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A Death in Vienna
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Plot Summary of A Death in Vienna
"

Putnam, March 2004, 25.95, 446 pp.
ISBN 0399154435

When he is not restoring art, Israeli Gabriel Allon works as an espionage agent for his country. He is sent to Vienna to investigate the bombing of the Wartime Claims and Inquiries Bureau run by Eli Lavon. Gabriel learns that Eli was trying to prove that wealthy businessman Ludwig Vogel was an SS officer at Auschwitz. Vogel is spending millions to get the Austrian National Party candidate elected as chancellor.

When Gabriel is kicked out of Austria, he travels to Israel. People working on the Holocaust believe that Vogel is actually Erich Radek, a monster responsible for the killings of thousands of Jews. Gabriel recognizes a picture of Radek because he is in one of his mother's paintings. He did something terrible to her as they were evacuating Auschwitz in 1945 and for Gabriel this case has become very personal. An organization that has international tentacles wants Gabriel to stop investigating and they hire the infamous hitman the Clockmaker to kill him before he exposes secrets that the group wants to stay buried.

A DEATH TO VIENNA is an exciting espionage thriller that will appeal to fans of John de Carre, Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler. The action is non-stop but the author does not neglect his characters that have a depth rarely seen in a work of this type. Drawing on facts, Daniel Silva portrays a world that would rather forget about the Holocaust or just as bad, believe it never happened. Readers will adore the troubled and vulnerable protagonist who fights in an invisible war against his country's enemies.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of A Death in Vienna
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: - deposing an evil leader - main char. spying/sabotage
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Who's the terrorist enemy here? - nazis!

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - spy
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - wealthy
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - power
The antagonists are: - nazis
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Italy
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Israel
The Americas (not US): Yes
The Americas: - South

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 8 or more
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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