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Gabriel Allon #22
Portrait of an Unknown Woman
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.
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.
496 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 19, 2022
About the author
Daniel Silva
97 books8,458 followersDaniel Silva was born in Michigan in 1960 and raised in California where he received his BA from Fresno State. Silva began his writing career as a journalist for United Press International (UPI), traveling in the Middle East and covering the Iran-Iraq war, terrorism and political conflicts. From UPI he moved to CNN, where he eventually became executive producer of its Washington-based public policy programming. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy, a surprise best seller that won critical acclaim. He turned to writing full time in 1997 and all of his books have been New York Times/national best sellers, translated into 25 languages and published across Europe and the world. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Series:
* Michael Osbourne
* Gabriel Allon
Series:
* Michael Osbourne
* Gabriel Allon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,698 reviews
March 15, 2023
I have been a faithful reader of this long running and highly entertaining series featuring art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon. Author Daniel Silva has given Allon a major life change which has resulted in Portrait of an Unknown Woman being especially fresh and exciting. While always enjoyable, this series has had some books that were more to my liking than others. As a lover of art, this book (#22) had me hooked. It is a work of pure fiction but the many cases of fraud and deception in the art world inspired the author to create a very realistic portrayal of a highly sophisticated criminal syndicate. This is a fast-moving book with excellent suspense and surprises. This book can serve as a good entry into the series if you've previously wanted to jump in but felt it would be too hard to start reading such a well-established series. Long-time fans will be smiling the whole time.
Rated 4.25 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Rated 4.25 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
July 31, 2022
5+ Stars
This is, by far, the easiest and happiest 5-star review I’ll write this year! This book is an art lover’s dream!
Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has finally retired from Israeli intelligence and is residing, hopefully quietly, with his wife and children in Venice. Allon will be engaged in the task of art restoration for the Tiepolo Restoration Company of which his wife is the new manager. Surely his days of danger and violence are over.
Not so fast! Gabriel’s friend London art dealer Julian Isherwood has found himself in a bit of a spot having sold a very old painting in good faith only to be made aware that it is a possible forgery. Who else is he going to turn to for help but Gabriel?
Although Gabriel is no longer an intelligence agent for Israel this is no less a tight narrative full of suspense, sleight of hand, a few of Gabriel’s old pals and Gabriel’s own brand of dealing with unsavory people.
If this is your first Gabriel Allon book (this is #22 in the series) it will be much more enjoyable if you have read at least a few of the earlier books…although this is a totally different Allon since he is no longer a spy you’ll want the background that has brought him to this point.
For Gabriel Allon enthusiasts, as I am, I can’t see how you would be disappointed in the retired spy master as he seeks a life with his family – free of danger. My hat off to the author Daniel Silva who has created a brilliant, charismatic character and kept him interesting, intriguing, and fresh for 22 books.
For anyone interested in the subject of art forgery I recommend the movie “The Last Vermeer” (2019) – nothing to do with the book.
This is, by far, the easiest and happiest 5-star review I’ll write this year! This book is an art lover’s dream!
Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has finally retired from Israeli intelligence and is residing, hopefully quietly, with his wife and children in Venice. Allon will be engaged in the task of art restoration for the Tiepolo Restoration Company of which his wife is the new manager. Surely his days of danger and violence are over.
Not so fast! Gabriel’s friend London art dealer Julian Isherwood has found himself in a bit of a spot having sold a very old painting in good faith only to be made aware that it is a possible forgery. Who else is he going to turn to for help but Gabriel?
Although Gabriel is no longer an intelligence agent for Israel this is no less a tight narrative full of suspense, sleight of hand, a few of Gabriel’s old pals and Gabriel’s own brand of dealing with unsavory people.
If this is your first Gabriel Allon book (this is #22 in the series) it will be much more enjoyable if you have read at least a few of the earlier books…although this is a totally different Allon since he is no longer a spy you’ll want the background that has brought him to this point.
For Gabriel Allon enthusiasts, as I am, I can’t see how you would be disappointed in the retired spy master as he seeks a life with his family – free of danger. My hat off to the author Daniel Silva who has created a brilliant, charismatic character and kept him interesting, intriguing, and fresh for 22 books.
For anyone interested in the subject of art forgery I recommend the movie “The Last Vermeer” (2019) – nothing to do with the book.
October 2, 2022
So little Alon while chasing around forged paintings. 3 of 10 stars
July 25, 2022
I have read all of the Gabriel Allon books over the years but like many other authors, John Le Carrè comes to mind, this writer is a victim of his own success. His earlier books were entertaining, often informative and well written. This latest offering is totally spoilt by a weak story line, an abundance of sarcastically superior dialogue and snobbish references to brands of clothes and restaurants. Very disappointing, Mr. Silva.
February 8, 2024
Too much fluff!
August 7, 2022
I felt that this volume in the series lacked luster compared to previous volumes, which included thrilling cat and mouse chases and international intrigue. Early on there was an interaction between Gabriel Allon and his children that I enjoyed. Other than that, the story played in the background while I completed tasks and left me mostly unmoved.
