An Inside Job (Gabriel Allon #25) [B1725]

2025 HCDJ. An elegant and stylish journey through the dark side of the art world and the Vatican's murky finances, An Inside Job proves once again that Daniel Silva is the reigning master of international intrigue and suspense. Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon must solve the perfect crime in the dazzling new tale of murder, greed, and corruption from #1 New York Times bestselling novelist Daniel Silva. Sometimes the only way to recover a stolen masterpiece is to steal it back . . .

Gabriel Allon has been awarded a commission to restore one of the most important paintings in Venice. But when he discovers the body of a mysterious woman floating in the waters of the Venetian Lagoon, he finds himself in a desperate race to recover a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting, a portrait of a beautiful young girl, has been gathering dust in a storeroom at the Vatican Museums for more than a century, misattributed and hidden beneath a worthless picture by an unknown artist. Because no one knows that the Leonardo is there, no one notices when it disappears one night during a suspicious power outage. No one but the ruthless mobsters and moneymen behind the theft -- and the mysterious woman whom Gabriel found in a watery grave in Venice. A woman without a name. A woman without a face. The action moves at breakneck speed from the galleries and auction houses of London to an enclave of unimaginable wealth on the French Riviera -- and, finally, to a shocking climax in St. Peter's Square, where the life of a pope hangs in the balance.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This was my first book by him, and you didn't need to read the previous ones to follow this one which was nice. The story was fun! I've never read an art heist before and I think this was a good entry into the genre!"; "Not as exciting as his previous books but nevertheless interesting for art lovers, Italy lovers and Vatican intrigue based on real facts."; "I love this series of books. Got a little complicated with so many names, yet a delightful mystery."; "Reading Daniel Silva's books is like going home again. I'm always sad when I finish one. I love everything about his books, even the somewhat stilted language and the unrealistically perfect-looking characters. Hopefully he'll have another new book in 2026."