The Kill Artist is the first book in Daniel Silva’s popular Gabriel Allon spy thriller series. It introduces Gabriel Allon, a retired Israeli assassin, who has retreated into his other job as one of the world’s most skilled art restorers. He’s pulled out of retirement (a common theme in the series) to hunt an old enemy who is threatening the Middle East peace process.

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I read The Kill Artist as part of the 2026 Thoughtful Reading Challenge. August’s challenge was to read a spy novel to mark Mata Hari’s 150th birthday. The Gabriel Allon series is one of my favorites, and I enjoyed re-reading the book that kicked off this spy series.

I’ll begin with a quick summary of The Kill Artist.

Gabriel Allon is one of Israeli intelligence’s most accomplished operatives, having cut his teeth on the mission that brought retribution to those responsible for killing Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He’s methodical, tight-lipped, and detail-oriented, which make him very well-suited to be a spy as well as the art restorer cover he used. He’s also a haunted man – years of violence have taken their toll on him and his family.

His son was killed and his wife irreparably damaged by a car bomb planted by a Palestinian terrorist named Tariq several years prior to the current story. When Tariq resurfaces to kill the Israeli ambassador to France, it becomes apparent that he has something even bigger in mind.

The leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Yasser Arafat, is about to enter into peace talks with Israel. Tariq views this as an unforgivable betrayal. He is of the mind that Israel must be destroyed, not negotiated with.

Tariq and his young compatriot, Yusef, like the ladies, frequently using unsuspecting women for cover and then killing them at the end of the operation. A beautiful Israeli operative named Jacqueline is brought in to get close to Yusef and, tangentially, Tariq. She and Gabriel used to be lovers, and there’s plenty of angst about ongoing feelings.

Jacqueline agrees to accompany an unnamed VIP (Tariq) on a trip and finds herself in Canada in the thick of a maelstrom. Her cover is blown and she has to use cunning and deception to survive and stop Tariq. She’s ultimately the hero rather than Gabriel, which seems like a risky way to introduce the main protagonist in an ongoing series. But what do I know – the series has now grown to over 25 novels.

I think this is one of those books that is better in print than audio. After I read the book several years ago, I was hooked and continued with the series, but the audio version fell a little flat for me. Regardless, the same elements that sold me on the series were still present, so I’ll talk about those.

Gabriel is a really interesting character who remains a damaged enigma throughout the series. He’s cool under pressure on the surface but internally shattered by what happened to his wife and son, and years of killing people have taken their toll on him.

He finds peace when he’s restoring old masterpieces. I think the restoration work is a metaphor for repairing his soul. Not only is it a unique second career for an assassin, but it’s also interesting to contemplate a Jewish man repairing art and altar pieces so full of Christian imagery.

Daniel Silva seems to have a very good grasp on international events and relations and provides realistic scenarios in the plots of his books. The Kill Artist is centered on Israeli-Palestinian relations that, as we all know, still aren’t settled. The cameo appearance by Yasser Arafat was an interesting touch as he provides calm reason compared to Tariq’s fanaticism.

I also liked the international setting of The Kill Artist. Action takes place in Paris, Amsterdam, London, Canada, Israel, and the US. This is typical of the series and gives the books an appealing, international quality.

The last thing I’ll comment on is the underlying current of a country that is always on guard, always looking for the next threat. That must be an exhausting way to live.

I recommend The Kill Artist to anyone who enjoys smart stories of international intrigue but maybe read the book instead of listening to it. And if you like it, there are dozens more books in the series to add to your TBR list.

Did you read a spy thriller in August? Tell us all about it!

**Reminder – September’s challenge is to read a book centered on the main character’s job to celebrate Labor Day.