Prince of Fire (a Gabriel Allon thriller) by Daniel Silva

It is with a heavy heart that I read on the news today that Israeli commandos gunned down 19 international peace activists during the interception of a flotilla of Gaza ships carrying 10 000 tonnes of aid to Gaza.  As a result, hundreds of demonstrators gathered with banners and flags to voice their anger against the deplorable loss of life and the senseless attack on civilians on Whitehall in London today.  (It is reported that Swedish crime author, Henning Mankell, was also on board). 

For those of you who follow the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict which began in the late 19th century to the present, you might be interested in Silva's Prince of Fire which tells of this dispute as far back as the beginnning of the 20th century in a brilliant work of fiction incorporating his protagonist, the enigmatic Gabriel Allon. 

In his acknowledgements, Silva wrote that he has 'consulted hundreds of books, articles and Web sites' while writing Prince of Fire and one of the notable Israeli scholar he mentioned is Benny Morris (The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem).

Here is a gist of what this book is all about taken from Silva's website:
Gabriel Allon is back in Venice after unmasking Erich Radek (A Death in Vienna), when a terrible explosion in Rome leads to a disturbing personal revelation: the existence of a dossier in terrorist hands that strips away his secrets, lays bare his history. Hastily recalled home, drawn once more into the heart of a service he had once forsaken, Gabriel finds himself stalking an elusive master-terrorist across a landscape drenched in generations of blood, the trail turning upon itself until, finally, he can no longer be certain who is stalking whom. And when at last the showdown comes, it will not be Gabriel alone who is threatened with destruction - for it is not his history alone that has been laid bare.

Also on his website, Silva tells of where the idea for this book came from and how he came up with the Gabriel Allon character and the others in the series.  It makes for an interesting read.  Just click on this 'Behind the Series' link to Silva's website to find out:  www.danielsilvabooks.com/books/prince_fire.asp?id=behind

This book is written intelligently and ingeniously.  It is especially delightful for those who are history buffs.  Also, in this book, we learn of Leah's (Allon's wife) awakening from her prisoned mental state and a whole albeit brief and poignant chapter is dedicated to her having an awareness of her surroundings for the very first time since the fateful bombing. 

I guarantee you will be hooked and entertained and probably lose some sleep over a night or two.  Silva just keeps getting better and better.  Do not miss it!

Ratings: 5/5 (Brilliant)