While I've read a smattering of other Daniel Silva books centered on the brilliantly talented art restorer and covert secret Israeli intelligence officer, Gabriel Allon, I like that I can pick up most any of the books without too much regard for where they fall in the chronological timeline.
Of course, each book is capable of standing on its own, introducing the characters in enough detail that a reader isn't lost by delving in mid-plotline. However, the ethos in the convoluted stories of the characters is substantially enhanced by reading the prior books to have a better understanding of the characters therein.
Being the tenth book in the Gabriel Allon series, The Rembrandt Affair centers on the re-emergence and subsequent theft of a beautiful painting by Rembrandt, but with a dark and sordid past. This beautiful lady has a dark past, filled with blood and fire, and she does not yield her secrets willingly.
Julian Isherwood, gallery owner, art dealer and close acquaintance of Gabriel Allon is a man in desperate need of Allon's talents, and not solely in a canvas restoration capacity. It seems the young lady in the painting was promised to a Washington D.C. museum to be a part of their permanent collection. Julian has a seriously problem, however. The restorer he hired to bring the young lady back to life has been murdered, and the painting stolen. With a deadline approaching, and no painting, nor the $45 million to cover it, Julian needs Allon's skills more than ever. But uncovering where the story leads is a little more convoluted than it first appears.
Somehow in the tangle falls the tale of a young Jewish girl, traded for a signature on a slip of paper in an exchange unfairly weighted to the Nazi officer, filling her with memories that haunt her. Her story reveals a critical clue to the hands that have touched the painting, and where Allon must go next to find the next piece of the trail.
Caught in the charismatic and deceptive aura of a wealthy philanthropist pledging on the surface to support environment, ethical, and humanitarian causes, the beautiful and temperamental reporter Zoe, soon finds that there is more to "Saint Martin" than meets the eye.
Following the clues, the lives, and the histories of those involved with the Rembrandt reveals more than just the schemes of high and mighty men, but also gives Allon a peek into the stories left hidden, untold horrors, and dangerous secrets that the powerful will kill to keep.
Overall: If you're looking for a new and intriguing plot in a spy novel, this may not be the book for you. Rather formulaic, and following the basic outline of the earlier Allon novels, there is little new material to throw the reader off track. But if you enjoy a quick read with some art history and a good cast of fairly interesting characters, a quick page-turner of a
book it will be.
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