The Cellist
Daniel Silva
From Daniel Silva, the internationally acclaimed number one New York Times best-selling author, comes a timely and explosive new thriller featuring art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon. 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. more
477 pages, Kindle Edition
First published Harper
4
Rating
30599
Ratings
2792
Reviews
Daniel Silva
89 books 8359 followers
Daniel Silva was born in Michigan in 1960 and raised in California where he received his BA from Fresno State. Silva began his writing career as a journalist for United Press International (UPI), traveling in the Middle East and covering the Iran-Iraq war, terrorism and political conflicts. From UPI he moved to CNN, where he eventually became executive producer of its Washington-based public policy programming. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy, a surprise best seller that won critical acclaim. He turned to writing full time in 1997 and all of his books have been New York Times/national best sellers, translated into 25 languages and published across Europe and the world. He lives in Washington, D.C.Series:
* Michael Osbourne
* Gabriel Allon
Community reviews
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. more
DisapointmentTerrible, 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. more
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. more
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. more
Too political too forced to boringIf 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. more
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. more
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. more
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. more
Disappointment that it became too politicalI 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. more
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. more
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. more
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. . more
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. . more
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. more
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. more
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. . more
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. more
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. more
Torn between 3 or 4 stars when in reality earns 7 of 10 stars. more
Thinner than ever, Allon disintegratesThe 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. more
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. more
Love this series. Captivating, realistic and very timely, no one does it better than Silva. . more
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 . more
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. more
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. more
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. . more
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. more
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. more
A Russian defector is assassinated by the thugs in Kremlin and it's time for Gabriel Allon to make them pay. Hatching an elaborate plan to swindle the ill gotten billions of the Russian Oligarchs, Gabriel enlists the help of a brilliant Finance professional, Isabel Brenner. Isabel is also an accomplished Cellist and with her skills she manages to penetrate the inner sanctum of the chief money launderer, Akimov. Please read my detailed review of this intense novel of espionage and spycraft. From the link belowhttps://www. more