October 25, 2022
Portrait of an Unknown Woman is the twenty-second novel in the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva. Gabriel Allon, the Israeli intelligence officer retired from running the legendary Iraeli Office in Tel Aviv. While the previous books were fast-paced espionage thrillers with its plots, although fictionalized, seeming to explode from the world's headlines with its timeliness as one hopscotched the globe with Gabriel Allon.
But amid all of that mystery, espionage and intrigue, there was Gabriel Allon's other love, that of restoring old masters' paintings in Venice and Rome and Florence, such as the restorations of a Bellini altarpiece. It was his friendship with art restorers, Umberto Conti and Francesco Tiepolo, that helped to bring him peace and healing when Gabriel Allon was a broken man. Now he has returned to Venice with his beautiful wife, Chiara, who manages the Tiepolo Restoration Company, while their young children, Irene and Raphael, attend the local school and Gabriel is able to paint. One evening Gabriel meets his mentor, Francesco Tiepolo, at Harry's Bar where Francesco shares a magical ring of keys that could open any door in Venice. It had been bequeathed to him by Umberto Conti, regarded as the greatest art restorer of the twentieth century. It is late that evening when Gabriel slips into the Scuola Grande di San Rocco spending a few hours with some of Tintorento's greatest works. Later he goes to Frari church standing transfixed before Titian's Assumption of the Virgin. Here he recalls the words Umberto had spoken to him when he was broken, gray-haired boy of twenty-five.
In this book, Gabriel Allon is asked by his old friend London art dealer, Julian Isherwood, to investigate the provenance of the discovery of a centuries-old seventeenth century masterpiece that has been rediscovered. It is with this that he is suddenly drawn into the dark world of deception and art forgery as he travels around Europe. This is a fast-paced and well-plotted book as Allon is drawn deeper into the darkness of the art world and art forgery. I enjoyed this stylish and sophisticated book with its many twists and turns with a stunning conclusion. And I loved this Gabriel Allon with time to sail the Adriatic Sea with his family.
But amid all of that mystery, espionage and intrigue, there was Gabriel Allon's other love, that of restoring old masters' paintings in Venice and Rome and Florence, such as the restorations of a Bellini altarpiece. It was his friendship with art restorers, Umberto Conti and Francesco Tiepolo, that helped to bring him peace and healing when Gabriel Allon was a broken man. Now he has returned to Venice with his beautiful wife, Chiara, who manages the Tiepolo Restoration Company, while their young children, Irene and Raphael, attend the local school and Gabriel is able to paint. One evening Gabriel meets his mentor, Francesco Tiepolo, at Harry's Bar where Francesco shares a magical ring of keys that could open any door in Venice. It had been bequeathed to him by Umberto Conti, regarded as the greatest art restorer of the twentieth century. It is late that evening when Gabriel slips into the Scuola Grande di San Rocco spending a few hours with some of Tintorento's greatest works. Later he goes to Frari church standing transfixed before Titian's Assumption of the Virgin. Here he recalls the words Umberto had spoken to him when he was broken, gray-haired boy of twenty-five.
"Only a man with a damaged canvas of his own can be a truly great art restorer."
In this book, Gabriel Allon is asked by his old friend London art dealer, Julian Isherwood, to investigate the provenance of the discovery of a centuries-old seventeenth century masterpiece that has been rediscovered. It is with this that he is suddenly drawn into the dark world of deception and art forgery as he travels around Europe. This is a fast-paced and well-plotted book as Allon is drawn deeper into the darkness of the art world and art forgery. I enjoyed this stylish and sophisticated book with its many twists and turns with a stunning conclusion. And I loved this Gabriel Allon with time to sail the Adriatic Sea with his family.
August 28, 2022
While he managed to not get political right out of the box like last year’s book he still laces the narrative with biased, broad brush U.S. political commentary. I’ve enjoyed previous Silva books for their artful story weaving and depictions of people and cultures. Unfortunately he has opted to paint the US in a binary spectrum of enlightened and unwashed. Even if I might agree with some of the comments they don’t belong in the book and are artless. Generally it’s still a good Silva book
July 13, 2022
Gabriel Allon Again? It is the gift that keeps on giving, isn’t it? It’s easy, stylish storytelling 101 reminiscent of the early detective genre. Reminiscent of Dashiell Hammett and black and white detective movies. The quick jab or two came in the beginning; I was laughing by page 38 at the expense of the readers who’d said, ‘if there’s any of that left-wing stuff in this one, I’m returning it and never reading another’. He got that out of the way quickly, didn’t he?
It was fast paced but leisurely in its descriptions and was again like a master class but this time in art. Not just art restoration techniques but ART and how brilliant Silva is that he has the best teachers like David Bull advising him. I sat with the phone next to me; not to answer it but to look up painting techniques to get a clearer picture of the techniques involved. (And I paint but am an amateur) The feeling was that I was in a small class being taught by a master who painted a picture with words.
