Silva frequently takes his children on research trips for his books. They later married, and Silva converted from Catholicism to Judaism, his wife's religion. Silva met Jamie Gangel, a CNN special correspondent while they were both correspondents in the Middle East. On May 15, 2017, MGM Television acquired the adaption rights for the Allon series, though no production schedule was released and it was not specified which novel or novels were under consideration. In 2011, it was announced that Jeff Zucker would serve as producer, though the deal was never signed. In 2007, Universal Pictures made an offer to option the rights to Silva's Gabriel Allon series, starting with The Messenger (2005). Silva did not come into the Allon series with a significant understanding of the world of art restoration but was able to use a neighbor's expertise to help him turn a spy-assassin into an artist. Some of his novels involve Islamic terrorism, some involve Russian villains, and some are about historic events related to World War II and the Holocaust. Thirteen of the series' titles hit number one on The New York Times list of best sellers ( Bibliography, below). The series has been a New York Times bestseller since its first installment in 2001. Gabriel Allon, an Israeli art restorer, spy and assassin, is the protagonist in all but three of Silva's titles. Since then Silva has written 23 more spy novels, all best-sellers on The New York Times list. In 1997 Silva left CNN to pursue writing full-time. The novel debuted on The New York Times best-seller list on Januit remained on the list for five weeks, rising to number 13. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy (1996).

He worked as a producer and executive producer for several of CNN's television programs, including Crossfire and Capital Gang.

Silva returned to Washington, D.C., for a position with Cable News Network's Washington bureau. After two more years, he was appointed as UPI's Middle East correspondent and moved to Cairo. UPI made Silva's position permanent and, a year later transferred him to the Washington, D.C. His assignment was to cover the Democratic National Convention. Silva began his writing career as a journalist with a temporary position at UPI in 1984. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Fresno and began a graduate program in international relations at San Francisco State University, but left when offered employment as a journalist at United Press International (UPI). When Silva was seven years old, his family moved to Merced, California. California State University, Fresno ( BA)ĭaniel Silva (born 1960) is an American journalist and author of thriller and spy novels.

The unlikely spy silva