A Death in Vienna
Encyclopedia
Published in 2004, A Death in Vienna is the fourth spy
novel in the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva
.
is bombed, resulting in the death of the two female staff and serious injury to the Director. Gabriel Allon, a former assassin for 'The Office' and working under a new identity as an art restorer in Venice
, is requested by former director Ari Shamron, to go to Vienna to investigate. He is approached by a mysterious man - a Holocaust survivor - who claims to have information, but after following up this information, the man is found murdered. Allon is apprehended by Austrian security police and expelled from the country, but not before his suspicions have fallen on a man he briefly met in a cafe; Ludwig Vogel.
At the Yad Vashem
, research reveals that Vogel is probably a Nazi war criminal and former SD
officer, Erich Radek. The trail to establish Vogel's true identity takes Allon to the Vatican
, where he obtains information that the Vatican would rather not be known: that Radek was one of many escaping Nazis helped and sheltered by the Vatican. The trail further takes him to Argentina
where Radek is supposedly buried. Finding the grave and headstone of 'Radek', Allon is nearly killed by an assassin who's been following him; a man known only as The Clockmaker. He is rescued by CIA agents who have also been trailing him and the assassin escapes.
At CIA headquarters in Langley, the truth comes out. Radek was one of many recruited by the CIA to set up an intelligence network in Germany. He is also the trustee of several billion dollars worth of investments, based on looted money and assets. These are now controlled by a Swiss banker. But Radek is retired and is regarded by the CIA as 'disposable'. The CIA agree to cooperate in his kidnap by the Israelis. The Prime Minister of Israel reluctantly approves the operation.
With the enforced assistance of the Swiss banker, who controls the secret bank accounts and investments, Radek is enticed into the hands of a kidnap team in Vienna. Drugged and hidden in a van, he is spirited across the border into the Czech Republic
and thence into Poland
. He is taken to the memorial on the site of the exterminatipn camp of Treblinka, where he worked to obliterate the truth about the camp. Radek is forced to confess his many crimes, including murdering people in the Death marches. It transpires that he met and nearly killed Allon's Mother, but spared her life because she stood up to him.
Radek is taken to Israel and placed in solitary confinment. In return for not being tried and executed, he is to prepare a detailed history of Aktion 1005, which he was heavily involved in.
In Vienna, Peter Metzler, a right-wing politician running for election as Chancellor
, is duly elected. The knowledge that he is actually Radek's son is kept secret, although known to the CIA and The Office.
Allon returns to his restoration work in Venice. In Vienna, the Clockmaker receives a parcel bomb and is killed.
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
novel in the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva
Daniel Silva
Daniel Silva is the best-selling American author of 14 thriller and espionage novels. His most recent novel, "Portrait of a Spy" was published July 19, 2011 and was an instant #1 bestseller. His past three books The Rembrandt Affair , "The Defector" and "Moscow Rules" all were #1 New York...
.
Plot summary
An Israeli-run Holocaust research office in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
is bombed, resulting in the death of the two female staff and serious injury to the Director. Gabriel Allon, a former assassin for 'The Office' and working under a new identity as an art restorer in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, is requested by former director Ari Shamron, to go to Vienna to investigate. He is approached by a mysterious man - a Holocaust survivor - who claims to have information, but after following up this information, the man is found murdered. Allon is apprehended by Austrian security police and expelled from the country, but not before his suspicions have fallen on a man he briefly met in a cafe; Ludwig Vogel.
At the Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
, research reveals that Vogel is probably a Nazi war criminal and former SD
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
officer, Erich Radek. The trail to establish Vogel's true identity takes Allon to the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, where he obtains information that the Vatican would rather not be known: that Radek was one of many escaping Nazis helped and sheltered by the Vatican. The trail further takes him to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
where Radek is supposedly buried. Finding the grave and headstone of 'Radek', Allon is nearly killed by an assassin who's been following him; a man known only as The Clockmaker. He is rescued by CIA agents who have also been trailing him and the assassin escapes.
At CIA headquarters in Langley, the truth comes out. Radek was one of many recruited by the CIA to set up an intelligence network in Germany. He is also the trustee of several billion dollars worth of investments, based on looted money and assets. These are now controlled by a Swiss banker. But Radek is retired and is regarded by the CIA as 'disposable'. The CIA agree to cooperate in his kidnap by the Israelis. The Prime Minister of Israel reluctantly approves the operation.
With the enforced assistance of the Swiss banker, who controls the secret bank accounts and investments, Radek is enticed into the hands of a kidnap team in Vienna. Drugged and hidden in a van, he is spirited across the border into the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and thence into Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He is taken to the memorial on the site of the exterminatipn camp of Treblinka, where he worked to obliterate the truth about the camp. Radek is forced to confess his many crimes, including murdering people in the Death marches. It transpires that he met and nearly killed Allon's Mother, but spared her life because she stood up to him.
Radek is taken to Israel and placed in solitary confinment. In return for not being tried and executed, he is to prepare a detailed history of Aktion 1005, which he was heavily involved in.
In Vienna, Peter Metzler, a right-wing politician running for election as Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
, is duly elected. The knowledge that he is actually Radek's son is kept secret, although known to the CIA and The Office.
Allon returns to his restoration work in Venice. In Vienna, the Clockmaker receives a parcel bomb and is killed.