All through the painting lessons you’re lured into another old-fashioned Gabriel Allon web full of spycraft, murder, deceit, and cunning. And your heart begins to race as you read the clues and discover the deception just as it has every year in such a familiar way. For me, it’s the words. It’s always the words because Silva is masterful in not only painting a picture with words but creating an environment that you could almost reach out and smell and touch and feel like the macchia (and the goat). With those words he also recreates the memories and the history of familiar characters from the previous books.
Poor Gabriel. Just as he was settling into a new life in a city that saved his life and shedding his problemed past ‘they pulled him back in’ with old and new friends helping him with yet another restoration. This time his Chiara was fully on board with this but I’m not sure how Irene felt about it.
Yes, I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy which only guarantees I’ll read it and give my true and honest opinion. See other reviews to verify that. Yes, I loved it and read it twice before I posted this. It was breathtaking and fast moving especially toward the end; I honestly had to go back to reread a couple of pages to see how we got to this new place. It was stylish and stunning. But the best part for me is that in the midst of it all I smiled at the quick sly humor and past references.
The goat, the Don, the Signadora, Julian and Oliver; they all return with a few words, and you feel it all again and smile at those memories.
It was fast paced but leisurely in its descriptions and was again like a master class but this time in art. Not just art restoration techniques but ART and how brilliant Silva is that he has the best teachers like David Bull advising him. I sat with the phone next to me; not to answer it but to look up painting techniques to get a clearer picture of the techniques involved. (And I paint but am an amateur) The feeling was that I was in a small class being taught by a master who painted a picture with words.
All through the painting lessons you’re lured into another old-fashioned Gabriel Allon web full of spycraft, murder, deceit, and cunning. And your heart begins to race as you read the clues and discover the deception just as it has every year in such a familiar way. For me, it’s the words. It’s always the words because Silva is masterful in not only painting a picture with words but creating an environment that you could almost reach out and smell and touch and feel like the macchia (and the goat). With those words he also recreates the memories and the history of familiar characters from the previous books.
Poor Gabriel. Just as he was settling into a new life in a city that saved his life and shedding his problemed past ‘they pulled him back in’ with old and new friends helping him with yet another restoration. This time his Chiara was fully on board with this but I’m not sure how Irene felt about it.
Yes, I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy which only guarantees I’ll read it and give my true and honest opinion. See other reviews to verify that. Yes, I loved it and read it twice before I posted this. It was breathtaking and fast moving especially toward the end; I honestly had to go back to reread a couple of pages to see how we got to this new place. It was stylish and stunning. But the best part for me is that in the midst of it all I smiled at the quick sly humor and past references.
The goat, the Don, the Signadora, Julian and Oliver; they all return with a few words, and you feel it all again and smile at those memories.
August 10, 2022
We get it. You hate Trump and anything you view as conservative. This has long been one of my favorite series and Gabriel is one of top three all-time favorite literary characters, but Silva's political beliefs have overshadowed the plot of the last four books.
August 14, 2022
3.5 Stars
Fans of Daniel Silva's legendary spy Gabriel Allon probably won't be surprised to learn that he has retired from "The Office"... the Israeli intelligence service. The author has hinted at this in his last few books. Gabriel, his wife Chiara, and their two children have moved to Venice. Chiara has taken over management of the Tiepolo Restoration Company. Gabriel will take on art restoration. He will be working for Chiara. Her first order is for rest and relaxation (or recuperation). All he has to do is take Irene and Raphael to school in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. Maybe pick up some groceries on the way home for dinner. The rest of the day he is free to wander the streets and canals of the city. That is the plan.
Then his friend Julian Isherwood asks for his help. Isherwood Fine Arts found and sold a centuries-old painting attributed to Anthony van Dyck. Julian was contacted by a woman and questions over the provenance and authenticity arose. Julian had agreed to meet the woman but she was killed and Julian attacked. His hotel room searched. He needs Gabriel's help.
In this story we see the seamy side of the art world where art is treated as a commodity. Something to be bought and sold. Gabriel soon discovers that the van Dyck is almost certainly a very clever forgery. Unscrupulous dealers routinely deceive their customers and investors who treat great paintings as though they were an asset to be bought and sold at a profit. To catch this clever forger Gabriel hatches a clever deception. He will become a forger too.
Fans of Daniel Silva's legendary spy Gabriel Allon probably won't be surprised to learn that he has retired from "The Office"... the Israeli intelligence service. The author has hinted at this in his last few books. Gabriel, his wife Chiara, and their two children have moved to Venice. Chiara has taken over management of the Tiepolo Restoration Company. Gabriel will take on art restoration. He will be working for Chiara. Her first order is for rest and relaxation (or recuperation). All he has to do is take Irene and Raphael to school in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. Maybe pick up some groceries on the way home for dinner. The rest of the day he is free to wander the streets and canals of the city. That is the plan.
Then his friend Julian Isherwood asks for his help. Isherwood Fine Arts found and sold a centuries-old painting attributed to Anthony van Dyck. Julian was contacted by a woman and questions over the provenance and authenticity arose. Julian had agreed to meet the woman but she was killed and Julian attacked. His hotel room searched. He needs Gabriel's help.
