Thriller

Portrait of an Unknown Woman

Portrait of an Unknown Woman

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-08-01 04:52:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Daniel Silva
  • ISBN：1460755553
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Summary

#1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva delivers another stunning thriller in his latest action-packed tale of high stakes international intrigue。


The hunt is on 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 with his beautiful wife and their young twins in Venice， the only place he has ever truly known peace。

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。

'Daniel Silva is that rarity of rarities， a writer whose stories just keep getting better' Huffington Post

'Reading Daniel Silva's expertly crafted novels is to witness a master at work' Real Book Spy

'Daniel Silva has few rivals' The Age

'A world-class practitioner of spy fiction' Washington Post

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Reviews

Barbara Prescott ，

I love Daniel Silva and particularly Gabriel Allen！

Kathy Ballman ，

Too many obscure names and places bog down my mind that I begin to wonder what is important and what isn’t。 Good story about the art world and the massive amount of money to acquire it。 Is it real or is it Memorex？？？

Julie ，

Now that Gabriel Allon has retired as head of Israel’s intelligence agency， he can enjoy a quiet life in Venice restoring paintings。 That is， until his old friend Julian Isherwood notifies him of a possible forgery， which takes Allon back to London。 Someone is forging old masters with incredible skill and they’re even fooling the experts at the Louvre。 As he investigates， Allon realizes he’s dealing with an international forgery ring， and he uses his own talents to lure an insider to reveal the Now that Gabriel Allon has retired as head of Israel’s intelligence agency， he can enjoy a quiet life in Venice restoring paintings。 That is， until his old friend Julian Isherwood notifies him of a possible forgery， which takes Allon back to London。 Someone is forging old masters with incredible skill and they’re even fooling the experts at the Louvre。 As he investigates， Allon realizes he’s dealing with an international forgery ring， and he uses his own talents to lure an insider to reveal the true culprits。I enjoyed the second half of the book the best， when Gabriel’s traps start to catch criminals。 It was an intriguing glimpse into the high-end art world and how lucrative it is。 I appreciated that this book wasn’t as political as some of the more recent ones in the series。 Though I missed his close-knit Israeli team， it was fun revisiting old friends like Sarah Bancroft and Anna Rolfe。 Really， you can’t go wrong when Allon is on a case， even if its unofficially。 。。。more

Judd Freed ，

Thank goodness。 I’ve had few reading disappointments as great as the preceding two books in Silva’s “Gabriel Allon” series。 After decades and 19 previous stories， I had awaited number 20 - and it was horrid。 21 was even worse - a political diatribe that felt like one of the forgeries featured in this， the 22nd entry。 And it is， happily， a successful entry。 I won’t summarize “Portrait of An Unknown Woman” or give major spoilers。 It is not the same spy vs spy， or spy vs superpower that we are used Thank goodness。 I’ve had few reading disappointments as great as the preceding two books in Silva’s “Gabriel Allon” series。 After decades and 19 previous stories， I had awaited number 20 - and it was horrid。 21 was even worse - a political diatribe that felt like one of the forgeries featured in this， the 22nd entry。 And it is， happily， a successful entry。 I won’t summarize “Portrait of An Unknown Woman” or give major spoilers。 It is not the same spy vs spy， or spy vs superpower that we are used to in the series。 Some familiar characters are not involved or are mentioned in passing only （sigh）。 Others， however are front and center （and one stands， quite obstinately， in the middle of the road）。 OK， that’s kind of a spoiler but not much。 It’s more of a fast-paced modern mystery thriller。 But it feels comfortable in the set。 It’s far from the best ever， but it is SO far above the last two。 I’d been so disappointed that I had made up my mind to stop following the series if This book had been the same politically correct “look at me， I’m aware” disappointment that the last two had been。 It’s not。 Daniel Silva gave us back Gabriel and the others。 I’ll again be waiting for the next book from Daniel Silva。 And hoping there will be a 23。 。。。more

