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| Plot Summary of The English Assassin |
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"
Putnam, Mar 2002, 25.95, 400 pp.
ISBN: 0399148515
English art gallery owner Julie Isherwood obtains a commission for Mario Delvecchio to go to Zurich to restore a painting. Mario has no idea who the client is or what painting he is to clean, but the money is too good to ignore. In Zurich, Mario finds his host is not at his villa and learns from Julie that there is a change of plans. Julie provides Mario with the security codes to enter the villa. Inside Mario learns he is to restore Raphael's Portrait of a Young Man from the early sixteenth century until he finds the murdered body of his client. Relying on his stealth as a former Israeli operative, Mario sneaks away, but is caught by the police as he tries to leave town.
Mario's former boss Ari Shamron obtains his freedom. Ari had arranged for Mario, who is actually Gabriel Allon, to do the restoration job. He wants Gabriel to meet with Anna Rolfe, daughter of the deceased, to see what she knows. Reluctantly, Gabriel becomes involved once again in the deadly world of professional assassinations even as art crimes from the time of the Nazis threaten his life.
The first half of THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN is as good as any thriller readers will find as Daniel Silva sets up his plot with historical references and moral predicaments. However, the latter part of the novel is loaded with action, but turns into a more typical "shoot-em-up" espionage chiller. Overall, fans will enjoy this story, but will feel a bit shortchanged because the second half fails to attain the incredible levels of the first part of the book.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The English Assassin |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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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 - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- search for valuable art/artifacts
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- stolen goods organization
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- spy
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
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
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
- Italy
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Daniel Silva Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Elana Starr
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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