In this story we see the seamy side of the art world where art is treated as a commodity. Something to be bought and sold. Gabriel soon discovers that the van Dyck is almost certainly a very clever forgery. Unscrupulous dealers routinely deceive their customers and investors who treat great paintings as though they were an asset to be bought and sold at a profit. To catch this clever forger Gabriel hatches a clever deception. He will become a forger too.
October 20, 2022
Meh...Not the page-turner Daniel Silva can usually turn out...IMHO.
August 19, 2022
another great Gabriel Allon story ... but with a significant difference ... Gabriel has retired and is no longer affiliated with Israeli intelligence ... although it seems he can still pull all the levels as needed ... this story exposes the rampant fraud in the world of high-priced art ... Silva makes the unbelievable seem quite plausible
August 5, 2022
I listened as far as I could (about halfway) but just didn’t care about anyone or anything in this story. I had to give up since there are so many other books to read!
July 20, 2022
I'm always happy to be back reading the adventures of Gabriel and while I'm happy that he is retired and living a life a leisure, I missed him working with his whole team. There were a couple of the characters in this one to still make it fun, but the team as a whole brings so much, yet I don't know how you would work them in with Gabriel not working any more. Yes, I want my cake and to eat it too! lol
I did love how Gabriel kept telling people how he was retired, not doing anything, yet he was right in the middle of this one directing everything as they ran around Europe and jetted to the US and back multiple times. Sara seemed to be the one most by his side as he worked through things. She had the knowledge and contacts to help in many parts and herself was invested in things.
Slowly Gabriel chipped away at what was really going on, just who the bad guys were and what they were doing. When it all came out it was explosive in the repercussions, but I also think not quite enough as witnessed by the last conversation Gabriel had with one of the bad guys. I wanted them to be punished more.
I did love how Gabriel kept telling people how he was retired, not doing anything, yet he was right in the middle of this one directing everything as they ran around Europe and jetted to the US and back multiple times. Sara seemed to be the one most by his side as he worked through things. She had the knowledge and contacts to help in many parts and herself was invested in things.
Slowly Gabriel chipped away at what was really going on, just who the bad guys were and what they were doing. When it all came out it was explosive in the repercussions, but I also think not quite enough as witnessed by the last conversation Gabriel had with one of the bad guys. I wanted them to be punished more.
July 28, 2022
I have really enjoyed the Gabriel Allon series. Until now. This was an absolute waste of time. Allon has spent a lifetime in the fast-paced and daring spy game on behalf of Israel. He is always going after terrorists, evil leaders of shadow regimes and syndicates, or international criminal enterprises. He seems to go from one tenuous position to the next and uses his cunning and a team of experts to navigate through the danger.
Now, he is retired. And in this installment, he is chasing down...an art forger. Yawn. This had zero thrill and the suspense was nil, as it was pretty clear from the start who the bad guys were. I fell asleep so many times while reading this installment and only finished it because I thought it had to get better. Spoiler alert...it didn't. Silva's resolution showed no real closure and even less creativity. I think it is time to retire the character if this is what we are to expect OR maybe start telling the exploits of Christopher now that he is a legit British spy, but with Allon as his mentor on the periphery. Just no more art theft "thrillers," please.
Now, he is retired. And in this installment, he is chasing down...an art forger. Yawn. This had zero thrill and the suspense was nil, as it was pretty clear from the start who the bad guys were. I fell asleep so many times while reading this installment and only finished it because I thought it had to get better. Spoiler alert...it didn't. Silva's resolution showed no real closure and even less creativity. I think it is time to retire the character if this is what we are to expect OR maybe start telling the exploits of Christopher now that he is a legit British spy, but with Allon as his mentor on the periphery. Just no more art theft "thrillers," please.
July 22, 2022
I hate to be the dissenting voice in the current reviews of this book, but here goes...
I have loved Silva's Gabriel Allon books since the very first one, and always anxiously await each new addition to the collection. But this book deviated from the typical Allon. It eliminated the razor-sharp plots with the more traditional "bad guys" and replaced it with a milder, esoteric battle that, for me, fell flat. Don't get me wrong; I love and have always loved art, especially paintings and sculptures. It's one of the secondary reasons why I enjoy the series so much. BUT...chasing and defeating more traditionally evil villains is of significantly more interest to me.
I have loved Silva's Gabriel Allon books since the very first one, and always anxiously await each new addition to the collection. But this book deviated from the typical Allon. It eliminated the razor-sharp plots with the more traditional "bad guys" and replaced it with a milder, esoteric battle that, for me, fell flat. Don't get me wrong; I love and have always loved art, especially paintings and sculptures. It's one of the secondary reasons why I enjoy the series so much. BUT...chasing and defeating more traditionally evil villains is of significantly more interest to me.
August 5, 2022
I am a Daniel Silva fan who always preorders and eagerly awaits each new book. Unfortunately, Portrait of an Unknown Woman is a disappointment. Absent is the geopolitical intrigue involving Israel, gone is Gabriel Allon's crack security team. Instead we have a slow moving, tediously technical tale of international art forgery. I only finished this book in the hope it would improve. It didn't.