Deb ，

Another intricately plotted， well-written story featuring Gabriel Allon， the now retired former head of Israeli security。 This one takes on the art world in which forged paintings become the basis for a tremendous Ponzi scheme。 With his background as an artist and restoration expert， Allon is just the person to unravel the scheme and identify its perpetrators。 Portrait of an Unknown Woman features memorable characters， fabulous global locations， intrigue， and offers plenty of twists。 It is writt Another intricately plotted， well-written story featuring Gabriel Allon， the now retired former head of Israeli security。 This one takes on the art world in which forged paintings become the basis for a tremendous Ponzi scheme。 With his background as an artist and restoration expert， Allon is just the person to unravel the scheme and identify its perpetrators。 Portrait of an Unknown Woman features memorable characters， fabulous global locations， intrigue， and offers plenty of twists。 It is written with Silva’s trademark humor and is really well-paced and the reason I’ve read all 22 Allon books！ By all means， when finished， make sure to read the Author’s Notes。 。。。more

Nancy Burnett ，

complicated Entertaining New ProfessionIf the reader is， as I am not， familiar with the European names， the story is complicated。 However the characters are terrific， the writing tight and the story line quite contemporary particularly in light of the current art funds。 Gabriel Allon has a new career that of an investigator I await anxiously the next installment which I hope includes two of the characters introduced herein。

Nina ，

Usually like his books。 Way too long， could have been shorter， skimmed some。

John T。 ，

Brilliant story。

Linda ，

Fast paced Gabriel Allon book， but now instead of the head of Israeli intel， he works with his wife in Vienna。 The story revolves around art forgeries and Allon is asked by his friend Julian Isherwood to investigate。 Sometimes confusing， but always exciting， this is a an entertaining read。

Michelle Wilson ，

As always Gabriel Allon the retired spy is busy with paintings。 Im wondering how accurate this story is， one should probably never buy a painting as an investment， too many forgers or crooks， ready to separate you from your money。 Allon does make one of them regret his dealings， at a great price。 Always good read， interesting and educational。

Joseph W。 Holmes ，

Superb ！Marvelous entertainment and a much appreciated education in art ！ Mr。 Silva is an exemplary author， first class for certain ！

Walter ，

Boring， too much narrative， with a hint ofDeja Vu。。。Silva's Muse has left him。。。I would suggest a new job at CNN with his wife。 Boring， too much narrative， with a hint ofDeja Vu。。。Silva's Muse has left him。。。I would suggest a new job at CNN with his wife。 。。。more

Sandy ，

Another stellar story of Gabriel Allon。 Kudos to Daniel Silva for successfully taking a well-loved character into retirement from the job that started the whole series。 Sadly I will have to wait， hopefully not too long， for the next installment in Gabriel's life。 Another stellar story of Gabriel Allon。 Kudos to Daniel Silva for successfully taking a well-loved character into retirement from the job that started the whole series。 Sadly I will have to wait， hopefully not too long， for the next installment in Gabriel's life。 。。。more

Philippe Bogdanoff ，

I love every single book by Daniel SilverI was waiting for this one and was not disappointed！！！Another great book by great author And I am glad that there in almost no international terrorism and Alon is dealing with the “civil” problems ）））））））））

Edna ，

This was one of his better ones。。。finished in one day and enjoyed。。。

Linda Block ，

Read it in one day。 Silva and Gabriel Allon get better and better！

Sunshiny Yellow ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Perhaps I just don't care for change。 Of course， Gabriel had to move on with his life and his family （and I loved learning a bit more about his children and life with Chiara） I wanted to absolutely adore this book， but instead I just loved it。 Perhaps I just don't care for change。 Of course， Gabriel had to move on with his life and his family （and I loved learning a bit more about his children and life with Chiara） I wanted to absolutely adore this book， but instead I just loved it。 。。。more

