Daniel Silva Talks The Secret Servant

Posted on August 1, 2007

Journalists and bestelling novelist Daniel Silva talks with The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch about his new spy thriller, The Secret Servant and the star of the books, art restorer and sometime Israeli spy Gabriel Allon.

Q: What do Israeli readers think of your hero, spy-assassin Gabriel Allon?
A: Unfortunately, because Israel is in a tough neighborhood, Gabriel Allon is inspired by truth. If you watch the movie "Munich," you know that there are people like Gabriel. I do get wonderful reaction from people in Israel. All too often they have become accustomed to being demonized simply because they are Israeli. They like seeing one of their own on the best-seller list in America.
Q: They don't think he's too cold?
A: Oh no, no. I think they recognize him as dead-on, actually (laughs). They don't see him as being too taciturn, misanthropic or melancholy. He's a child of Holocaust survivors. I talked to a clinical psychologist who has studied second-generation Holocaust-survivor syndrome. ... I apparently nailed it dead-on with Gabriel.
Q: What are some of the personality traits?
A: He's an art restorer and always covers the painting with a work shroud so people cannot see him working. He doesn't like people to see him when he's restoring. He does suffer from a bit of melancholia, as it were. His personal relationships are somewhat troubled.

Daniel (who is married to Today correspondent Jamie Gangel) personally walks all the locations in his book before he writes and he often takes his wife and 12 year-old twins on his lengthy research trips.

We just finished reading The Secret Servant: it's fantastic: we highly recommend the entire series to anyone who loves thrillers and/or spy novels. You can visit Daniel's website here.