August 9, 2022
Sometimes, you just have to throw caution to the wind and go your own way, even if you have to override good judgment in the process. Such was the case with this book; the main character, art restorer and former Israeli intelligence chief Gabriel Allon sits at the top of my all-time favorite "hero" list. So when I got my hands on a copy of this latest book - No. 22 - I set aside my stack of for-review books despite their too-fast-approaching deadlines and went for it. And although Gabriel's journey isn't quite as nail-bitingly dangerous as many of the past installments with respect to his survival and that of his beautiful wife Ciara or any of the other characters I've come to know and love from previous books, the story was deliciously detailed as usual and solidified Gabriel's top-of-the-list standing.
As Gabriel and Ciara ready their home in Venice, where Gabriel will begin restoration work for his wife's company, his longtime friend and art dealer Julian Isherwood tells him a woman who sent him a letter asking to meet regarding an important painting never showed - with good reason; she's dead. More investigation suggests Julian may have bought and sold a fake painting; if true, it would discredit him and bring down his entire operation. Just for that reason alone, Gabriel wants to help; and he puts his monumental talents as a spy, art restorer and painter to work as he gathers those familiar friends to get down to business.
And for sure, the business that's going down isn't pretty; but it's quite lucrative for those who ply the forgery trade. In fact, the financial ramifications, particularly with regard to the provenance of a 17th-century masterpiece, runs into the millions. Getting to the truth means Gabriel and friends will need to insert themselves square in the middle of the action, weaving a net that's sure to snare the "bad guys" and save Julian's reputation. To be sure, it's a complex one, filled with knotholes and twists plus the usual rich and enticing descriptions of people, places and things that make this author's books a real treat to read. Of course, I can't reveal any of the fine points of the action (and fine points they are) without giving too much away, so I'll just say it's another one well done and I'm glad I made the time to read it. Kudos!
As Gabriel and Ciara ready their home in Venice, where Gabriel will begin restoration work for his wife's company, his longtime friend and art dealer Julian Isherwood tells him a woman who sent him a letter asking to meet regarding an important painting never showed - with good reason; she's dead. More investigation suggests Julian may have bought and sold a fake painting; if true, it would discredit him and bring down his entire operation. Just for that reason alone, Gabriel wants to help; and he puts his monumental talents as a spy, art restorer and painter to work as he gathers those familiar friends to get down to business.
And for sure, the business that's going down isn't pretty; but it's quite lucrative for those who ply the forgery trade. In fact, the financial ramifications, particularly with regard to the provenance of a 17th-century masterpiece, runs into the millions. Getting to the truth means Gabriel and friends will need to insert themselves square in the middle of the action, weaving a net that's sure to snare the "bad guys" and save Julian's reputation. To be sure, it's a complex one, filled with knotholes and twists plus the usual rich and enticing descriptions of people, places and things that make this author's books a real treat to read. Of course, I can't reveal any of the fine points of the action (and fine points they are) without giving too much away, so I'll just say it's another one well done and I'm glad I made the time to read it. Kudos!
April 24, 2023
The gang is back. Gabriel Allon may be retired from the Israeli Intelligence and living in Venice as a art restorer, but that does not stop his past from reappearing - London Art Dealer Julian Isherwood, famed violinist Anna Rolfe, former agent and art director Sarah Bancroft, and her husband, a man of many names - an assassin in his past life and a spy in his present. A painting and a death lead Gabriel to the dark side of the art world. He is unstoppable in his pursuit for the truth and justice. Daniel Silva continues writing entertaining, intelligent, fast paced, and intriguing plots. Both Gabriel and Silva are still the masters at their crafts. 4.5 stars.
August 22, 2022
DNF.
Stephen King. Michael Connelly. And now, Daniel Silva. What do they have in common? Authors I have loved for years, and now have become victim of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). During the pandemic shut down, Silva obviously decided to cave to the urge to join the "intellectual" cadre of elite thinkers that reside under the dome of their own worldview.
Stephen King. Michael Connelly. And now, Daniel Silva. What do they have in common? Authors I have loved for years, and now have become victim of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). During the pandemic shut down, Silva obviously decided to cave to the urge to join the "intellectual" cadre of elite thinkers that reside under the dome of their own worldview.
November 5, 2023
Daniel Silva creatief with Gabriel Allon an interesting spy with an interesting original line of work namely art restorer by the name of Mario Delveccio. Now that Allon has retired as a spy master hé returns to Venice with his beloved wife Chiara and the twins, were they return to the art restoring company were Gabriel can return to his artistic side of his being. Hé is finally at peace.
When his friend from the London art world has a seemingly little issue with a sale which might or might not be a forgery. Gabriel promises to take a look and before hé knows both the French and Italian artsquad have him running an investigation into widespread forgeries.
