The Messenger (a Gabriel Allon series) by Daniel Silva

Why does Gabriel Allon do what he does?  Why can't he restore his Bellini or Rubens without having to leave them in the lurch when Ari Shamron comes calling?  Why can't he say No to Ari Shamron?  Does it solve the problem or does it make it worse?  Is it worth losing his family to terror?  Finally, is it justice, revenge or vengeance he is seeking? 

Well, as he aptly puts it to curator turned amateur field agent Sarah Bancroft in The Messenger, "Everyone who engages in this fight loses something...We don't do this sort of work because we enjoy it.  We do it because we have to.  We do it because we have no choice..."

Silva writes that "a central aspect of The Messenger is inspired by Saudi Arabia's financial and doctrinal support for global Islamic terrorism."

There is no shortage of Silva's usual fare of terror threats, bombings, clandestine meetings, physical and electronic surveillance, dangerous men that are good with a gun, evil men with no conscience, manhunts, battlefields, dead bodies, money trails, nail-biting escape plans, unpredictable and tense situations, erratic operational sleeping habits, multi-travels including a new destination ie the Bahamas, and many many more in this book.

A poignant moment occured at the end of the book when Allon tells his wife about his future plans.  I cannot say more than that Silva is the hottest writer around and he makes you emotionally involved with the characters, old and new alike!  Silva's Author's Note and Acknowledgments at the end of each book give you an insight into the people, research and real events who/that guide, help and lead him to write his books.

Rating: 6/5 (brilliant, devoured this book in a day)