Author Daniel Silva reaches the pinnacle of world-class spy thriller writing with his most recent novel, “The Messenger.” This is Silva’s sixth title in the series featuring Gabriel Allon, who was introduced in 2000’s “The Kill Artist.” Allon is an art restorer who serves as an Israeli secret agent/assassin.
In his role of agent/assassin, Allon works for Ari Shamron, who is the prime force of a secret agency in the Israeli government known only as The Office. Shamron was chosen by Golda Meir to hunt down the Munich assassins. Ari in turn interrupted Allon’s art training to enlist him to carry out the deed. The Israeli agency seems a thinly veiled reference to the Mossad as the real-life model for “The Office.” The goals of each organization are the same: human intelligence collection, covert action and counterterrorism. Knowing that this organization, with another name, is really out there adds to the tension and suspense.
“The Messenger” begins with the accidental death of Professor Massoudi, who from the outside seems just the man to help ease the Middle East conflict. Instead, he is recruiting young men and women for a much darker purpose.
When the contents of Massoudi’s briefcase and laptop make their way to The Office, an imminent and credible threat to an unexpected ally to the Israelis, Pope Paul VII and the Vatican, is discovered. Shamron again drags Allon out of retirement to warn the pope and help ward off a possible attack. This is only the beginning of the rich plot that is layered with issues and events as current as today’s bloody headlines. This story also highlights the United States’ uneasy relationship with Saudi Arabia.
The target of Silva’s interest is those Saudis who finance and support terrorism around the world. Some of the worst are those who propagate a specific and radical form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism. In the novel, members of this group have formed the Brotherhood of Allah, and they are on a mission. A key player in this group is Ahmed bin Shafiq, a former member of Saudi intelligence who has gone over to the extremist group and created a network of terrorists.
The financier of this enterprise and others like it is Abdul Aziz al-Bakari, a man with unlimited wealth and a worldwide business network that makes the movement of manpower and materials child’s play. As nations pull together to stop the spread of terrorism, a plan is put in play to cut off the flow of funds to the Brotherhood.
Silva brings back many of Allon’s previous crew to help. Isherwood, the London art dealer, and Israeli agents Lavon, Rimona, Yaakow, Dina and Yossi gather together and try to find a way to breach Aziz’s security. Silva’s characters deal with personal demons and histories littered with tragic events they want to forget. The characters have nuance and depth, which affects their actions and makes them more human even as they tackle an inhuman goal.
Silva entices readers’ interest with gripping details, some of which may have been discovered during his previous life as a Middle East correspondent for United Press International and his days at CNN in Washington, D.C. Silva maintains tension and suspense with a story that travels all over the world.
Leslie Doran is a freelance writer in Durango.
The Messenger
By Daniel Silva
Putnam, 336 pages, $25.95
