0449002128 Ballantine (paperback)

Once a key operative in secret Israeli-intelligence missions, Gabriel Allon is on the run from his past, assuming a quiet life as a meticulous restorer of priceless works of art. But now he is being called back into the game. The agent with whom he is teamed hides behind her own beautiful mask-as a French fashion model. Their target: a cunning terrorist on one last killing spree, a Palestinian zealot named Tariq who played a dark part in Gabriel's past. What begins as a manhunt turns into a globe-spanning duel fueled by political intrigue and deep personal passions. In a world where secrecy and duplicity are absolute, revenge is a luxury no man can afford-and the greatest masterpiece of all.
"The tragedy of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and despair of its resolution provide the backdrop for Silva's heart-stopping, complex yarn of international terrorism and intrigue…. An array of global locales adds to the complexity and authenticity of the dizzying, cinematic plot."
-Publishers Weekly


"Although the novel moves at a really fast clip, cutting from location to location, Silva avoids the espionage novelist's sin of glossy locales and comic-book action by giving his characters, even the minor ones, believably complex motivations that come into play in the thriller's overriding conflict. Part of the interest of Silva's work is the way he portrays various professions (here it's art dealership, publishing, and modeling) to be every bit as cutthroat as international intrigue."
-Booklist


"A master writer of espionage … [Silva's] writing is clean, crisp, and compelling."
-Cincinnati Enquirer


"[A] thrill-a-minute sure-fire bestseller [that] rips Middle East strife from the headlines."
-Kirkus Reviews