A Death in Cornwall

Legendary spy Gabriel Allon may have retired from the Israeli Intelligence network, but even as an art restorer, he continues to get enmeshed in international intrigue, greed, and murder in this standalone globetrotting tale that expertly melds fact with fiction. Allon agrees to attend the celebratory unveiling of a recently retrieved stolen self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh at London’s Courtauld Gallery.

There, he is approached by a friend from his uncomfortable past: Detective Sergeant Timothy Peel, whom Gabriel befriended as a young boy in Cornwall while coping with the aftermath of a brutal firebombing of his vehicle in Vienna, which resulted in the death of his young son and permanent psychological scarring of his wife. Peel enlists Allon’s aid in investigating the mysterious murder of Charlotte Blake, a prominent Professor of Art History at the University of Oxford. Her brutal murder is being attributed to a serial killer known as “The Chopper,” who kills with a single blow to the back of the head with a hatchet. However, Peel has noted a number of inconsistencies in details unknown to the general public. Clues in her papers suggest an alternative reason for her death.

Gabriel soon uncovers data indicating that Charlotte was searching for provenance information regarding a Nazi-looted Picasso painting worth more than a million. The painting in question is “Untitled Portrait of a Woman in the Surrealistic Style, Oil on Canvas, 1937.” Its ownership dated back to its acquisition by Jewish businessman Bernard Levy, an art lover. Unfortunately, he was swept up by the French police on July 16, 1942, during the notorious Paris Roundup, deported to Auschwitz in 1944, and gassed immediately upon arrival—facing the same fate as more than six million other innocent Jews. The French police arrested more than thirteen thousand on that single day in July, going door to door, doing their master’s bidding. Only Bernard’s daughter survived and later gave birth to a son, Emanuel, who eventually completed his medical training at the Sorbonne.

Soon after Charlotte Blake’s murder, Dr. Emanuel reportedly fell to his death in Montmartre, France. Coincidence? Who will benefit if this sought-after painting remains hidden?

Gabriel sets up an elaborate sting to retrieve the looted Picasso. This effort enlists the aid of several beloved characters from past novel exploits: Anna Rolfe, the world-renowned violinist, mega-wealthy and charismatic, as well as a past lover; Ingrid Johansen, the beautiful professional thief and elusive Danish collaborator from previous capers. He returns to the beautiful island of Corsica, once again enlisting the aid and advice of the notorious Don Anton Orsati. And he does battle with Don Casabianca’s obstreperous goat. The assassin turned British operative Christopher Keller reprises his role with panache. Along the tortuous path to discovery, Gabriel uncovers a plot to wreak chaos in the Conservative government of Britain and bring down the current prime minister.

Daniel Silva proves to be a masterful storyteller as he weaves together multiple intricate plot lines, using his evocative prose to ratchet up the tension and intrigue in this masterful page-turner of power and greed. He combines themes of loyalty, betrayal, and greed, intersecting with international politics, enhanced by multi-layered character development. Interwoven in the drama is the significant modern-day problem of using art as a means to launder money for the uber-rich and avoid taxation. Their luxuries are purchased behind the cloak of offshore shell companies.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Publishing for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Hopefully, this is not the last complex tale in the life of Gabriel Allon.