Portrait of an Unknown Woman
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3.5 • 324 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
In a spellbinding new masterpiece by #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva, Gabriel Allon undertakes a high-stakes search for the greatest art forger who ever lived
Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has at long last severed ties with Israeli intelligence and settled quietly in Venice, the only place where he has ever truly known peace. His beautiful wife, Chiara, has taken over the day-to-day management of the Tiepolo Restoration Company, and their two young children are discreetly enrolled in a neighborhood scuola elementare. For his part, Gabriel spends his days wandering the streets and canals of the watery city, bidding farewell to the demons of his tragic, violent past.
But when the eccentric London art dealer Julian Isherwood asks Gabriel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the rediscovery and lucrative sale of a centuries-old painting, he is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse where nothing is as it seems.
Gabriel soon discovers that the work in question, a portrait of an unidentified woman attributed to Sir Anthony van Dyck, is almost certainly a fiendishly clever fake. To find the mysterious figure who painted it—and uncover a multibillion-dollar fraud at the pinnacle of the art world—Gabriel conceives one of the most elaborate deceptions of his career. If it is to succeed, he must become the very mirror image of the man he seeks: the greatest art forger the world has ever known.
Stylish, sophisticated, and ingeniously plotted, Portrait of an Unknown Woman is a wildly entertaining journey through the dark side of the art world—a place where unscrupulous dealers routinely deceive their customers and deep-pocketed investors treat great paintings as though they were just another asset class to be bought and sold at a profit. From its elegant opening to the shocking twists of its climax, the novel is a tour de force of storytelling and one of the finest pieces of heist fiction ever written. And it is still more proof that, when it comes to international intrigue and suspense, Daniel Silva has no equal.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The international art scene’s shady side gets dragged into the light in Daniel Silva’s rousing thriller. Retired head of Israeli intelligence Gabriel Allon is trying his best to enjoy retirement in Venice, but it doesn’t take long before his serenity is upended. A visit from an old friend who unknowingly sold a forged masterpiece draws the master spy into a suspenseful investigation…and playing detective fits him like a tailored Italian suit. Silva takes such joy in the art setting of his novel—both the famous paintings that feature in it and the act of painstakingly recreating them—that we could almost smell the oil paint and linseed oil. As Allon works to unmask a worldwide scheme, Silva’s brilliantly intricate plot unfolds. Veteran narrator Edoardo Ballerini adds to the richness of the story, giving each character a distinctive voice and bringing energy to every scene. There’s nothing counterfeit here—Silva has created a genuine thriller of the highest quality.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful
As always.
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in
Portrait of an Unknown Woman is book number 22 in the unputdownable Gabriel Allon series of action and espionage thrillers flawlessly written by the award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva.
Mr. Silva is one of the best writers out there! His books are nothing short of excellent and Portrait of an Unknown Woman is just as good as the others.
What starts with a mysterious letter received by a series veteran quickly evolves into another globetrotting adventure featuring our favorite characters.
I will not talk about the actual story because I don’t want to spoil the surprises for any listener, but I can say that the writing is excellent, at times even poetic, the characters feel real, alive, and are impeccably portrayed, while the plot is very well thought out and executed with a flourish.
American actor, multiple award-winning narrator, writer, film director, and audiobooks Industry living legend Edoardo Ballerini returns for a second consecutive year to this gripping universe and delivers another exquisitely performed audio production! He is definitely one of my all-time favorite narrators and everything that has Mr. Ballerini‘s name on it is of the highest quality, but when you pair his considerable talent with the flowing writing of Mr. Silva, you get on your hands, or in your ears, a story that you will not be able to put down until it actually ends.
Edoardo Ballerini does a fantastic job in bringing to life our beloved characters, the locations, the intense action scenes, the story, and the exquisite writing!
If you appreciate beautiful writing, well-developed characters, complex plots, and gorgeous narration, you will love Portrait of an Unknown Woman and all the other thrilling entries in the highly entertaining Gabriel Allon series.