by Daniel Silva
Part of Gabriel Allon, book 3
First published 2004
A Jewish scholar dies violently in Munich. Gabriel Allon, the Mossad agent who restores Renaissance paintings in his quieter moments, abandons his easel in Venice when the news reaches him. The Vatican has elected a new pope who wants to expose how the Church handled the Holocaust. A cardinal with different priorities works against him. Allon picks up the scholar's trail, following it through layers of buried history and unforgivable acts. The investigation threatens millions of lives while making one man's survival unlikely. Allon must navigate between art and espionage, between his dual identities as restorer and spy, as he uncovers truths that powerful people have killed to protect.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, action, espionage
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: dual-identity, found-family
Setting: Munich, Venice
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
416 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: violence