by Daniel Silva
Part of Gabriel Allon, book 2
First published 2003
Art restorer Gabriel Allon travels to Zurich expecting a routine job restoring paintings for a wealthy banker. Instead he discovers his employer's corpse lying beneath a Raphael masterpiece. The dead man's secret collection of stolen Impressionist paintings has vanished. Gabriel's Israeli intelligence handlers emerge to reveal the truth. The banker was assassinated for his wartime secrets tied to Switzerland's collaboration with Nazi Germany. They force Gabriel back into active service as a spy. His mission pits him against a rogue assassin he once trained himself. Gabriel must navigate Swiss banking corruption and recover priceless art looted during World War II. The hunt becomes personal as Gabriel faces an enemy who knows his methods intimately. Silva grounds this thriller in historical fact about Switzerland's shameful wartime profiteering.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, action, espionage
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, spy
Setting: Zurich
Period: World War II
437 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley