Author: Daniel Silva
Publication Date: 2020
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0-06-283484-3
Blurb:
It was nearly one a.m. by the time he crawled into bed. Chiara was reading a novel, oblivious to the television, which was muted. On the screen was a live shot of St. Peter’s Basilica. Gabriel raised the volume and learned that an old friend had died …
Gabriel Allon has slipped quietly into Venice for a much-needed holiday with his wife and two young children. But when Pope Paul VII dies suddenly, Gabriel is summoned to Rome by the Holy Father’s loyal private secretary, Archbishop Luigi Donati. A billion Catholic faithful have been told that the pope died of a heart attack. Donati, however, has two good reasons to suspect his master was murdered. The Swiss Guard who was standing watch outside the papal apartments the night of the pope’s death is missing. So, too, is the letter the Holy Father was writing during the final hours of his life. A letter that was addressed to Gabriel.
While researching in the Vatican Secret Archives, I came upon a most remarkable book …
The book is a long-suppressed gospel that calls into question the accuracy of the New Testament’s depiction of one of the most portentous events in human history. For that reason alone, the Order of St. Helena will stop at nothing to keep it out of Gabriel’s hands. A shadowy Catholic society with ties to the European far right, the Order is plotting to seize control of the papacy. And it is only the beginning.
As the cardinals gather in Rome for the start of the conclave, Gabriel sets out on a desperate search for proof of the Order’s conspiracy, and for a long-lost gospel with the power to put an end to two thousand years of murderous hatred. His quest will take him from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, to a monastery in Assisi, to the hidden depths of the Secret Archives, and finally to the Sistine Chapel, where he will witness an event no outsider has ever before seen—the sacred passing of the Keys of St. Peter to a newly elected pope.
Swiftly paced and elegantly rendered, The Order will hold readers spellbound, from its opening passages to its breathtaking final twist of plot. It is a novel of friendship and faith in a perilous and uncertain world. And it is still more proof that Daniel Silva is his generation’s finest writer of suspense and international intrigue.
(Source of Blurb: https://danielsilvabooks.com/books/the-order/)
Review:
The Order is entertaining. Daniel Silva is one of my favorite authors, and this book continues in the same tradition. The book is taut, well researched, containing a plot that is entirely plausible. Gabriel Allon is one of the best written thriller characters today, and this is no exception. Silva’s dialog oozes Allon’s wit and intellect. I can visualize Allon as the dialog unfolds. Silva again demonstrates his mastery of the thriller genre.
The Order is a little different than some of Silva’s earlier work. The first half of the book moves like a traditional thriller, but the second half contains less action than previous Gabriel Allon stories, but shows the depth of Silva’s research into biblical history and the inner workings of the Catholic Church. The election of a new pope is handled with the same storytelling skill that Silva has demonstrated in disarming evil terrorists bent on massive destruction.
Some may find this book a little heavy on research and biblical history as opposed to classic thriller scenarios. It has a little less action and more cerebral thrills than his earlier novels. Some may find it a little anti-Catholic, and a little too anti-conservative for their taste. I found it thought provoking and well-researched. His premises are disturbing, but that is what a thriller is supposed to do. Silva does it very well.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Link to Author’s Website: https://danielsilvabooks.com/
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Order-Novel-Gabriel-Allon/dp/0062834843
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