He's been her obsession throughout her young life. Yet to seventeen-year-old Marie Vetsera, he i smore than that - he is her destiny. But Crown Prince Rudolf of Austro-Hungary, heir to the throne, a man of the world, much older than Marie and disease-ravaged from his indiscriminate liasons, moves in the upper circles of society to which she, of minor aristocracy, can barely aspire. Through sheer stubbornness, however and maybe a touch of the spoiled child who has always got everything she wanted, the girl succeeds in making a fateful meeting with him happen; an encounter that leads to a passionate not-so-secret affair, one marked, one marked, on her side at least, by total adoration. But all is not right in the world. There is a darker side to Rudolf's life, in which he ultimately sees only one way out.
One of the most famous literary works of the 20th century, the novella “Death in Venice” embodies themes that preoccupied Thomas Mann (1875–1955) in much of his work; the duality of art and life, the presence of death and disintegration in the midst of existence, the connection between love and suffering, and the conflict between the artist and his inner self. Mann’s handling of these concerns in this story of a middle-aged German writer, torn by his passion for a Polish youth met on holiday in Venice, resulted in a work of great psychological intensity and tragic power.
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Jake Gyllenhaal. He's seen something that could get him killed. But what? Freddie Makin is a spy for hire. For a year he's been watching Jiang Cheng, an academic whose life seems suspiciously normal. To Freddie it's just a job: he never asks who's paying him and why--until the day someone is sent to kill him, and suddenly the watcher becomes the watched. On the run from whoever wants him dead, Freddie knows he must have seen something incriminating. The only trouble is, he has no idea what. Is the CIA behind all this--or does it go higher than that? Have his trackers uncovered his own murky past? As he's forced into a lethal dance across Vienna, Freddie knows one thing for sure: his only hope for survival is keeping the truth from the other side, and making sure the secrets from his past stay hidden.
In a spellbinding new masterpiece by #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva, Gabriel Allon undertakes a high-stakes search for the greatest art forger who ever lived Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has at long last severed ties with Israeli intelligence and settled quietly in Venice, the only place where he has ever truly known peace. His beautiful wife, Chiara, has taken over the day-to-day management of the Tiepolo Restoration Company, and their two young children are discreetly enrolled in a neighborhood scuola elementare. For his part, Gabriel spends his days wandering the streets and canals of the watery city, bidding farewell to the demons of his tragic, violent past. But when the eccentric London art dealer Julian Isherwood asks Gabriel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the rediscovery and lucrative sale of a centuries-old painting, he is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse where nothing is as it seems. Gabriel soon discovers that the work in question, a portrait of an unidentified woman attributed to Sir Anthony van Dyck, is almost certainly a fiendishly clever fake. To find the mysterious figure who painted it—and uncover a multibillion-dollar fraud at the pinnacle of the art world—Gabriel conceives one of the most elaborate deceptions of his career. If it is to succeed, he must become the very mirror image of the man he seeks: the greatest art forger the world has ever known. Stylish, sophisticated, and ingeniously plotted, Portrait of an Unknown Woman is a wildly entertaining journey through the dark side of the art world—a place where unscrupulous dealers routinely deceive their customers and deep-pocketed investors treat great paintings as though they were just another asset class to be bought and sold at a profit. From its elegant opening to the shocking twists of its climax, the novel is a tour de force of storytelling and one of the finest pieces of heist fiction ever written. And it is still more proof that, when it comes to international intrigue and suspense, Daniel Silva has no equal.
In Moscow Rules Gabriel Allon went up against the sadisitc Ivan Kharkov. Now he must outsmart him once and for all in this #1 New York Times bestseller from Daniel Silva. Grigori Bulganov once saved Gabriel Allon's life in Moscow—and Allon always repays his debts. So when the former Russian intelligence officer vanishes, Allon gathers his team of operatives to go after those responsible. But, in a running battle that rages across the globe, Allon soon realizes that his enemy may already hold the key to victory. And that if he continues, it will cost him more than he can bear...
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman comes the first novel in the thrilling series featuring legendary assassin Gabriel Allon. Immersed in the quiet, meticulous life of an art restorer, former Israeli intelligence operative Gabriel Allon keeps his past well behind him. But now he is being called back into the game—and teamed with an agent who hides behind her own mask...as a beautiful fashion model. Their target: a cunning terrorist on one last killing spree, a Palestinian zealot who played a dark part in Gabriel’s past. And what begins as a manhunt turns into a globe-spanning duel fueled by both political intrigue and deep personal passions...
