An Inside Job

Gabriel Allon #25

by Daniel Silva

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. 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.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime

415 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2025

About the author

Daniel Silva was born in Michigan in 1960 and raised in California where he received his BA from Fresno State. Silva began his writing career as a journalist for United Press International (UPI), traveling in the Middle East and covering the Iran-Iraq war, terrorism and political conflicts. From UPI he moved to CNN, where he eventually became executive producer of its Washington-based public policy programming. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy, a surprise best seller that won critical acclaim. He turned to writing full time in 1997 and all of his books have been New York Times/national best sellers, translated into 25 languages and published across Europe and the world. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Series:
* Michael Osbourne
* Gabriel Allon

Reviews

[Teres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Formulaic? Yep.

Do I care? Heck no! I'm here for the fun.

Love a good art heist thriller? There's no one better than the beloved art restorer and ex-spy Gabriel Allon to pull off the caper...with a little help from some old friends.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5. "Benign" is the best way to describe Silva's latest Gabriel Allon adventure centered around another art-centered tale. The main characters do not appear to be evolving (except Gabriel's kids) and the storyline approaches that of a cozy mystery (except that it does have some blood and shooting).

I am a huge fan of this series and find Gabriel's post-retirement storylines to lack the spark from Silva's more espionage focused books. Part of Silva's strength as a writer has been his ability to look at a geo-politcal issue with greater context. This talent was missing from this nth exploration of the art world, the Vatican and painting heists.

I will continue to read his books but they have lost their magical luster.

[Sarai · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading 25 books by this author, it might be time to say goodbye to Gabriel Allon. Each July , I wait for the series to return to the excitement, dialogue, and a great cast of characters. Several years have passed.
A new narrator would help but will not return this series to what it once was.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Gabriel Allon resigned from the Mossad hé returned to his favorite activity namely restoring paintings and hé is rather good at it. Together with is wife and two children they live in Venice and together they run a company that is about restoring art.
Life is good for Gabriel his only worrying is about his daughter who has an activist streak that end him teaching young ones about art. Hé then finds out that his son who is great at math also has his fathers' talent at art.
Life becomes less peacefull when Gabriel finds a floathing body in the waters of Venice. She turns out to be a restorer of Art who used to work at the art departement of the Vatican. Questions lead Gabriel to an unknown Leonardo da Vinci painting whose role in a financial scandal concerning the Vatican might become a disaster for the church.
We get a bit of detecting in the art ŵorld, an excellent heist and the aftermath which includes an attempt at Allon and his friend Luigi whose by chance is the current Pope.

Another excellent thriller concerning the Art world which is excellent if you enjoy the genre, which I do. Not so much spying but vastly more about the financial world and world of art.
I always enjoy the annual return of Daniel Silva's master restorer with his darker past who always brings beautifull art to the general public.

[Amy Peck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabriel should’ve been helping free Israeli hostages

Ugh! - Another Vatican primer with the merest mention of past confederates? Of course it's well written but very little suspenseful shenanigans. The action felt “soft”. Yeah - there were the usual bad-guy bankers. And the usual attempted assassination whenever a Pope is involved. And what about the stolen painting he was going to find for Julian? Considering how incredible the series used to be, this volume was again dissatisfying. 😕

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The theme of the book is corruption in the Catholic Church, especially in the papal bureaucracy – the Curia. I would have found it enlightening to read the Author’s Note, which is absent of spoilers, before reading the story. Protagonist Gabriel Allon’s ties to Israel and the Mossad are in the past. Now he is an Italian art restorer and teacher, and a retired spy operative, who has maintained relationships with many of his past colleagues, but his primary relationships are with his family and the Pope. Having read all the Gabriel Allon books as they were introduced, I found An Inside Job formulaic. The story was only mildly engaging and a little predictable; it was a quick read. I enjoyed the art history education. To reunite with an old friend, I will continue to borrow Daniel Silva’s books from the library as they are published, but the thrill is gone. I read the entire book, but I was glad to reach the end.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good work by Mr. Silva.

[Joshua Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Silva’s TDS has done to this franchise and its hero what the IRGC couldn’t.

