Art restorer and sometime spy Gabriel Allon is asked to visit Zurich, to clean the work of an Old Master for a millionaire banker. But when he gets there he finds the corpse of his client in a pool of blood beneath the masterpiece, and discovers that a secret collection of priceless paintings - stolen by Nazis in the war - is missing.
With the Swiss authorities trying to pin the murder on Allon and a powerful cabal determined to make sure this wartime secret remains buried, the art restorer must use all his former spy skills to find out the truth. And with an assassin that he helped to train also on the loose, Allon will need all his wits just to stay alive ......
"Abundant action."--The Washington Post
"A cloak-and-dagger tale [that] moves at a brisk clip, with clean, lucid exposition and characters who are thoughtfully drawn."--The New York Times
"The plot is rich, multilayered and compelling with issues as timely as the daily headlines and problems as old as humankind...Silva maintains tension and suspense."--The Denver Post
"Enthralling...a thriller that entertains as well as enlightens."--The Orlando Sentinel
"Smooth and compelling."--Detroit Free Press
"Silva's sophisticated treatment, polished prose, an edgy mood, and convincing research give his plot a crisp, almost urgent quality."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Silva knows how to plot...[he] will draw you in--and you'll learn something at the same time."--Rocky Mountain News
"Thrilling...a good, cinematic story."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"In the style of authors like Frederick Forsyth and Ken Follett, this is a book that opens with a scene that grabs your attention and never lets go...highly imaginative fiction set against a nonfiction background...you will want to read this one straight through once you've started."--New York Law Journal
"Cleverly crafted...engrossing...an intelligent thriller of the old school and one that will satisfy Silva's fans and earn him many new ones."--Chattanooga Times/Chattanooga News-Free Press
"Silva, who writes with the atmospheric grace and whiplash tension of le Carre, brings something special to the spy thriller: a multifaceted, believable hero whose sideline, spying, is only as intriguing as his regular job, restoring Old Masters....[Allon's] investigation leads to the English assassin, a rogue terrorist whose casual killings (his send-off gift to his lovers is explosives in their luggage) are breathtakingly orchestrated. Silva makes a stunning contribution to the spy thriller."--Booklist (starred review)
"The spy novel is ali
ISBN: 9780141038988
ISBN-10: 0141038985
Series: Gabriel Allon Ser.
Audience:
General
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 416
Published: 29th January 2009
Dimensions (cm): 19.8 x 12.9
x 2.5
Weight (kg): 0.276