by Daniel Silva
Part of Gabriel Allon, book 24
First published 2024
Gabriel Allon slips into London for a quiet reception celebrating a recovered van Gogh self-portrait at the Courtauld Gallery. His plans change when Devon and Cornwall Police ask for help with a puzzling murder case. The victim is Charlotte Blake, an Oxford art history professor killed in a Cornish seaside village where Gabriel once lived under false identity. The murder looks like the work of a serial killer terrorizing Cornwall, but Gabriel spots inconsistencies. Blake's missing phone and a three-letter cipher in her study suggest something deeper. Gabriel learns Blake was hunting a looted Picasso worth over $100 million. He takes up her search using six forged Impressionist paintings and assembles an unusual team: a famous violinist, a master thief, and a former contract killer now working as a British spy. The chase leads from Cornwall's cliffs to Corsica and finally to 10 Downing Street, where Gabriel must solve both the murder and recover the stolen masterpiece.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, action, art-history
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family, unlikely-team
Setting: Cornwall, Corsica, London, Courtauld Gallery, 10 Downing Street
Period: 2024
416 pages · Hardcover · Harper