This book had mystery, romance and returning characters and relations in the art world. I found all this great but I just felt like something was missing and I can't put my finger on what it was. Overall It was an enjoyable read. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#netgalley #portraitofanunknownwoman

Portrait of an Unknown Woman is the twenty second Gabriel Allon book by Daniel Silva and is as good as any of them. For those of you who don't know Gabriel Allon he is (now) the former head of Mossad, Israeli spy and master art restorer who has just recently retired to Venice with his wife and children when he is asked to investigate what appears to be a large, successful art forgery ring which is willing to kill to keep the millions it is making coming in.
The storyline is well written and brings back a number of `well known supporting characters from the art world that were in his previous novels.
As with other Daniel Silva `novels, it is extremely well written, the characters are well rounded and the storyline contains twists, action and subplots to make it hard to put down.
Highly recommended

I've been a big follower of Danial Silva, up until possibly the last 4 or 5 books which I didn't really enjoy.

This new novel, however, is a real treat. Returning characters, twists and turns, and plenty of art business intrigue.

Back near his best. Chapeau.

The twenty-second Gabriel Allon thriller in as many years, Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva finds the genius art restorer and Israeli intelligence legend—for the first time—leading a ‘normal’ life, far away from the nerve-racking, lethal world of espionage. Having retired as the head of ‘the Office’, Allon has moved to Venice for good with his young and beautiful wife Chiara and the school-going twins, Irene and Raphael. Chiara has taken up the management of a prestigious art restoration firm and Allon, until deemed ready to work by his wife and prospective boss, has nothing to do other than ferrying the kids to school, procuring foodstuff for the family and spending a quiet, soothing time taking leisurely walks around Venice and, the thing he most loves doing, painting.

But his idyll is interrupted when his old friend, the London art dealer Julian Isherwood, appears one day with an intriguing story about the suspicious death of an elderly French woman who had requested Julian to meet her—in relation to an Old Master painting he has recently sold at a handsome price—before the meeting could take place. Allon decides that the matter needs investigation and soon gets drawn into a quagmire of forgery and financial fraud of gigantic scale, perpetrated by people who are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep the scheme going. Allon, arguably the best art restorer in the world and a spy of supreme prowess, devises an elaborate ruse—one which could get him and those he cares for killed if unsuccessful—to trap the unscrupulous ones and bring the empire of deception down.

Portrait of an Unknown Woman—where Allon’s retirement does nothing to diminish the scope of his heroics—is certainly a worthy addition to this much-loved series. The taut plot traverses breath-taking locales in several countries, with a stellar cast of characters, each playing their part to perfection. Masterpieces of several great masters make their appearance all along the narrative, delighting and enchanting the reader. Silva expertly weaves together real-life incidents and a multitude of interesting facts about the world of art with his highly imaginative fiction, making it all the more enjoyable. The exciting action and the intelligent twists keep the pages flying from start to finish. But for a few places that need a little suspension of disbelief, which is par for the genre, Portrait of an Unknown Woman is a tremendous entertainer perfect for all thriller and art aficionados.

Kudos to Daniel Silva for keeping the standard of this series consistently high for over two-plus decades, and a tonne of thanks to HarperCollins UK for the e-ARC of Portrait of an Unknown Woman through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This book keeps you guessing until the very end. It’s very well written and definitely worth a read. Wow!!! Started this book and could not stop reading it until I'd finished!!

Totally satisfying Allon thriller .. drawing on past espionage/Israeli connections now that he's retired to Venice, Gabriel pursues a killer in art forgery world .. I love his family and dazzling wife .. his ploys to find the perpetrators are witty and smart .. and the stakes high. Characters we knew in this world appear again which is heavenly .. the politics is toned down (which I like ..it was getting too heavy while Allon was head of secret service) .. totally wonderful new swerve in direction .. looking forward to more ..

I read other novels featuring Gabriel Allon but this is the best I read: fast paced, full of twists, and gripping.
I thoroughly enjoyed and had a lot of fun.
Another well plotted and well told thriller.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Portrait of an unknown woman, Wow what a world of art, forgeries, high stakes, unlimited money becoming part of a cat mouse like game it is. The latest Gabriel Allon will not disappoint you.

