An Inside Job

I just finished reading An Inside Job, Daniel Silva's latest Gabriel Allon international thriller, and I must say, I really enjoyed it. This series began with Allon working as a spy for the Mossad, Israel's spy agency, eventually becoming that agency's director. The stories featured nerve-wracking operations against the Russians, ISIS, Iran, and other dangerous governments, all very exciting reads. Then Silva has Allon retire from the Mossad and move to Venice, his wife Chiara's hometown, where he returns to his original occupation, which is one the greatest art restorers in the world. I wondered at the time if Silva could continue the same level of excitement in his novels as before, but he does, often involving the dark side of the art world. In this adventure, Allon spots a body floating in the Grand Canal, which turns out to be a murdered Vatican art restorer. This leads to the quest to find a lost Leonardo DaVinci painting stolen from the Vatican by the Camorra, a dangerous Mafia-style criminal organization. Allon works with his old acquaintances from the art world, the Italian and Swiss police, shady characters he knows through his various missions, the Vatican police, and his friend, the Pope, to solve the murder of the Vatican restorer and several others, as well as recover the painting for the Vatican. This is a really good story that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. I highly recommend picking up a copy from your local library today.