I tolerate the odd woke signale de virtue in the books I read, begrudgingly and with an unarticulated acknowledgment of my disdain for the author and editorial staff responsible for it incrementally diminishing whatever pleasure or joy I might have experienced.

But the author and creator of this storied literary franchise has allowed his chronic and metastasizing, even terminal, TDS to make the last three or four installments cringy, even at times painful to read.  Entire plot threads strain credulity.  Not many actual members of the Israeli security services or Israeli society at large share the sentiments or themes Silva paints on his characters with huge, broad brushstrokes.  
 
One of them told me recently, "Only two times in history have powerful world leaders told the Jews, 'Go and kill your enemies!'  One was named Xerxes and spawned the Purim holiday, and the other is named Trump."  This is a widely shared sentiment from Dan to Beersheba, across all socioeconomic demographics--not universal, to be sure, but widely shared.
 
Another example: the reader is expected to believe that the hero of this franchise is at once a shrewd, brilliant, expert producer, analyst and consumer of intelligence information and multiple conflicting data streams, but at the same time allows his beloved daughter to be co-opted by a confidence game/death cult ideology known as cLiMatE ChAnGe and even encouraging this foolishness that is bound up in her heart on this matter. 
 
There are many other examples, but the bottom line is that, sadly, I'm done with Daniel and Gabriel until they've come to their senses.

[Holly]

Daniel Silva does it again! This art heist novel is a terrific, fast-paced ride through secrets, art history and the Vatican. Fans of the series will delight in the reappearance of "old friends" like Luigi Donati, Sarah Bancroft and Julian Isherwood, and enjoy watching Gabriel and Chiara Allon's twins growing up. For newcomers, it's a great onramp to a beloved series, with a tight mystery, cinematic locales and plenty of twists and turns. Readers will feel like they've been dropped neatly into Venice or Rome, and are watching the action unfold around them. Silva's writing is sharp, funny and shows he's absolutely at the top of his game.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same formula as before, but nice reading. Things would get better if the main characters were a bit less stunningly attractive, impossibly wealthy and highly intelligent.

[Angel Logue · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s okayish

Gabriel Allon, et al, will always be among my favorite characters, but this wasn’t their finest outing. I suppose events in Israel have put the kibosh on those storylines, but I miss the saltiness and ingenuity of Gabriel’s ragtag band of Israelis and the sense that the world could be ending NOW. Saving another Old Master, pope and the RCC doesn’t scratch the same itch. Maybe the antics of the corrupt, senile old men at the helm of the Israeli and the U.S. nuclear arsenals will inspire a more lively Allon book next year.

[Harriet Levy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I love Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon books, the plots and the characters become more of a sketch than a finished painting.

All the characters, including Gabriel are starting to feel like 2 dimensional cardboard cutouts. There is no longer any motivation for anything Gabriel does other than art theft. Why?

In the first dozen books the art took second place to Gabriel’s working for the Mossad, I mean the office. Since taking over as director and then retiring, the series seems to be losing its reason to exist.

Even Chiara, who is supposed to be the love of his life is a line drawing without depth or shading. The children are personality-less afterthoughts.

Plus the characters returning from the non-spy part of Gabriel’s life are boring and at best 2 dimensional. Not even sure there are two dimensions to most of them.

The only reason I had a shred of who these people are is because I’ve read all the prior books. Had this been the first Silva book I’d picked up, it would have been the last.

Plus I really miss the quiet girl who limps (and why), the man with eyes like glacial ice, the nondescript man who you would never notice on the street and the woman who had childbearing hips.

Will I read the next book (if there is a next book)? Probably, but more out of habit than an expectation of the quality of the first part of the series.

[Monnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, the 25th installment of the series featuring my all-time favorite male character in a book series more, I believe, than any of the 24 that came before it - and as far as I know, I haven't missed a single one. I'll admit I read it following a book that had so many grammatical and content errors that I can't believe it got past publishing house editors, and perhaps that did influence my appreciation of this one a bit. In any event, the contrast really underscored how wonderful it is to read a story that's well-written, engrossing and entertaining. And for sure this one is all that and more.