Louisa ，

not his bestLove most of the Allen series， but this one felt like a slog through an art history class。 One could take a pass。

Brent Dore ，

Silva finally goes back to a bread-and-butter art/history fueled story。 Much much much better than the last two books。 Very Gabriel focused which was a great relief after the last two disappointing books。

Marla Dudak ，

Highly entertaining novel about a successful art forgery ring and the people who bring it to ruin。

Lynn Horton ，

I am delighted to report that Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon is back—and at the top of his game。 I've been disappointed with the last few books in this series by my favorite author， so I started this one earlier today while holding my breath， a little worried about what I'd find。My worries were unfounded。 For me， Silva is simply the best thriller writer working today。And Portrait of an Unknown Woman is classic Silva: crisp dialogue， interesting facts， increasing intrigue and tension， a cast of cha I am delighted to report that Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon is back—and at the top of his game。 I've been disappointed with the last few books in this series by my favorite author， so I started this one earlier today while holding my breath， a little worried about what I'd find。My worries were unfounded。 For me， Silva is simply the best thriller writer working today。And Portrait of an Unknown Woman is classic Silva: crisp dialogue， interesting facts， increasing intrigue and tension， a cast of characters growing better with each new challenge。 The locations， mostly familiar， were carefully depicted， but that polished writing is true of Silva's use of English in general。 He's a wordsmith， and his journalism training and background create a lean， purposeful story。Perhaps it's the fact that Allon is no longer in charge of the Mossad; he's retired， but dragged back into art investigation。 Perhaps it's that Silva， with one brief exception very early in the book， omitted political opinions he included in the previous few books。 But whatever factors influenced the creation of Portrait of an Unknown Woman， they resulted in a book whose every single page I enjoyed。 Recommended most highly。 。。。more

Karen Burke ，

Typical Silva novel starring Allon。 Interesting story about the art world。

Kenneth Barber ，

Gabriel Allon has retired from the Israeli secret service and is living in Italy。 His wife is working at an art establishment and Gabriel is relaxing and looking to a career as an art restorer。 He receives a call from an art dealer friend of his， who has a problem that a painting he sold might be a forgery。 Gabriel agrees to help and finds himself pursuing an art forgery ring involving a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme。As always the characters are familiar and the plot is believable。

Janine ，

This book was a birthday present to myself and is the 22nd book is the ongoing saga of art restorer and former spy， Gabriel Allon， one of my favorite series。 Allon is now retired from the Israeli secret service and living in Venice with his wife， Chiara， and two children， Raphael and Irene。 His wife is now the head of an art restoration company of which Gabriel will be the chief restorer once his wife feels he’s rested enough from his former life。 Of course， nothing goes as planned when Julian I This book was a birthday present to myself and is the 22nd book is the ongoing saga of art restorer and former spy， Gabriel Allon， one of my favorite series。 Allon is now retired from the Israeli secret service and living in Venice with his wife， Chiara， and two children， Raphael and Irene。 His wife is now the head of an art restoration company of which Gabriel will be the chief restorer once his wife feels he’s rested enough from his former life。 Of course， nothing goes as planned when Julian Isherwood， an art dealer who has appeared in other book， comes to Venice with disturbing events about a meeting with a woman with whom he was supposed to meet about a painting he sold that this woman says is a forgery。 From there Gabriel sets out to unravel the mystery of the woman’s death only to uncover a scheme that dumps lots of art forgeries into the market。 The “adventure” is filled with many characters from previous books and glorious settings that delight。 There is also the delightful “tongue-in-check” play that Silva adds in his books that brings a chuckle as you anxiously wait how Allon’s scheme to uncover the mastermind behind the forgeries。 And this is a good one because the twist at the end as to whom the actual forger I didn’t see coming。 Great fun read and another Silva winner - and perfect birthday gift！ 。。。more