Anorher excellent book by Mr Silva this time about art and the art of forgery which Gabriel Allon is the ideal character to put into. Especially for folks like me who enjoy this subject the book is an interesting whodunnit, howdunnit and certainly less of of a spy thriller.
Mr Silva does deliver a brilliant story and a great insight into the world of art and high finance. As always a pleasure to read a New book from Mr Silva whose book have yet to fail me.
Well advised readingmaterial for thriller fans.
When his friend from the London art world has a seemingly little issue with a sale which might or might not be a forgery. Gabriel promises to take a look and before hé knows both the French and Italian artsquad have him running an investigation into widespread forgeries.
Anorher excellent book by Mr Silva this time about art and the art of forgery which Gabriel Allon is the ideal character to put into. Especially for folks like me who enjoy this subject the book is an interesting whodunnit, howdunnit and certainly less of of a spy thriller.
Mr Silva does deliver a brilliant story and a great insight into the world of art and high finance. As always a pleasure to read a New book from Mr Silva whose book have yet to fail me.
Well advised readingmaterial for thriller fans.
August 3, 2022
The writer admits the book is purely for entertainment and that's correct because a well crafted spy novel it certainly isn't. I'm surprised Mr Silva didn't run out of superlatives to describe Gabriel and his team. I still quite enjoyed it but would classify it more as chit lit and it doesn't come anywhere near the standard of earlier books in this series. Gabriel does seem happier so there's that.
July 17, 2022
I was fortunate to receive an early copy of this book from the publisher during a drawing. I’m a huge fan of Daniel Silva and his astounding character Gabriel Allon. I await each summer for the next novel in the series. This was quite the treat.
Not to give too much away but Gabriel, Chiara, Irene, and Raphael are now living in Venice after Gabriel has retired from The Office. This is a story of art and money and intrigue. Many familiar characters return for this story. Julien Isherwood, Sarah Bancroft, and many of the denizens of Mason’s Yard.
This is a stellar story as all of the Allon stories are. It has intrigue, murder, great wine and food and characters you won’t soon forget. My only advice is go out and purchase this on July 19th so you can enjoy it as much as I did. I would like to thank Harper for gifting me this copy.
Not to give too much away but Gabriel, Chiara, Irene, and Raphael are now living in Venice after Gabriel has retired from The Office. This is a story of art and money and intrigue. Many familiar characters return for this story. Julien Isherwood, Sarah Bancroft, and many of the denizens of Mason’s Yard.
This is a stellar story as all of the Allon stories are. It has intrigue, murder, great wine and food and characters you won’t soon forget. My only advice is go out and purchase this on July 19th so you can enjoy it as much as I did. I would like to thank Harper for gifting me this copy.
October 25, 2022
So I was at a point where I needed to be distracted and not have to think too hard, so I chose this book. I had never read anything by this prolific author before. And while I was reading, there were many references to the past exploits of his hero that are recounted in the author’s other novels.
It was pretty apparent early on who the bad guy was. But it was Gabriel Allon, our hero, who bothered me. He didn’t seem to have a single flaw. Expert secret agent, supreme painter, tremendous lover of his younger wife, sharp dresser, friend to the rich, powerful, and even a mafia Don!
Of course, in this novel, he rights all wrongs, solves the mystery, and saves the day. All in all, the very distraction that I was looking for. Too bad the hero was such a turn off, or I might read another.
It was pretty apparent early on who the bad guy was. But it was Gabriel Allon, our hero, who bothered me. He didn’t seem to have a single flaw. Expert secret agent, supreme painter, tremendous lover of his younger wife, sharp dresser, friend to the rich, powerful, and even a mafia Don!
Of course, in this novel, he rights all wrongs, solves the mystery, and saves the day. All in all, the very distraction that I was looking for. Too bad the hero was such a turn off, or I might read another.
September 2, 2022
This story is cinema-ready with fascinating characters, action, locations, focus on art forgery and Allon's brilliant plans from start to finish to bring a halt to financial fraud. It's not just the plot that is superior, but it shines in lively characters that can be easily imagined.
A very good read!
Library Loan
A very good read!
Library Loan
July 31, 2022
Boring, too much narrative, with a hint of
Deja Vu...
Silva's Muse has left him...
I would suggest a new job at CNN with his wife.
Deja Vu...
Silva's Muse has left him...
I would suggest a new job at CNN with his wife.
August 1, 2022
Book Review
Portrait of an Unknown Woman
Daniel Silva
reviewed by Lou Jacobs
readersremains.com | Goodreads
Has master Israeli spy and assassin, Gabriel Allon really retired? Or rather, has he merely switched occupations?
He embarks on an investigation into the provenance and authenticity of an old-master painting, “Portrait Of An Unknown Woman” attributed to Flemish artist, Anthony Van Dyck, while leaving a trail of deceit, conspiracy and multiple murders. Gabriel tries to retire to Venice with his beautiful wife, Chiara, and the twins, Irene and Raphael. His day consists of dropping off and retrieving his children from elementary school. He wanders the gorgeous streets of Venice, visiting the canal-side cafes, and the Rialto Market to fetch the ingredients for the evening meal. He reads voraciously, while listening to music, and occasionally painting “A Monet” or “A Cezanne.” Chiara insists he rest and not return to work; eventually she will allow him to start restoring paintings—his actual trained vocation.
