If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared. – Machiavelli. Week 4.

I first became aware of Daniel Silva’s novels after randomly picking up The Confessor off the discount shelf at Books-A-Million. It was a discarded library book and it sounded interesting… plus it was only $4.

I literally could not put it down. Silva writes books in a genre that usually held no interest for me. I’d describe them as being similar to the Jason Bourne novels. They are spy-thrillers - ripe with espionage, technology, and deception. The stuff that makes for a great movie. Anyways, despite the fact that they aren’t usually what I reach for, after reading The Confessor I was hooked. They are like a non-stop thrill ride. Since then, I’ve read all of Silva’s books and I have yet to be disappointed. The main character is Gabriel Allon, part-time art restorer… part-time Israeli secret service badass. Allon started his career with the Israeli secret service after heading the operation “Wrath of God,” a mission to retaliate against the Black September terrorists who killed the Isreali Olympic team at the 1972 games in Munich.

The Defector picks up where Silva’s last book, Moscow Rules, left off. Allon is thrust deep into the world of Soviet, ex-KGB villains and high-tech crime once again. This time though, the stakes are higher for Allon. It becomes personal.

All in all, I enjoy Silva’s books for what they are. They are definitely action-packed and keep you turning those pages. The only downfall is that they follow a very set formula. I have a hard time remembering which one of the 11 Daniel Silva novels is which…