The Order: A Novel (Gabriel Allon Book 20) Kindle Edition

Surprise!....Another hit job directed at the "right wing" from Daniel Silva. If you still have the capability of thinking for yourself, skip this political hatchet job on conservatives and evangelical Christians. Silva must be on the payroll of the democratic national committee.... The only real surprise?… they didn’t nominate Biden for the new pope at the novel’s end! Simply election year, liberal, political pandering. If you are a conservative and/or Evangelical Christian you would be better entertained by taking a nice walk...:)... skip the book… Unless you need a good laugh...!

This book was terrible on so many dimensions, it is difficult to specify them all. To begin, let me say that I own every one of Mr. Silva's books and have read them all at least twice. Until the current book, he was my favorite author in this genre. No more. His books are now totally off my list unless I see credible evidence of a very serious about face on his part.The plot is hackneyed, and I believe the book is the third of this series focused on the Vatican where there is a huge right-wing conspiracy, literally one of biblical proportions. The cabal consists of over 50 high level clerics from the Vatican, plus several heads of European countries in the mold of Donald Trump, plus one evil industrialist. Think the Da Vinci code meets evangelical bible study classes. Priests are murdering people left and right, including the Pope. Entirely new gospels emerge out of the Vatican's archives and, if allowed to become public they would destroy the Catholic Church and entirely remove the underpinnings of anti-Semitism in this world. Enter Gabriel Allon and the one sincere, honest Catholic priest besides the deceased Pope (really?)In short, conservatism is about to destroy the world and only liberals can save it. Many media sources spread this message daily, we do not need to hear it once again in our free time. More to the point, I don't and will not in the future from Mr. Silva.

I am a huge Daniel Siva fan, but the "not so veiled" political views interjected in the story were disconcerting and distracting no matter where you place yourself on the political spectrum.....left, right, or down the middle.

Disappointed to it it mildly. Mr. Silva needs to stick to spy stuff and drop the politics. Maybe he needs to retire.

Don’t understand Silva’s barely veiled bashing of Christians and Christianity. In this era of escalating anti Semitism, doesn’t he know that American Christians are the Number One (by far!) supporters of Israel!? Who knows where American policy toward Israel would be without that support.We have loved his books for years, but this anti Christian trend puts it all in jeopardy. Wake up Daniel. A Big slice of your sales is people who love Israel, and they are NOT lefty socialists.

That makes it readable, not necessarily good. Main problem -- the author has become predictable. Second, it seems like a formula not a novel. Third, he takes care to make a parody of Trump in one of the characters (I am not a Trump supporter, but gad, it is tiresome). Hopefully, this is the last Gabriel book -- the character is getting to be boring. Maybe one about Chiara (pre-Gabe)?I wish I had waited to purchase for $2 -- used. Then someone else but the author would benefit.

I disliked all the politically correct points of view with little to no alternative side offered. Mr. Silva has gone to academia without investigating Christianity in a non-Catholic, or non-White Supremacy point of view. His postscript decries the white supremacists of South Carolina, who Christians also decry. The Catholic Church during the Holocaust has much to answer for, and for that I think the history is correct.John MacArthur, John Piper, Ravi Zacharias' works could give him a balanced research. Biblical Christians stand with the Jews.

I have read and enjoyed all the Gabriel Allon books up until this one. Unfortunately I preordered so did not have reviews of others to go by.As others have said, the political correctness jumps out of every page.Germany’s AfD is neo-Nazis?Racist white supremacists growing in strength in the US?Populism a synonym for ultra-right in US and Europe?Paul Krugman a brilliant economist?This is not the insightful analysis of world events I expected from Silva.Please read the reviews before ordering!I will buy no more Daniel Silva books.

The waiting, always the waiting. – That is something every fan of Daniel Silva can relate to. As always, it has been worth it. One cannot simply put the book down, trust me, I've tried and ended up reading till the end until 3:30am.Daniel Silva knows how to write a book packed with history interspersed by twisting turns and nerve wrecking moments. There is never a dull moment only interlude before something that will stop you in your tracks and makes you think.The moment you open the book, you're transported to Gabriel Allon’s world. It truly feels like you're standing by his side trying to find out if the Pope was really murdered while staying ahead of the Order of St. Helena and its members plotting against Gabriel and trying to prevent him accomplishing his mission. Conclave has to begin so Gabriel has limited time. But then again, when he doesn't? There is a reason his old team’s name is Barak after all.To think at the beginning Chiara had a daring idea to pack the entire family, indulging Gabriel and take them for much needed holidays. Who would have guessed it won't work out, right?

I very much enjoyed this, having waiting what seemed like an eternity since the last Allon book.It begins almost like a small scale murder mystery, and gradually expands to reveal a Europe-wide political conspiracy. In some ways, the setting and plot remind me of other books by Dan Brown and Robert Harris. Of course, it is infinitely better written that anything by Brown.Silva again deals with cutting edge political events, especially the rise of the far right in Europe, and explores its longstanding links with conservative elements within the Catholic Church. There is a strange hint of he supernatural in this that is like nothing else in Silva's work, but it is fairly limited and and indirect and doesn't ireally detract much on the story. I guess Silva is so skilled a writer, with such long established and well defined characters, that he can get away with this even though it seems bit of an indulgence.While they do not play a major role, the team from the Office make a very welcome appearance in the middle of the book, to carry out yet another set piece takedown of a corrupt official; I have to say I was glad to see them. It was a bit like meeting old friends. Altogether a pleasure from beginning to end.

I have read almost all of the Gabriel Allon series and initially very much enjoyed them. However, having read this, I think his retirement might be nigh; the series never has been rooted in too much reality, but taking on the Vatican and the world wide Catholic Church is a move too far? As another reviewer commented, there is rather much of arcane religious detail, history and practice, certainly too much for me. I am also unsure that a topic as important as the enmity, at whatever level, between the Jewish and Christian faiths should be in a book that is essentially a thriller? I prefer my crime to be somewhat more secular. I did read other reviews before starting this, so I can’t say I wasn’t warned; my previous enjoyment of this series won out over the religiousity and perhaps it should not have done.I read Daniel Silva’s afterword and found it far more interesting than much of the fictional detail in the book and I really appreciate his liberal stance about the risks of right wing populism so perhaps I should be less critical, but I enjoyed this book less than its predecessors.

I love all his novels and cant wait for a new release. I am really disappointed in this. Too much focus on historical religion. Reads more like a historical religious novel than a spy thriller.

After my first book by Daniel Silva purely by mistake I read a review by a woman who said the only problem with a Daniel Silva book is waiting for a year for the next one and she was so right. As the previous book was the first I had read and couldn't put down I then started reading all his previous ones to fill the void. Some I wasn't so keen on but they were still amazingly written. I am half way through the Order and struggle to put it down even to eat. Reading his books particularly about Allon is like putting on a pair of comfy old slippers and I just need to savour every moment. The Void is different in a way but no less incredible. Please Mr. Silva do not stop writing especially about Gabriel who I am sure for all of us has become a 'friend'. Well done again - great book and can't wait to finish it but must savour every word.