Even though the star of the show, Gabriel Allon, no longer officially plies his trade as a well-known and successful Mossad spy, his legend continues. These days, he practices his unmatched talent as a restorer of art (not only does he "fix" damaged artwork by the old masters, he can copy their style so well that experts can't tell his painting isn't an original). As he and his beautiful wife Chiara and their twins Raphael and Irene live the good life, he's been working on the restoration of a very important one. That work gets rudely interrupted, however, with his discovery of a dead woman in the waters of the Venetian Lagoon. That, in turn, leads him inside the walls of the Vatican, where a painting thought to be a lost DaVinci - which could be worth many millions of dollars - somehow disappeared.

Soon it's clear that the painting could not have gone missing without help from the inside. Since Gabriel is good friends with the Pope (he played an instrumental role in his election, in fact), the two meet up quite often. Mind you, I'm not Catholic, but I loved the late Pope Francis and the current Pope Leo XIV). Gabriel's good buddy, though, turns out to be an absolute delight - every interaction between the two brought a smile to my face (despite concern that either or both will make it out of the book alive).

The rest of the story, of course, serves up details on how they plan to get the painting back, what really happened to the dead woman and who the bad guys and gals are. It's the usual suspense and action, but also to my great delight it brings together several familiar characters from previous books and puts a bit brighter spotlight on Gabriel's delightful 9-year-olds.

All good things must come to an end, of course, and already I'm chomping at the bit for the next adventure. After all these years, Gabriel may be getting a little long in the tooth and tries his best to avoid the kind of dangerous cloak-and-dagger situations that earned him his stellar reputation as a spy. But he certainly hasn't lost his edge - if anything, he's just become all the more interesting.

[Vein · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a devoted reader of the Gabriel Allon series, I found ‘An Inside Job’ deeply disappointing. The issue isn't the plot — Daniel Silva remains a strong storyteller — but the glaring omission of something essential: the word ‘Israel’ is never mentioned. Allon is vaguely described as a ‘spy’ with no reference to the country he served or his role as former Director of Israeli intelligence. In a time of rising antisemitism, this silence feels deliberate — and painful. One of the key reasons I followed this series was to see a rare, heroic Jewish character fighting for the State of Israel -  a narrative we seldom see in popular fiction. Erasing his identity and past, especially after October 7, feels like a betrayal. It is not the story that failed — it is the silence where truth and integrity once stood.

[Paul B · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. Gabriel Allon is attacked by a DEI mob. In an effort to placate the mob he fires his cadre of long time Israeli associates and tries to pass as a Gentile. Not worth the effort, compared to earlier books.

[Rhea · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up for excellent research and continuing good repartée, plus the usual great narration by Eduardo Ballerini. It will probably, however, be my last Gabriel Allon book — fairly formulaic (although without much backstory repetition) and so hard to fathom his totally incredible artistic talents, etc…..

[Susanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook: It actually only makes good sense to read if you are already a fan of the series. The later titles in the series have become increasingly stereotyped, this one is no exception, but if you are an old fan of the series, then you enjoy the people you know so vell.

The first half of the book is slow with a lot of repetition for new readers and Italian lingo. Places and restaurants. I almost gave up. But from about half of the book onwards, the plot unfolds. The subject is well-known international trade in art.

I used to enjoy the narrator, but all the Italian - English lingo almost made me give up. And the way he speaks when it’s women really annoyed me. Women voices all sounds angry or irritated. Alons wife who runs his company and is a former operative is almost reduced to one who complains and cooks dinner when he gets home. The bond between equals is almost gone.

Positive: All the name dropping is gone 👏👏👏 In its way a comfortable summer read part of my holiday routine

[William de_Rham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Daniel Silva and his super-spy/GOAT art restorer, Gabriel Allon, are in for a treat. In a seemingly lighthearted romp that eventually turns both high stakes and deadly, Allon and his host of compatriots (including thieves, spies, afficionados of fine art, police muckety mucks, and a best friend who just happens to be the Pope) are on the hunt for a heretofore undiscovered portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci. Mr. Silva makes liberal use of a dry, acerbic, tongue-in-cheek kind of wit to keep us smiling while turning the pages. And he takes us all over Europe and especially to Venice and Rome. It’s a very enjoyable tale of skullduggery in and around the Vatican, perfect for a summer getaway.

