The English Assassin was published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in 2002. Gabriel Allon travels to Zurich at the request of Augustus Rolfe, a wealthy Swiss banker who wants his Raphael restored. Allon arrives to find Rolfe murdered and the painting missing. The investigation leads into the world of stolen Holocaust art — paintings looted by the Nazis, hidden in Swiss bank vaults, and traded through a network of dealers and collectors who have profited from genocide for half a century.
The novel deepens the series’ engagement with Holocaust memory and European complicity. Switzerland’s wartime role — as a repository for looted assets, a place where stolen gold was laundered and refugees were turned away — is examined without the easy moralizing that typically accompanies the subject. Silva’s Swiss characters are not monsters; they are pragmatists, which is worse.
The “English Assassin” of the title is Christopher Keller, a former SAS officer turned professional killer who would become one of the series’ most important recurring characters — eventually becoming Allon’s closest friend and ally.
The Holocaust Art Theme
The stolen art theme would recur throughout the series. Silva, who has spoken extensively about how the art world intersects with his espionage plots, uses looted paintings as symbols of the broader theft that the Holocaust represented — not just of lives but of culture, memory, and civilisation itself. Allon’s dual role as art restorer and spy is perfectly suited to this theme: he literally repairs what was damaged while hunting those who profited from the destruction.
Christopher Keller
Keller begins the series as a villain — a paid assassin working for a Corsican crime lord — but gradually becomes Allon’s most trusted ally. His trajectory from amoral killer to loyal friend is one of the series’ most compelling character arcs, and his first appearance here establishes the charisma and lethal competence that make him a reader favourite.
Collecting The English Assassin
First edition (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 2002): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $50–$125
- Signed first edition: $100–$300
- Without jacket: $10–$20
Value trajectory (2016–2026): Moderate appreciation, following the series’ growing popularity.
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate. Signed copies should reach $200–$500.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read The Kill Artist first? The novel works as a standalone but is enriched by knowledge of Allon’s background and his relationship with Ari Shamron, both established in the first book.
Is the stolen art aspect historically accurate? Yes. The Swiss banking sector’s role in laundering Holocaust assets is well-documented. The 1990s Volcker Commission and subsequent lawsuits confirmed many of the practices Silva describes.