"SECRET SERVANT" by Daniel Silva

Disappointing. My first Silva book, "The Messenger" was a real thriller. So were the next two adventures of Gabriel Allon, Israeli undercover agent and master art restorer. I didn't want the stories to end. Sadly, this one is missing the zest and anticipation that I've come to expect.

Chapter 1 sets the scene well and piques the reader's curiosity for the next one. But Chapter 2 is just filler material & not really necessary. Then the "predictability factor" kicks in and the story starts to drag. It's no surprise that the ambassador's headstrong daughter is kidnapped, or that the extra detail of bodyguards will be killed. It's no surprise that she's held hostage, treated gently, yet is to be killed if demands aren't met. My sympathy was not aroused.

The ongoing tension between Allon and his aging boss is the same old story in every book-- Allon meekly protests the boss's insistence that he take over the top leadership job because he doesn't want to deal with the politics of the office.

The final irritant for me is Allon's fiancee. She is a high-level spy who just returned from an international assignment, but she is fussing about their wedding invitation list and her china pattern --- puleeze! She seems a bit of a dunce, but then I do find that many males authors just can't get the female characters right. I won't write Silva off just yet, but if the next book is anything like "The Secret Servant," he's lost me as an avid fan.