From the opening paragraph, An Inside Job transports you into Gabriel Allon’s universe and doesn’t release its grip until the riveting final word. The fact that this stunning tale of corruption, art, and international finance is based on actual events makes the story that much more compelling. Better than anyone else in the thriller game, Daniel Silva leads fans on an entertaining, educational, and exciting escapade through art history and explores the measures to which individuals and organizations will go to possess the unattainable.
While on a short break during his restoration of a Titian, the renowned art restorer and former intelligence operative discovers a body in the Venetian Lagoon. When he recognizes the young woman, his finely tuned investigative instincts lead him down a deadly trail towards a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci recently found in and then stolen from the Vatican archives.
Gabriel clues lead him to several of his old stomping grounds, requiring him to call in favors from friends, new and old, to uncover the web of deception that leads to a final, breathtaking confrontation at the Vatican. With the fate of a pope and church hanging in the balance, An Inside Job is a gripping, sophisticated thriller that dives deep into the corrupt underworld of art theft and the Church’s ties to less than desirable organizations.
I’ll be honest, with everything that has happened in the Middle East and Europe since the last Allon book was published, there was no wanting for timely source material for Silva to explore. I had theorized that he may pull Gabriel back towards his old job, but that was not the case. Upon further reflection, I think it was a good choice.
There is so much horror, sadness, and despair in the world right now, do I really want more in the fictional works I use as a mental escape? After finishing the book, I believe Mr. Silva chose correctly for his readers. Luckily, Daniel Silva spins a yarn better than any living author and I appreciated the chance to disappear into a great book, if only for a single night (there is no stopping a Silva book once I’ve begun).
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