Daniel M Lederman ，

A good read

Morgan ，

5+ StarsThis is， by far， the easiest and happiest 5-star review I’ll write this year！ This book is an art lover’s dream！Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has finally retired from Israeli intelligence and is residing， hopefully quietly， with his wife and children in Venice。 Allon will be engaged in the task of art restoration for the Tiepolo Restoration Company of which his wife is the new manager。 Surely his days of danger and violence are over。Not so fast！ Gabriel’s friend London art 5+ StarsThis is， by far， the easiest and happiest 5-star review I’ll write this year！ This book is an art lover’s dream！Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has finally retired from Israeli intelligence and is residing， hopefully quietly， with his wife and children in Venice。 Allon will be engaged in the task of art restoration for the Tiepolo Restoration Company of which his wife is the new manager。 Surely his days of danger and violence are over。Not so fast！ Gabriel’s friend London art dealer Julian Isherwood has found himself in a bit of a spot having sold a very old painting in good faith only to be made aware that it is a possible forgery。 Who else is he going to turn to for help but Gabriel？Although Gabriel is no longer an intelligence agent for Israel this is no less a tight narrative full of suspense， sleight of hand， a few of Gabriel’s old pals and Gabriel’s own brand of dealing with unsavory people。If this is your first Gabriel Allon book （this is #22 in the series） it will be much more enjoyable if you have read at least a few of the earlier books…although this is a totally different Allon since he is no longer a spy you’ll want the background that has brought him to this point。For Gabriel Allon enthusiasts， as I am， I can’t see how you would be disappointed in the retired spy master as he seeks a life with his family – free of danger。 My hat off to the author Daniel Silva who has created a brilliant， charismatic character and kept him interesting， intriguing， and fresh for 22 books。For anyone interested in the subject of art forgery I recommend the movie “The Last Vermeer” （2019） – nothing to do with the book。 。。。more

Steve ，

Portrait of an Unknown Woman had little of the political international intrigue we’re accustomed to seeing from author Daniel Silva。 This novel centered on the world of art forgery and most of the people usually present in Silva novels played peripheral roles here。 This book just didn’t work for me。 It was very steeped in the world of art， using too many painting-based Italian and French words that were simply （and literally） foreign to me。 There were very few guns drawn， a departure from Silva’ Portrait of an Unknown Woman had little of the political international intrigue we’re accustomed to seeing from author Daniel Silva。 This novel centered on the world of art forgery and most of the people usually present in Silva novels played peripheral roles here。 This book just didn’t work for me。 It was very steeped in the world of art， using too many painting-based Italian and French words that were simply （and literally） foreign to me。 There were very few guns drawn， a departure from Silva’s usual fare。 I love Gabriel Allon and his crew and I hope they return to their usual routine。 。。。more

Ellen ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Fascinating behind the scenes look at the art world as business - the frauds and forgeries and some of the reasons this whole arena is totally unregulated。 Having worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art for ten years I had some idea of some of this but as always Daniel Silva opens the subject up like open heart surgery so you see all the bloody details。 Having been a fan of his for many years and having read all his other books it was fun to get updates on some of the recurring characters。 I o Fascinating behind the scenes look at the art world as business - the frauds and forgeries and some of the reasons this whole arena is totally unregulated。 Having worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art for ten years I had some idea of some of this but as always Daniel Silva opens the subject up like open heart surgery so you see all the bloody details。 Having been a fan of his for many years and having read all his other books it was fun to get updates on some of the recurring characters。 I only wonder that he has not had real life death threats because of all the information he puts out there。 I can’t wait to see what subject he tackles next。 。。。more

James ，

Very enjoyable change of pace tale！

Dennis Pocsatko ，

My opinionI love the way Daniel Silva writes。 This is a new direction for Gabriel Allon and think it was a smooth transition to art crime。 Loved it。 Wish he could write faster。 Now I anxiously wait for July 2023。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Portrait of an Unknown Woman

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Portrait of an Unknown Woman&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Portrait of an Unknown Woman&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0