THE COLLECTOR

4 stars out of 5

Mind you, I'm not offended when an author incorporates his or her personal opinions into a plot. But for the sake of potential readers, I must say that at times it felt as if the plot was written to showcase political viewpoints rather than a story that called for explanations of political implications now and again. That said, it's still an exciting, fast-paced story and I remain a dedicated fan of both the author and his multi-skilled, intriguing character, former Israeli spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon. This is, for the record, the 23rd book in the series, and I doubt I've missed a single one.

Now living out of the Office with his beautiful wife Ciara and their twins and working - essentially for Chiara - at the profession he loves, Gabriel is less than thrilled with an official "request" to go to Amalfi to authenticate a stolen Van Gogh painting that's been recovered. Turns out that was only the tip of the request iceberg; a wealthy man has been brutally murdered at his ostentatious home, where it seems what may be the world's most expensive painting has disappeared. The only clue is that he had dinner earlier in the evening with a beautiful woman - one believed to be the art thief and possibly the killer.

Gabriel enlists the help of a friend to help find the woman - one of the enjoyable aspects of this book is, in fact, that Gabriel gets to interact, albeit sometimes unwillingly, with some of the memorable characters from previous books. Anyway, the plan is that once the woman is found, Gabriel will get to return to his wife, kids and a relatively normal life. Well, cue Michael Corleone's famous line in The Godfather: Part III ("Just when I thought I was out...")

That's because learning who and where she is isn't an end, but rather the beginning of awareness of a top-secret plan that could mean nothing less than the end of the United States and a reordering of world dominance. Can Gabriel and his team save the day? Of course, I won't tell, but since most readers including me expect (hope for) another book with Gabriel in it down the road, figuring that he, at least, makes it out alive won't exactly be a surprise. But the devil is in the details - of which there is an abundance in this never-a-dull-moment book. Go get it. It's good.

The Collector by Daniel Silva (Harper, July 2023); 414 pp.