His sedentary life is suddenly interrupted with a phone call from his friend Julian Isherwood of Isherwood Fine Arts. Julian has sold a painting for millions to the wealthy American investor, Phillip Somerset. Phillip’s investment company, Masterpiece Art Ventures, is extremely successful, delivering a twenty-five percent annual return to his superrich clients. He’s constantly buying and selling paintings and earning enormous profits, operating essentially as a hedge fund.
Unexpectedly, a letter arrives in the post, beckoning Julian to a meeting in Bordeaux to discuss the painting. Julian, worried about the significance of the letter, arrives at the cafe as directed, only to be stood-up. The sender, Madame Valerie Berranger, apparently has had a fatal auto accident on the way to the meeting. Her cell phone was never found.
The collision was erroneously declared accidental by the local police. What kind of art dealer hires a professional assassin to kill someone in a dispute over a painting? Possibly one involved in a very lucrative criminal enterprise. Gabriel immediately is suspicious of authenticity and embarks upon an epic “sting” operation to expose, what he suspects is the greatest forger in history. His suspicions lead him to the Galerie Georges Fleury. He finds the owner and his assistant brutally murdered, while the gallery is subsequently fire-bombed.
Silva masterfully crafts a complex and twisted plot of deceit, betrayal, and conspiracy with the last third of the book effortlessly propelling the reader onto a roller coaster ride. Silva delightfully laces this tale with tongue-in-cheek humor, and reprises the roles of many of Gabriel’s beloved characters. Expertly the reprised roles are made seamless with the necessary backstory. The exhilarating denouement is punctuated with marvelous spy craft, deception, and murder. This compelling thriller will take us on a trip from London, to France, Spain and Corsica, where we will encounter, Sara Bancroft (ex-CIA officer), “Peter Marlowe” ( government officer and reformed assassin), Anna Rolfe (world famous violinist and paramour of Gabriel), and on Corsica; the Don, the Signadora, and certainly The Goat.
The art market is totally unregulated with arbitrary pricing and virtually nonexistent quality control. Most paintings change hands under conditions of secrecy. All of which make a perfect environment for fraud. Oftentimes a subjective process is used to determine the origin and authenticity of a painting. Miraculously a newly discovered painting emerges from a previously “unknown collection.” Obviously these beautiful and culturally significant paintings should not be treated as commodities, like soybeans or pork bellies. By one estimate, at least twenty percent of the paintings in the National Gallery of London are misattributed works or outright forgeries. Will Gabriel be able to take down this massive criminal enterprise, backed by perhaps the greatest forger in history?
Published at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.com
July 21, 2022
Not as bad as the Catholic bashing book, but Silva just can’t help his Trump bashing. And now we can add in the climate hysteria religion.
Jet setting Limosine liberal.
Not a bad story. We don’t get the whole King Saul Blvd team here. But we get Christopher Keller and Sara Bancroft.
And an international art forgery ring.
The best part of the book was the narrator. He was superb.
Jet setting Limosine liberal.
Not a bad story. We don’t get the whole King Saul Blvd team here. But we get Christopher Keller and Sara Bancroft.
And an international art forgery ring.
The best part of the book was the narrator. He was superb.
April 12, 2023
Art for money’s sake…
Gabriel Allon has retired from his job as head of Israeli Intelligence and moved with his wife, Chiara, and two young children to Venice, where Chiara will be running an art restoration business. Gabriel is an art expert and skilled restorer and plans to take on some work in that field eventually, but first Chiara insists that he take a long break to give himself time to fully recover from injuries received in the last book. However, an old friend, art dealer Julian Isherwood, consults him about a painting that he bought in good faith as an original but now fears may be a forgery, and Gabriel finds himself on the trail of a major art fraud that takes him across continents and into danger…
When a copy of this popped through the door from the good people at HarperCollins, I was somewhat put off by the idea of it being the 22nd book in a series I hadn’t read. Generally speaking in contemporary crime fiction, in a series as long-running as this all the major characters will have a ton of backstory that makes them feel like old friends to regular readers, but leaves new readers feeling lost or uninvolved. However, it turned out that this is really a very good place for a newbie to jump into this series. Because Gabriel has retired from the career that was central to the previous books and moved location to Venice, it almost feels like the beginning of a new series. Sure, it was obvious there was lots I didn’t know about Gabriel’s past and his relationship with Chiara, but a lot of it wouldn’t have been relevant to their new life anyway, and Silva filled in any back information that was essential to the plot.
