If new to Daniel Silva, great book. Otherwise...

Nothing was really wrong with the book. I have listened to every Allon book, and they are starting to sound the same with the plots playing out in similar ways. If this is your first in the series, you'll love it. If you are a big Allon fan, you've probably heard this one before.

45 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Good Story Larded with Verbatim Repetition

What made the experience of listening to The Heist the most enjoyable?

I enjoy George Guidall every time. He is easy to listen to. It is a good story that does not insult the listener by being overly predictable or tidy.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I have read or listened to every Gabriel Allon novel but it only became really apparent to me when listening to the audio books (at least the two most recent) just how much filler Silva lards them up with. He must have his computer filled with dozens of paragraphs that he reuses verbatim. These paragraphs are descriptions of characters, events, and places from previous books or times in Allon's life that I suppose he would argue are useful to a new reader as backstory. However, it seems that the least he could do is change the wording even slightly.

It is insulting to loyal readers when an author abuses his success in this way. Perhaps I am just envious that he can get away with it! The book seems half done before he writes an original word. A comparison of The English Girl and The Heist shows this laziness at it's worst. So here is the formula..... come up with an interesting plot line (grade A) , insert multiple paragraphs from previous books, add a few new paragraphs, sort appropriately, send to publisher, cash check. Overall grade... C minus, mostly for laziness and insulting loyal readers.

33 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Too much rehash from previous books...but good.

If this is your first Allon book you'll enjoy it. If you have read the whole series, I'm tiring of the same stuff coming up book after book. Its good, exciting but getting to formulaic for me, think Silva is riding his coattails so to speak.

31 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Sigh

What did you like best about The Heist? What did you like least?

I love Silva's writing style and the characters in this series

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

More suspense

Have you listened to any of George Guidall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

George is amazing. He tells a great story and I look forward to hearing more from him.

Could you see The Heist being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoy Daniel Silva books. This one was a bit ho hum. I was so anxious for it to come out because his last 3 books have been wonderful. This one left me.... flat. I didn't feel the normal suspense and intrigue. There was no sense of "how is Gabriel gonna get himself outta this one?" It was more of an interlude.

14 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Gabriel Alon delivers again

In his latest book, Daniel Silva brings together nearly all of his previous characters in an operation involving the President of Syria. Corsica is back in play, and so are the members of Gabriel's team in Israel. Gabriel is soon to become the chief of Israeli security, and the changing relationships are part of the story as well. Gabriels recruits a new member of their team, another strong and interesting woman who plays a critical role in the operation. With a plot that could be taken from the newspaper headlines, and the pleasure of greeting again all the characters, this is a gripping story and a very satisfying listen. George Guidall is excellent, giving each character a unique voice, with a gentle pacing, that perfectly emhasizes the repetitions Silva uses throughout the book. I can't imagine Gabriel Alon with a different voice!

5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Same Tired Story

Come on Daniel. I have bought most of your books, but the last three seem to be a rehash over and over and over .... of the same story, same tired characters. The reader is fine, but I am struggling to finish this.

Please, I honor you for writing at all, but maybe try a new protagonist or invent new possibilities for Gabriel. Again, I honor you for writing, but we have seen how well you can do and in my opinion, this isn't it.

9 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

First rate

Great writing, topical, fleshes out one's understanding of the Middle East through the story and the characters, impressive narration. For me, there is just enough violence to make it plausible, but not too much to make it unbearable for me. I can't say I find the character of Chiara appealing or even understandable, but maybe one can never see what someone loves in another.

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

More of the Same

Any additional comments?

Author is just not breaking new ground.
Perhaps it is just me after reading all prior books of the series,
The book is now just average read.

14 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

So so

This was my first Silva novel and will probably be my last. Had a really hard time finishing this book though I had previously enjoyed stories about the art world. Perhaps this was a bit to political for me...not sure. I hung in because George Guidall is one of my favorite performers and I was hoping to care a bit about the characters.....never happened.

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Sounding a Lot like the last one

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really, because I felt like I was listening to his prior books

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

No surprises

What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?

He's the best - and the only reason I finished it

Could you see The Heist being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes

Any additional comments?

If you are new to Silva, you will undoubtedly find this an unusual and interesting read. However, if, like me, you have read them all, this is just an amalgam of everything that came before it, with some new rogue countries currently in the news that allows the settings to be different.

5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile