Portrait of an Unknown Woman

A Novel (Gabriel Allon)

By: Daniel Silva

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

In a spellbinding new masterpiece by #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva, Gabriel Allon undertakes a high-stakes search 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 in Venice, the only place where he has ever truly known peace. His beautiful wife, Chiara, has taken over the day-to-day management of the Tiepolo Restoration Company, and their two young children are discreetly enrolled in a neighborhood scuola elementare. For his part, Gabriel spends his days wandering the streets and canals of the watery city, bidding farewell to the demons of his tragic, violent past.

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.

Stylish, sophisticated, and ingeniously plotted, Portrait of an Unknown Woman is a wildly entertaining journey through the dark side of the art world—a place where unscrupulous dealers routinely deceive their customers and deep-pocketed investors treat great paintings as though they were just another asset class to be bought and sold at a profit. From its elegant opening to the shocking twists of its climax, the novel is a tour de force of storytelling and one of the finest pieces of heist fiction ever written. And it is still more proof that, when it comes to international intrigue and suspense, Daniel Silva has no equal.

©2022 Daniel Silva (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in

Portrait of an Unknown Woman is book number 22 in the unputdownable Gabriel Allon series of action and espionage thrillers flawlessly written by the award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva.

Mr. Silva is one of the best writers out there! His books are nothing short of excellent and Portrait of an Unknown Woman is just as good as the others.

What starts with a mysterious letter received by a series veteran quickly evolves into another globetrotting adventure featuring our favorite characters.

I will not talk about the actual story because I don’t want to spoil the surprises for any listener, but I can say that the writing is excellent, at times even poetic, the characters feel real, alive, and are impeccably portrayed, while the plot is very well thought out and executed with a flourish.

American actor, multiple award-winning narrator, writer, film director, and audiobooks Industry living legend Edoardo Ballerini returns for a second consecutive year to this gripping universe and delivers another exquisitely performed audio production! He is definitely one of my all-time favorite narrators and everything that has Mr. Ballerini‘s name on it is of the highest quality, but when you pair his considerable talent with the flowing writing of Mr. Silva, you get on your hands, or in your ears, a story that you will not be able to put down until it actually ends.

Edoardo Ballerini does a fantastic job in bringing to life our beloved characters, the locations, the intense action scenes, the story, and the exquisite writing!

If you appreciate beautiful writing, well-developed characters, complex plots, and gorgeous narration, you will love Portrait of an Unknown Woman and all the other thrilling entries in the highly entertaining Gabriel Allon series.

I hope that you found this review interesting, please consider giving it a helpful vote below if you did. Wishing everyone all the best, take care, stay safe and don’t forget, always listen with your heart!

Excellent addition

I think I must be interested in the inner workings of the art world, though don't know how much of this is realistic. Not so sympathetic to letting forgers evade the law, though. I suppose I'd rather see a really talented forger create something new instead of duplicating something that's already been done; or they can find a legal way to earn a living. So, aside from some ethical objections, I thought the story was interesting. And if too-rich dopes want to gamble their wealth purchasing overpriced art as investment, let the buyer beware.

As for narration, I seem to find it necessary to speed up playback to almost everything these days. Maybe that's why Bellerini's performance didn't bother me, even though for several years I've had him on my list of narrators to avoid. Maybe he's improving over time?

This is the first book by Silva

that I have ever read. I am glad that I got to listen to it. The narration was flawless and the characters and plotting were fascinating. I really appreciate Silvia’s wit with writing conversation. It was a joy to listen to the exchanges.

Good but would like more closure

I enjoyed it and the true villain was unexpected but would have liked more closure on some of the people.

Great listen

Daniel Silva never disappoints. This is one of the better Gabriel Allon books. The characters he creates perfection.

Perhaps one of my favorites to date!

First, I jolted a bit at the new narrator. Gabriel Allon didn't sound like I expected him to sound. But I've ended up very much enjoying Mr. Ballerini's narration -- in particular, his proper pronunciation of the non-English words. He's a keeper!

Second, yeah, there were a few political allusions that perhaps didn't have to be in the story for narrative purposes. They didn't bother me. I'm reading or listening for the whole experience of the novel -- not to have my beliefs stroked or my feelings hurt.

I enjoyed this story particularly because of how it described art, the art world, forgeries, hedge fund overreach, etc. Something new to think about! I also love that Gabriel Allon is not gone -- when his character ends, I will sorely miss him.

Another exciting and entertaining read. Love it like all of the Gabriel Allon series.

The characters do not disappoint, along with descriptions of the artwork and inter-workings of the art world and high dollar intrigue of hedge fund, managers, and exclusive auction houses around the world. Keeping Gabriel Allon, fresh and fascinating can’t wait for the next installment Again, Daniel Silva produces an excellent read intriguing exciting entertaining! Wonderful descriptions of European locations as well as ones in the US. The love story of Kiara and Gabriel is always fantastic!

Fast paced story

Good story, fast paced. Some rehashing pf themes from previous works…buts thats why we love it!

Less woke

After last one with all his political comments… all far left I almost abandoned him but except for short interlude re climate change and woke definition with character’s children in this one …. My favorite so far !!!!

Welcome back Mr. Silva

It was great to read another Gabriel Allon book without political commentary. I'm glad Mr. Silva saw the light. Looking forward to the next one, hopefully some from the old team like Eli can make a guest appearance :-)