Daniel Silva

Sent to Vienna to authenticate a painting, art restorer and occasional spy Gabriel Allon sets out to uncover the truth about a photograph of an unnamed man who had brutalized his mother during the final days of World War II, during the Death March from Auschwitz, a quest that could unravel an evil with profound repercussions in the present. 175,000 first printing.

A Death in Vienna

Death in Vienna

Joshua Edward Gibson-Altrock

Meh. 

This read was only valuable to me in that it exposed me to some new ideas and themes around the Holocaust like the complicity of the Catholic Church and the Austrian government in aiding Nazis running from justice. 

As a thriller/work of fiction is was uninspiring. Silva's treatment of women is extremely problematic. The plot seemed like it was more influenced by the author's desire to have Allon travel the world than anything else. It felt like Silva started with a list of locations and themes he had to get in and then built a weak plot to connect those dots. Allon's trip to Argentina was particularly perplexing and seemed to halt the progression of the story. 

This is a mediocre work of fiction.

Amanda Wells

While there are certainly a lot of flaws in these stories, I just can't help but enjoy them. This fourth installment in Allon's story wasn't all that different to three before it: High stakes, past atrocities, complex politics and ethics. 

I wish the female characters were a little stronger in terms of character development - but they aren't as 2 dimensional as other books I've read. They read less like poorly written women, and more like under developed side characters, so it doesn't turn me off completely. 

Will definitely pick up the next in the series, and continue to recommend for those wanting a solid spy/action book.

Simon Harrison

Three books that felt very similar are complete, be interesting to see where things go next - I'm assuming a break from Nazi Catholic Looters

A Death in Vienna

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