Portrait of a Spy in book reviews

author: Daniel Silva

I've read most (if not all) of the books in this series leading up to this one (published in 2011). The lead character is Gabriel Allon, a brilliant art restorer who also works on and off as an Israeli operative.

Since there is emphasis on Israel, most of the stories have Jewish themes at the center. Some have been about the ramifications of the Holocaust, most have to do with the Islamist crisis in the Middle East.

There is a cautious quality to the cooperation between the CIA, MI5 and the Israeli operatives. There's respect, and sometimes honesty and trust, but usually they do their best to work together, while not really being totally frank with each other.

I highly recommend the series.