Silva assumes all wealth and holdings before ww II belonged ...
934255
Silva assumes all wealth and holdings before ww II belonged to Jews and the world, other religions, states and bankers conspired to take it.
there were a lot more non-jews killed in the war and a lot of other tragedy.  selective history to support ones own bias at the expense of everyone else who suffered is, well, silly.
1816662
As always, the Gabriel Allon books are a terrific mixture of current events, intriguing spy stuff, and art.  Daniel Silva is an incredible writer, and his books are just impossible to put down.  They are also well-researched - which leads me to this amusing observation (at least amusing to me).  In describing the history of the current regime in Syria, he says that a "cult of personality" was created around the ruling family.  That is exactly how it is stated in Wikipedia.
I hope this series will continue, though now with Gabriel's new job, I'm not sure how a writer - even one with Mr. Silva's ability - can make a desk job interesting.  But at any rate, I highly recommend this book.
4202450
Black Widow is perhaps not as gripping as the other Gabriel Allon Books, but Silva's wordsmithy and careful research are in evidence.
Daring to compete with some of his other books,
he comes close to wearing out the process of preparing and pitting his beautiful female character against the Arab villain.  As usual, I learned something about Middle East geopolitics.
4948543
I always thought the military industrial complex started post WWII. Nope. War pigs have been greedy for over a century. Ignorance is bliss.
3598267
Each of Silva's novels have a theme and this installment of the Gabriel Allon series centers on the influence of Saudi oil money as a destabilizing force in the Middle East.  From London to Paris, Megiddo to the Caribbean Islands, the book's characters cross the globe as they track a Saudi arms dealer. But the story, like all of Silva's tales, is much more. Along the way Silva outlines a well-researched history of Arab dysfunction, predicting the failure of the "Arab Spring" in general and the curent situation in Egypt in particular, with amazing clarity.  As I'm writing (July 2014) rockets are being fired from Gaza into Israel. Silva, writing this book in 2007 described how Gaza, once given its independence, in turn gave itself to Hamas (p. 17) choosing conflict over peace.  An exciting combination of espionage, history, and current events with the action taking place against a backdrop of exotic and exclusive locales, this book should be required reading for those wanting to understand the current Middle East crisis.
4295263
Silvas work encompasses historical elements, some of the Italian Masters and always action and intrigue. Once I open the book and turn the first page, I will not stop until I am done! That is way he consistently gets 5 stars from this reader.
1859930
I am a very big fan of Daniel Silva's books.  I have now collected all his Gabriel Allon books and am reading them chronologically.
4768469
I am a committed Silva fan and must confess that I love all of his books.  They are fast-paced, never boring and give you a glimpse of an art world that his hero, Gabriel Allon, is involved with, and when he visits some of the most exotic places in the world you actually feel that  you are there with him, Paris, Vienna, Tel Aviv...all are mysterious, quaint and have a relevance to the story.
4520999
Daniel Silva continues to delight with his pacey, well written espionage thrillers.  In Moscow Rules his (clearly acknowledged) debt to John le Carre, the doyen of spy novelists, streams through.  There were times in fact when I felt I was reading a le Carre so closely does he mimic the style of writing and the construction of his storyline. Large sections of the book are reminiscent of Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy and The Little Drummer Girl, but are no less thrilling for it as Silva cleverly constructs the intricate trap in which Gabriel Allon and his specialist team of Israeli secret agents plan to ensnare the Russian supervillain they are after.  The stakes couldn't be higher and all of Allon's dark arts are required as he fights his way through terror and torture, killing with ruthless efficiency when circumstances require in a way that George Smiley, le Carre's self effacing superspy, would never manage.  Silva makes the odd slip (his use of the feminine surname for Olga Sukhova's father is an error anyone who follows Grand Slam tennis should spot) and the writing seems rather rushed at the end as if he were running out of space/time to cover the denouement with the full measure of tension it deserves.  Despite this, Moscow Rules is a gripping read and comes highly recommended.
3701560
This work is the cardinal profile of the rise of the `military-industrial complex' in 19-20C Germany. The Krupp legacy (family and firm) is skillfully traced in a lucid, comprehensive account equal to the finest modern history.