[Allan J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

OOn the positive side, An Inside job was well-written, as Daniel Silva's novels always are. On the whole, it was disappointing. The novel describes how Gabriel Allon discovers and solves an art theft. This is a common theme in recent Silva novels. As he has done in the past, Allon paints a fake painting, and plants it to lure the criminals out.

The minor flaws are the usual. Allon is the very best at everything he does. The best artist. The best restorer. The best investigator. So are his associates. Ingrid Johansen is the best thief and the best hacker ever. Christiopher Keller has a minor role here, but was the best asssssin in the world. The children are brilliant and precocious

The main problem with the book is more serious. It has a moral component that detracts from the relevance of the Allon character, and from the appeal of the Gabriel Allon series. Allon and his family have undergone a complete transformation. There is nothing Jewish or Israeli about them anymore. Silva mentions several times that Allon was in a government's secret service, but doesn't say which one. Indeed, the word "Israel" appears nowhere in the book. Allon knows a lot about Catholicism, and would seem to be an Italian Catholic, except for his name. The only reference to his being Jewish is an offhand exchange of banter with Allon's friend, the Pope, about Italian and Jewish mothers.

Gabriel's wife, Chiara, of course, has an Italian name, is a Venetian native, and is a fabulous cook, whose dishes are all Italian. You would not know from this novel that she is Jewish, comes from a long line of rabbis, and that she, like Allon, worked for the Israeli secret service and is an Israeli citizen. She and Gabriel now run an elite art restoration service. After all, Gabriel is the best art restorer around. He seems to make a lot of money doing this; they live a luxurious lifestyle that they never enjoyed as Israeli agents. The children go to a fancy private school, and have liberal secular beliefs, it seems, as do Gabriel and Chiara. His daughter’s preoccupation is with climate change. I wonder if they ever speak Hebrew at home. I wonder whether the kids are going to have Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, or are even aware of their background, or care about it. It seems that Gabriel and Chiara have just shed their lifelong ideological and personal commitments like last season's clothing, and have taken the children along for the ride.

The perpetrators of the art theft have nothing to do with international politics.
Gabriel Allon's ongoing coterie of Israli comrades have disappeared. So does his invalid former wife, a victim of a bombing that made her severely and permanently demented. He used to visit her regularly in Jerusalem. The only continuing characters from previous novels are non-Jewish. Christopher Keller and his wife, Ingrid Johansen (the Danish thief), and some Italian cops with whom he has collaborated in the past. And the Pope.

Gabriel Allon's character was previously filled out by his heritage. Holocuast survivor. Defender of his beleaguered nation. Ambivalence about his status as an assassin. The sense of mission he shared with his team. The relationship with his substitute father figure, Ari Shomron. They all have disappeared. What we have now is an affluent would-be upper-class Italian couple who have abandoned their former selves without looking back. A couple that schmoozes with cardinals and Popes, but has no relationship with Jews, the Jewish religion, or the Jewish community.

Daniel Silva has turned into a would-be Donna Leon (who is very good, and a long-time Venice resident). Allon has turned into a superhero Guido Brunetti. Both are good writers. Donna Leon is more credible, and her character hasn't run away from his roots without a bit of ambivalence or guilt.

[Idell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a somewhat tedious read, but I have read all his books so I finished it. The author is obviously for open, unvetted borders so he is gone way left.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Inside Job 4 stars

Book # 25. What can I say except I will continue to read this series until Silva stops writing them, or my heart stops. Still trying to figure out is it is possible to be interned with the newest book😜

The story brings back all the old regulars of the series and uncovers the mystery of a dead woman, found floating in the canals of Venice, and a possibly unknown Da Vinci painting. Being one of the best-known art restorers in the world, Gabriel, our main POV, finds himself neck deep in the intrigue.

This episode, as many of them do, features Gabriel's twin children. In this one, the female half of the duo entertains us with her antics as a growing activist.

