defended the capitol on January 6, 2021. To remind people of the near death of American democracy. There are several critical reviews but I, for one, thank the author for reminding us that what we have should not be taken for granted.

Didn't even make it halfway through the book. This isn't about Gabriel Allon, it's about the author's views on the Trump administration, climate change, Russion collusion in our elections -- everything but the actual characters in the book. I'm done with this series.

Love this series. Captivating, realistic and very timely, no one does it better than Silva.

this is not up to Silva's standard ... in large part because Silva apparently re-wrote the book (hurriedly) to incorporate Trump and Jan 6 ... big mistake, poorly done ... much better to save those issues for a separate book

As usual Daniel Silva had me on the edge of my seat! I appreciate this series for its relevance to recent or current events and the cast of characters.

Gabriel Allon used to be one of my favorite characters of all times, too bad he got killed by political ranting and bias. Oh, and he was too busy fixing his mask, and/or disinfecting his hands in order to be relevant as a character anymore. Sadly, after the last two books in the series, it’s time to say good bye, at least for me. Mr. Silva, please go back to writing amazing stories like you did for so many years, and forget about your own personal agenda. Thnks!

Fascinating, compelling and one of the most unique 'spy' dramas I've encountered, the author immerses the reader with brilliance. There's little doubt Silva's characters, pacing and narrative approach redefine page turner while the topical research is impeccable. Feigning the usual overuse of violence, blood and hatred, he replaces them with international intrigue, and with this story, the use of Russian wealth as a weapon against democracy.

Here we find Gabriel Allon as Director of Israeli intelligence where he learns of the loss of his friend Victor Orlov. Having waged a tireless campaign against the authoritarian kleptocrats in the Kremlin, a reporter working for Orlov's anti-Kremlin publication delivers documents laced with a deadly nerve agent. Soon after she slips away from London and M16 assumes she's a Russian assassin. But Allon's knowledge of the Kremlin has him come to an entirely different conclusion; one that involves Russian money laundering hiding a sophisticated operation to undermine democracy.

Tracing the source of the nerve agent, intelligence gathering points to RhineBank run by Arkady Asimov, a financial mastermind that makes Bernie Madoff look like a boy scout. A multi-billionaire/womanizer connected directly to Russia's president, he's ruthless, greedy and unruly as they come. With Asimov's weakness for the arts and women, Allon traps Isabel Brennan, a beautiful cellist and employee of RhineBank's dirtiest operations using his leverage as director of intelligence. As typical, Gabriel assembles a team whose goal is to appeal to Asimov's greed with a scheme that uses Isabel and long time friend/financier Martin Landesman as its foundation.

Extremely complex, the scheme takes the reader from London, then Amsterdam and eventually to Geneva while the plot evolves with each chapter. Silva's mastery shines when he moves from the world of Russian money laundering to the 2020 election where a plot to assassinate the president elect comes into play. Using fictionalized names for Putin and Trump, Silva's final twist has the reader wonder if he was privy to US intelligence.

Of the two previous Allon books I'd read, this was the first where he was Director of Israeli Intelligence. With use of concise, 'cliff hanger' style chapters, Silva demonstrates extensive knowledge of the spy game, art, cuisine and 'money' that create a compelling, immersive experience. With a personal preference for literary fiction, its my humble opinion this author is one of the best, regardless of genre.

The Cellist is the twenty-first instalment in the Gabriel Allon series featuring the titular art restorer and spy in an explosive, all-new thrilling adventure. Viktor Orlov had a longstanding appointment with death. Once Russia's richest man, he now resides in splendid exile in London, where he has waged a tireless crusade against the authoritarian kleptocrats who have seized control of the Kremlin. His mansion in Chelsea's exclusive Cheyne Walk is one of the most heavily protected private dwellings in London. Yet somehow, on a rainy summer evening, in the midst of a global pandemic, Russia's vengeful president finally manages to cross Orlov's name off his kill list. Before him was the receiver from his landline telephone, a half-drunk glass of red wine, and a stack of documents. The documents are contaminated with a deadly nerve agent. The Metropolitan Police determine that they were delivered to Orlov's home by one of his employees, a prominent investigative reporter from the anti-Kremlin Moskovskaya Gazeta. And when the reporter slips from London hours after the killing, MI6 concludes she is a Moscow Center assassin who has cunningly penetrated Orlov's formidable defences. But Gabriel Allon, who owes his very life to Viktor Orlov, believes his friends in British intelligence are dangerously mistaken.

His desperate search for the truth will take him from London to Amsterdam and eventually to Geneva, where a private intelligence service controlled by a childhood friend of the Russian president is using KGB-style "active measures" to undermine the West from within. Known as the Haydn Group, the unit is plotting an unspeakable act of violence that will plunge an already divided America into chaos and leave Russia unchallenged. Only Gabriel Allon, with the help of a brilliant young woman employed by the world's dirtiest bank, can stop it. This is a riveting, compulsive and action-packed spy thriller ripe with political intrigue and subtle social commentary on timely topics of global significance such as the virus, the recent US presidential election and the insanity, chaos and destruction of the assault on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, as well as political issues like Russian interference. It's decidedly gritty and moves at rapid-fire pace with a plethora of unusual twists and turns. Elegant and sophisticated, provocative and daring, it explores one of the preeminent threats facing the West today--the corrupting influence of dirty money wielded by a revanchist and reckless Russia. It is at once a novel of hope and a stark warning about the fragile state of democracy. Highly recommended.

This one had an interesting mix of current events blended in with the fictional things our favorite characters were up to. I liked how Covid-19 was acknowledged and dealt with, basically a fact of the time, sort of like describing someone's outfit or their physical description. It also allowed us to see a bit of a softer side of Gabriel when he was at home with Ciara and the kids while they waiting things out.

It's always fun to see how Gabriel gets pulled into things, this time was no different and once he is in, Gabriel does his best to limit damages and do what needs to be done, often pulling in unusual people to help. I really liked the Cellist and the role that she played. She did a great job for someone who has never played spy games. She did what needed to be done, stood strong when she had to and folded when it was necessary. Through it all Gabriel was there to help her along, but I think it was in the aftermath that it was the best.

I really hated the drama at the end, hated that Gabriel was doing the right thing and had a hard time getting people to believe him and how he had to prove he was right in the worst way.

With Gabriel's time winding down as the top spy boss, it will be interesting to see if his hand picked replacement is put in place and if he will be able to stay out of the spy business to spend time with his family and paintings.