Israeli spy Gabriel Allon walks a fine line hoping to avoid creating an international incident while trying to save the western world from terrorists. Let's see if I can write my paper in detail.
Respected art restoration expert Gabriel Allon knows that the key to repairing the centuries-old paintings by the Great Masters in his shop lies in studying small details at length in order to see the potential of the entire piece, making him ideal for another lucrative, discreet and very dangerous kind of work.

Israeli Spy Gabriel Allon
This ability proves useful in his other occupation as a highly-skilled Israeli spy and strategist. In the appropriately titled Portrait of a Spy, Allon has retired to bucolic Cornwall where he earned the right to restore a newly discovered Titian for a healthy fee. Unfortunately for Gabriel, a chance observation at London's Convent Garden jolts him out of retirement and into the unofficial service of the United States government.

In spite of government regulations, Gabriel and his well-practiced team of specialists are granted access to U.S. secrets and the team discovers grave errors in judgement at the highest levels of security. Reserved and shrewd, Gabriel's observations and tactics have earned the admiration and loyalty of his international colleagues even as they freely acknowledge the inherent shadiness in the realm of espionage.

In Portrait of a Spy, Gabriel and his team need to find and "neutralize" an American-born Osama bin Laden imitator named Rashid. Rashid's familiarity with the American culture and firsthand experiences within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) give him an advantage not possessed by most other like-minded extremists. This horrific advantage allows Rashid the potential to conduct a large-scale round of terrorist attacks on a global scale while the CIA drowns in chatter, or coded communications between suspected anti-US terrorists.

Author Daniel Silva
Best-selling author Daniel Silva (The Rembrandt Affair) explores his conservative view of terrorism and methods he believes to be the most effective in combating the constant threats. For example, his characters rail against the misrepresentation of terrorists with the somewhat gentler-sounding "extremists" in American politics. Likewise, his characterization of the novel's president appears to be a thinly-veiled description of President Barack Obama, going to far as to calling him "President Hope."

The absence of subtlety proves to be a rare misstep when his emphasis on Israel's highly competent spy network and military would make his points regarding vigilance and warning against the American willingness to sink back into a pre-9/11 comfort zone.

Silva's Gabriel Allon remains a fascinating, tortured but resolute character whose innate artistic nature makes him a highly effective and lethal spy who sees absolutes where others see grey.

Portrait of a Spy
Silva combines the danger of real American citizens who blend in among multiple cultures as does his fictional Rashid and the highly sophisticated, hyper-alert crack team led by Gabriel to create a thriller that becomes more frightening due to the realistic villainous intentions but remains soberly entertaining because of Gabriel and his team.