Who would have thought that the Israeli spymaster extraordinaire, the legendary Gabriel Allon, would finally leave “The Office” and retire to Venice, to resurrect his career, restoring old paintings?
That’s exactly what Gabriel has done after a hectic time as a spy and in latter years, Director of the Office, he is now spending his time with Chiara and his twins, taking them to primary school and doing the food shopping. There are also the long “lunches” with his beautiful wife.
However when an old friend approaches him about a possible forged painting and a murder, Gabriel decides to investigate.
This time he is forced to work alone with the blessing of the Italian art police although he does ask for a few technical favours from his old employers.
This would appeal to the many Gabriel Allon fans but could also be read as a stand alone. We do not have his many Office colleagues but there is a return for retired assassin Christopher Keller and his wife Sarah.
This book is set in the art world and there is a lot of detail and research contained in it as Gabriel looks into the massive far reaching fraud involving many forged paintings. Along the way he hatches a plan to catch the bad guys and rescues a young woman who has become heavily involved in the scheme- not so different from his normal escapades but this time he is working without the back up of his intelligence service.
All in all this was an excellent read that took our spy hero in a slightly different but equally exciting direction. Gabriel uses all his skills to catch the forgers and this makes for an interesting and compelling read.
I am now looking forward to the next Gabriel adventure to see where the author decides to take him in the future. Recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for my arc.

Gabriel proves there is life after The Office.

Well, the unthinkable has happened. Gabriel Allon, spymaster and head of the Israeli secret service has retired. For real. He and his family have relocated to their beloved Venice, where he will take up post as a director at his wife's art company. But not before he takes a well earned rest.

Fans feared for Gabriel's (and his creator's!) ability to build a life after leaving King Saul Boulevard. So much of Gabriel was tied up in his endless job of bringing the enemies of Israel and the world to justice, it was difficult to imagine him settling into a life of leisure.

And, of course, he doesn't. After a short time recovering physically and mentally from the events of the last few books, a call from his friend Julian Isherwood draws Gabriel into the world of art fraud and money laundering. We also meet many friends from previous books, including my favourite clairvoyant.

Daniel Silva has clearly been planning this pivotal book for a while, conscious that his hero will need new challenges and adventures to keep him and his readers occupied. And, in my opinion, he has succeeded. With only a minimal mention of his comrades at The Office, and with virtually no help from them at all, Gabriel still succeeds in investigating the bad guys, uncovering a world-wide art fraud network, then launching his trademark sting operation t0 punish the guilty and save the innocent. Along the way we get the usual impeccable research wound around the plot, and the building tension as the net he casts pulls in his nemesis.

Along the way, there's plenty of time to see Gabriel, Chiara and their children re-building their lives and relationships.. We actually see Gabriel coming back to life, enjoying painting, drinking coffee in corner cafes and picking the kids up from school. He and Chiara certainly make time for themselves too!

While newcomers to the series could pick up the book and enjoy it, inevitably, it will appeal most to fans of the series, and I don't think they'll be disappointed. I was glad to receive a Netgalley review copy, but you can bet I'll be waiting in line for a real copy. Highly recommended.

It has been a long wait for a new Daniel Silva to come my way and as always it didn’t disappoint.
Perhaps not as action packed as some of the previous books, but still enjoyable.
Hopefully there is not a long a wait until the next one.
Recommend.

As always I was waiting with bated breath for the new Daniel Silva offering and devoured it in a few hectic sittings.

This one sees a massive change and switch of emphasis as after over 20 books, Gabriel Allon has retired from spying and running the “office” and is now simply an art restorer.

He becomes inveigled in a complex series of art related crimes involving a massive and lucrative forgery ring which is flooding and confusing the market with a series of faked old masters.

It is up to Allon to sort the situation out and the restorer becomes a forger himself. Aided and abetted by several of the old gang - but with one exception, none of his Israeli coterie he sets a trap and after much excitement, saves the day.

I enjoyed the book as usual. How can you not given the quality of the writing and research, but I have to say I felt a bit bereft and missed the Israeli geo-political issues that normally fill his books.

A bit too much about art restoring and forgery? Perhaps, but I am fascinated to see where the series goes next.