The story takes us deep into the world of art dealing and the many frauds that come in any business where such enormously inflated prices are paid for the privilege of owning an “original”. Not a field I know anything about, but it certainly felt as if Silva knew his stuff, and relayed the information interestingly. Silva shows that much art dealing is done as an investment rather than for love of art. Naturally the book takes place mostly among the obscenely rich – who else would pay zillions for a piece of art just to store it in a vault and wait for it to appreciate in value? So the reader is taken to expensive restaurants and grand hotels, and flown around the world in private jets, and we get to see people pay millions for a picture as casually as us common types might buy a magazine. It all felt quite escapist – not a lifestyle many of us could aspire to, and I’d like to think most of us would find something more useful to do with enormous wealth if we ever had it, but I enjoyed the vicarious luxury anyway!
The Venice setting is done very well, although obviously we only see how the rich live. The investigation soon sees Gabriel travelling to other European countries and over to the US and Canada, so there’s a real international feel to it, and I felt he managed to hint at the different cultures without getting bogged down in irrelevancies. Gabriel’s background in intelligence is a help to him since he has contacts all over the world, and his reputation as one of the world’s good guys opens doors for him that would have remained firmly shut to ordinary amateur detectives.
There are aspects of both the plot and Gabriel’s superhuman skills and talents that go well over the credibility line, but the whole story, concentrating as it does on the fabulously wealthy and equally fabulously unscrupulous, is so far beyond what most of us would ever experience that the credibility line is almost meaningless in the context. To catch the baddies, Gabriel must pull off a sting operation that smacked more of James Bond than gritty realism, and it all leads up to a typically thrilling denouement.
I thoroughly enjoyed it as a bit of very well written escapism with some great settings, a likeable hero, and lots of interesting stuff about art as business. There’s even quite a lot about art as art too! I suspect I enjoyed retired Gabriel more than I would working Gabriel, since the kind of action thriller based around intelligence services isn’t usually my thing, so I think I was lucky that I received book 22 rather than books 1-21, though I may backtrack and try one or two. I’ll certainly look out for book 23 though, if there is one!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Gabriel Allon has retired from his job as head of Israeli Intelligence and moved with his wife, Chiara, and two young children to Venice, where Chiara will be running an art restoration business. Gabriel is an art expert and skilled restorer and plans to take on some work in that field eventually, but first Chiara insists that he take a long break to give himself time to fully recover from injuries received in the last book. However, an old friend, art dealer Julian Isherwood, consults him about a painting that he bought in good faith as an original but now fears may be a forgery, and Gabriel finds himself on the trail of a major art fraud that takes him across continents and into danger…
When a copy of this popped through the door from the good people at HarperCollins, I was somewhat put off by the idea of it being the 22nd book in a series I hadn’t read. Generally speaking in contemporary crime fiction, in a series as long-running as this all the major characters will have a ton of backstory that makes them feel like old friends to regular readers, but leaves new readers feeling lost or uninvolved. However, it turned out that this is really a very good place for a newbie to jump into this series. Because Gabriel has retired from the career that was central to the previous books and moved location to Venice, it almost feels like the beginning of a new series. Sure, it was obvious there was lots I didn’t know about Gabriel’s past and his relationship with Chiara, but a lot of it wouldn’t have been relevant to their new life anyway, and Silva filled in any back information that was essential to the plot.
The story takes us deep into the world of art dealing and the many frauds that come in any business where such enormously inflated prices are paid for the privilege of owning an “original”. Not a field I know anything about, but it certainly felt as if Silva knew his stuff, and relayed the information interestingly. Silva shows that much art dealing is done as an investment rather than for love of art. Naturally the book takes place mostly among the obscenely rich – who else would pay zillions for a piece of art just to store it in a vault and wait for it to appreciate in value? So the reader is taken to expensive restaurants and grand hotels, and flown around the world in private jets, and we get to see people pay millions for a picture as casually as us common types might buy a magazine. It all felt quite escapist – not a lifestyle many of us could aspire to, and I’d like to think most of us would find something more useful to do with enormous wealth if we ever had it, but I enjoyed the vicarious luxury anyway!
The Venice setting is done very well, although obviously we only see how the rich live. The investigation soon sees Gabriel travelling to other European countries and over to the US and Canada, so there’s a real international feel to it, and I felt he managed to hint at the different cultures without getting bogged down in irrelevancies. Gabriel’s background in intelligence is a help to him since he has contacts all over the world, and his reputation as one of the world’s good guys opens doors for him that would have remained firmly shut to ordinary amateur detectives.
There are aspects of both the plot and Gabriel’s superhuman skills and talents that go well over the credibility line, but the whole story, concentrating as it does on the fabulously wealthy and equally fabulously unscrupulous, is so far beyond what most of us would ever experience that the credibility line is almost meaningless in the context. To catch the baddies, Gabriel must pull off a sting operation that smacked more of James Bond than gritty realism, and it all leads up to a typically thrilling denouement.
I thoroughly enjoyed it as a bit of very well written escapism with some great settings, a likeable hero, and lots of interesting stuff about art as business. There’s even quite a lot about art as art too! I suspect I enjoyed retired Gabriel more than I would working Gabriel, since the kind of action thriller based around intelligence services isn’t usually my thing, so I think I was lucky that I received book 22 rather than books 1-21, though I may backtrack and try one or two. I’ll certainly look out for book 23 though, if there is one!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
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