Is this a formulated series? Yes, but perfect for the book lover of spies, intrigue, and characters you cannot help loving.

[Donna Gropper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the latest book from Daniel Silva that is impossible to put down. Protagonist Gabriel Allon, former head of Mossad, is now totally untethered from his former profession. He is now living in Venice with his wife and children and immersed in his other occupation as a master art restorer. Because Gabriel still sees and remembers things others don’t, and makes mental connections others miss, he gets involved in situations and can’t and won’t let go until he gets to the bottom of things and sees justice done as best he can. So begins this adventure.

As often happens, this one starts with a murder, followed by another related murder. Both have to do with the discovery and theft of a newly discovered painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Following the thread of the story leads us from law enforcement in Italy and France, to various art experts in multiple countries, to organized crime, and to the inner workings of The Vatican. What a ride!

I totally enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for anyone who likes stories of international intrigue. A great read!

[Karen Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. I have liked previous books in this series but not until page 175 did I develop any interest in the story line and even then I wasn’t that intrigued. I feel there was so much filler… writing Italian names of the streets, the restaurants, the food - it got tiresome to read. Still like the main character and hope to read about his adventures again.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman is murdered. Art restorer Gabriel Allon thinks it is connected to a previously unknown work of art by Da Vinci. The book revolves around this main storyline. Reading Silva is like watching a good movie-his word portraits are that detailed and descriptive. Without giving away some of the plot, this is all I'm prepared to divulge about the book. If you are reading the series, you should definitely give this book a go. A worthy effort and well worth the time spent reading it.

[Michale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I’m neither a fan of Silvia’s fictional popes nor this fictional artwork. And, as another reviewer pointed out, Allon’s life after his retirement has lost the excitement it had in the earlier books (no matter how farfetched some of the escapades were).

[David C Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silva has done a good job rebooting his Allon novels from NatSec thrillers to art world skulduggery. Here the theft of a possible Leonardo from the Vatican storerooms leads to its recovery by Allon and his cohort before morphing into that old chestnut, a Vatican financial scandal. A bit pro forma not least because it’s apparently surprisingly easy to steal a painting from the Vatican! And Allon has no real problems getting it back albeit not without sparking a war in the Curia over the direction of the Church. (btw: why does super thief Ingrid have to be inserted on the bad guys’ plane? And there’s no way the thieves would show the painting to a flight attendant. I suspect Silva was setting up a plot line and then dropped it without editing out the set up.) As always, there’s a lot of luxe tourism (plus potted art history) and brand name dropping (Bellinis at Harry’s, the Hassler, Faber Castelli pencils) and no one ever misses a connecting flight.
Also: in the art books Silva has been inserting little Easter egg references to the Great Gatsby (irony, I guess). Here he has a nice one to Myrtle Wilson which he then spoils by over egging the FS Fitzgerald pudding with subsequent mentions of Daisy Buchanan and the Divers. Subtlety is not a feature of genre fiction.

[Sally Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Daniel Silvia’s books. His main character is Gabriel Allon. I liked the book. I finished it in 3 days. It is fast paced. The only problem I have are all the Italian words!!!

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my! I love how the title was a recurring refrain in the book, and a connection. Then, finally a quiet whisper! Topical, thrilling, fast-paced, with old friends making appearances!

[Reader Beth Blum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will always love Gabriel Allon and wish the earlier books were made into movies but I was very disappointed with Silva’s last few books and almost didn’t read this new one! Wasn’t too thrilled with this book either - while I love all the old characters, their quirks, haunts , love affairs etc etc I found this book too bogged down in art technology and couldn’t keep all the new characters and relationships straight!?! Basic storyline was good that’s why I gave the book a 3 but …….

[Kathleen Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of this author and series, they are the right combination of history, art, art history and restoration, travel, intrigue and spies. In this book when a body is found floating in a canal and Gabriel identifies the body belonging to young art expert an investigation to find out why starts. This book took us through Italy and Vatican City to Denmark, Amsterdam and London, I loved the range of locations, the scenes with Gabriel’s wife and children and how the story unfolded. There was lots to learn and absorb.