Without Krupp, Germany would never have been unified in 1871. Without war, Krupp would never have grown into the wealthiest concern in the world. Each served the other. And tens of millions died.

What price did Krupp pay for key instrumentality in aggressive war? Not much. Gustav (key Nazi donor, appointed `Leader of Industry' in 1933) was judged too infirm for trial in 1945. Alfried (who joined the SS in 1931) spent 3 years in jail (released to much applause in 1951). The firm self destructed 1967-8 (Arndt II, playboy degenerate, wasn't up to the task of renewing the symbiotic relationship).

Krupp armed regimes that killed civilians without remorse. It used slave labor to produce weapons, and operated camps that (given the regimen) supported extermination. All without apology.

Perhaps the most cynical salute to profit is Krupp's ultimate negotiation of a 40,000 settlement in 1926 for patent royalties from Vickers for 640,000 shells the Brits fired at Germans in WW1 (Gustav insisted 4,160,000 shells were fired -- killing 2,080,000 German soldiers -- and 260,000 was due). Thus Krupp, the preeminent German weapons firm, was paid for the death of German soldiers in a lost war.

Though I read it thirty years ago, this book remains important and memorable. Highly recommended.
2470102
My father had a leather Ferdinand--8" by 10"  that he carried aboard ship , all thru  WW2... He came home with a chest full of ribbons, as did my Dad.. Wish I still had him..
sigh!
832722
Of course it's good. It's Daniel Silva writing about Gabriel Allon.  Once again the great Allon tracks his terrorist target across continents,  carefully laying out his plans until everything goes wrong. How can he still pull it off and do his part to stop terrorism.
1530289
I always enjoy Daniel Silva's books with Gabriel Allon as the hero.  This was another great spy thriller with the added intrigue of involving the Pope and Vatican City.  I also like the way the past is interwoven into the story in a way that one doesn't feel as though they have missed anything if they are a new reader to this series.
3490000
Okay, I'm a sucker for Daniel Silva's books. I've read all the Gabriel Allon series spy novels. This is historical fiction very finely done. Taking place during the lead up to the D-day invasion, it's suspenseful and thrilling. Although most of the characters are fictitious, many of them you will recognize. At my age, I know much of the history being portrayed here. Still, this is a page turning, nail-biting novel. It is over 700 pages in length, but I was sorry to see it end.
4448089
With The Defector, Silva logs another great installment in the life of Gabriel Allon.  From start to finish, this book is impossible to put down.  Without delving into great detail on the story line, suffice it to say that the book largely picks up where Silva's previous work, Moscow Rules, left off.  Allon is again drawn out of what he had hoped to be a period of seclusion and peace.  Based on his history, however, such an aspiration is nearly impossible.  An event that is personal to him gets him rolling and then another event transpires that cuts to his core, causing him to take it up another notch.  While the overall formula remains generally the same, Silva still manages to bring something fresh to this story.  The core characters from previous books are complemented by a new cast of believable characters that come to life within the pages.  The story provides the usual action, excitement, and intrigue that are Silva's trademark.  As the body count builds, however, it is clear that this is not for the fainthearted.  Although I suppose this work could in theory stand on its own, I recommend reading some of the previous books featuring Allon.  At minimum, you must read Moscow Rules prior to tackling the Defector.
4487785
If you read this book you will better understand the full power of the invisible government, deciding on the economy and the foreign policy of the US.

In 1913, the "Money Trust" - including Rockefeller, Morgan, Warburg and Schiff - pushed the Federal Reserve Act.  Congressman Lindbergh warned us : "This act establishes the most gigantic trust on earth...  When the President signs this act, the invisible government by the money power, proven to exist by the Money Trust investigation, will be legalized..."