On the trail of a deadly al-Qaeda operative, Gabriel Allon returns in a spellbinding story of deception, power, and revenge by the #1 New York Times bestselling "world-class practitioner of spy fiction" (Washington Post). Gabriel Allon—art restorer and spy—is about to face the greatest challenge of his life. An al-Qaeda suspect is killed in London, and photographs are found on his computer—photographs that lead Israeli intelligence to suspect that al-Qaeda is planning one of its most audacious attacks ever, aimed straight at the heart of the Vatican. Allon and his colleagues soon find themselves in a deadly duel of wits against one of the most dangerous men in the world—a hunt that will take them across Europe to the Caribbean and back. But for them, there may not be enough of anything: enough time, enough facts, enough luck. All Allon can do is set his trap—and hope that he is not the one caught in it.
Novels five through eight of the Gabriel Allon series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva. Prince of Fire Gabriel Allon is back in Venice, when a terrible explosion in Rome leads to a disturbing personal revelation: the existence of a dossier in terrorist hands that strips away his secrets and lays bare his history… The Messenger Gabriel Allon is about to face the greatest challenge of his life. An al-Qaeda suspect is killed in London, and photographs are found on his computer—photographs that lead Israeli intelligence to suspect that al-Qaeda is planning an attack aimed straight at the heart of the Vatican. The Secret Servant A terrorist plot in London leads Israeli spy Gabriel Allon on a desperate search for a kidnapped woman, in a race against time that will compromise Allon’s own conscience—and life... Moscow Rules The death of a journalist leads Israeli spy Gabriel Allon to Russia, where he finds that, in terms of spycraft, even he has something to learn if he wants to prevent a former KGB colonel from delivering Russia's most sophisticated weapons to al-Qaeda. Praise for the #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva and the Gabriel Allon series “Those in the know are calling him the new John Le Carré. Those who are reading him can't put him down."—Chicago Sun-Times "The enigmatic Gabriel Allon remains one of the most intriguing heroes of any thriller series."—The Philadelphia Inquirer "A writer who brings new life to the international thriller."—Newsday "Allon is Israel’s Jack Bauer…Thrill factor:*****."—USA Today "Nobody handles this kind of intrigue as well Silva. He gives Gabriel and the rest of his team the kind of depth seen only in spy novels by Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy."—Richmond Times Dispatch "A terrific thriller…one of the best-drawn fictional assassins since The Day of the Jackal."—The San Francisco Examiner “Silva builds tension with breathtaking double and triple turns of plot.”—People
We will take on any case, solve any crime, uncover any secret. We are Private. And we're the best. __________________________ In Afghanistan, a US Special Forces pilot is shot down during a covert mission. In New York, a mother is forced to flee with her two young children. A wealthy businessman approaches Jack Morgan, head of Private - the world's largest investigation agency - with a desperate plea to track down his daughter and grandchildren, who have disappeared without a trace. What at first seems to be a simple missing persons case soon escalates into something much more deadly, when Jack discovers the daughter is being pursued by highly trained operatives. As Jack uncovers more of the woman's backstory, the trail leads towards Afghanistan - where Jack's career as a US Marine ended in catastrophe . . . Jack will need to face the trauma of his past to save a family's future. __________________________ Fans love Private Rogue: 'Yet again James Patterson gives us a fast-paced, easy to read thriller' 'You think you know where it is going when all of a sudden it is flipped on its head' 'A fast-paced thriller that does not fail to please with its twists and turns.' 'James Patterson never fails to hook me in and this was another of his books that I stayed up way too late to finish... no regrets.' 'It is non stop action and I couldn't read it fast enough.' 'Packed with oodles of suspense and tension ... It is a gripping read' 'What a great book, couldn't put it down once I started it' 'It's fast paced, authentic and grabbed me from the first page. As with all of this series, it offers great characterisations, excellent research and a thoroughly gripping read. Roll on the next one.' 'High action, tense and with such urgency inherent in the text that if I had any belief I was in for an early night, that was also gone.' 'The chapters are short and pacy, each one leaving readers with a kind of cliffhanger that makes it virtually impossible to ignore the 'one more chapter' call.' 'I love the action sequences, the pace, the energy and, more than anything, the characters.' 'Fast-paced, edge of the seat action, emotionally driven story laced with a very generous helping of corruption and espionage. The kind of brilliant storytelling that makes me power to the last page.' __________________________ PRAISE FOR THE PRIVATE THRILLERS 'An unmissable, breakneck ride' James Swallow 'Great action sequences . . . breathtaking twists and turns' Anthony Horowitz 'Exhilarating, high-stakes action' Lesley Kara
Dark secrets are revealed in Vatican City in this Gabriel Allon thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva. In Munich, a Jewish scholar is assassinated. In Venice, Mossad agent and art restorer Gabriel Allon receives the news, puts down his brushes, and leaves immediately. And at the Vatican, the new pope vows to uncover the truth about the church’s response to the Holocaust—while a powerful cardinal plots his next move. Now, as Allon follows a trail of secrets and unthinkable deeds, the lives of millions are changed forever—and the life of one man becomes expendable...