Congressman Louis McFadden chaired the House Committee on Banking and Currency from 1920 till 1931 and understood the huge transformation that had occurred on the US democracy : "Every effort has been made by the Fed to conceal its powers but the truth is - the Fed has usurped the government."

With each economic crisis the "Money trust" grew richer and more powerful.  Their first big hit was the Great Depression.  They made very good business then.  Of course, they sold all their stock at peak value, and then enjoyed buying up all the bankrupt companies for some bucks.  The author mentions that Joseph P. Kennedy's worth grew from $ 4 million in 1929 to $ 100 million in 1935.

And they continued to fool us ever since.  Bush gave Wall Street $ 700.000 million, and Obama on top of that gave them another $ 787.000 million.  After all their mismanagement of the last few years, instead of being condemned, let alone sent to jail, they were rewarded the certification : "Too Big To Fail" !

The other goal of the invisible government is to impose wars on us, since of all businesses, war generates the greatest benefits.  It is not only a very lucrative financial business, but it also drives the military-industrial complex in overdrive.  It is clear that the people never want to go to war.  NEVER.  Woodrow Wilson was reelected in 1916 on the slogan "He kept us out of war".  Then he provoked the incident with the Lusitania, and declared war to Germany.  All of a sudden, all Americans against the war were considered "traitors"...

FDR declared in a speech on October 30, 1940 : "I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again : Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars".  And then he succeeded to provoke Japan in such a way that they attacked Pearl Harbor.

Congressman John Rarick understood the war in Vietnam in the following terms : "The My Lai massacres, the sentencing of Lt. Calley to life imprisonment, "The Selling of the Pentagon", and the so-called Pentagon papers are leading examples of attempts to shift all the blame to the military in the eyes of the people.
But no one identifies the Council on Foreign Relations - the CFR - a group of some 1400 Americans which includes as members almost every top level decision and policy maker in the Vietnam war.
CBS tells the people it wants them to know what is going on and who is to blame.  Why doesn't CBS tell the American people about the CFR and let the people decide whom to blame for the Vietnam fiasco - the planners and top decision makers of a closely knit financial-industrial-intellectual aristocracy or military leaders under civilian control..."

This book is very important.  Those who do not know the past are condemned to repeat it.  That is what happened again on 9/11, and will happen again, and again, and again, until finally the people will understand and no longer take it.  Highly recommended.  Buy it, read it and give it away to friends and relatives.
898503
This 96 part series on the History of the Second World War is going on 40 years old but its over-all quality, detail and content continues to hold up remarkably well despite it's age. The focus is very "British Oriented" in its strategic overview/opinions and is generally very VERY favorable to P.M. Churchill, Field Marshall Montgomery, Allied Mediterranean Stragedy, F.M. Rommel, the overall wartime performance of the Red Army and Marshall G.Zhukov's military record and ability amoung other issues.

Some of the Russian perspectives and information in 2014 - 15 are now dated compared to what we know since the fall of the Soviet Union and David M. Glantz's many books published over the last 25 years. Still the information contained and overall quality of writing in these volumes is equal to or surpasses the current Osprey/Vanguard Campaign WW 11 books. Each individual issue is 25-28 pages which include chapters written by Historians, WW 11 Officers, enlisted men and {then} current military serving officers coupled with good pictures and very good maps.

Each volume is broken down into 3-6 separate chapters. Volume 3 includes - Graf Spee: The Trap, The Propaganda War, Goebbels: An Overview, Norway: Hitler Strikes North, The Norwegian View of the Invasion and The Phony War: The Time of Triviality which is a lot of information for a single 28 page issue. I discovered this series at flea markets in the mid-1980s and have been picking up issues ever since. The condition of the 23 volumes I have received over the last 3 years thru the amazon web site have been of excellent quality. This is a highly informative series for the general and even specialist reader covering the entire spectrum of WW 11. I highly recommend this series and give this volume and the entire 96 issue set - a 4 1/2 star rating.