“The Rembrandt Affair” by Daniel Silva – Bloodshed in the Name of Art

It would seem that the world never ceases to find occupations with which to prevent master spies (and as it happens, art restorers) from resting on idyllic vacations, or at least, such is the case with Gabriel Allon in Daniel Silva's The Rembrandt Affair.

Once again we followed the (at this point) legendary Mossad agent as he is taken on a trek across the world in search for the perpetrators of a heinous and rather mysterious crime in Glastonbury: the murder of an art restorer and the theft of Rembrandt painting.

As tradition dictates, Allon travels the entire world in search of the culprits, crossing the borders of Holland, Argentina, and finally Lake Geneva itself.

During this globetrotting quest he ends up crossing paths with a strange assortment of characters, including a seemingly vain English journalist, the master thief responsible for the actual, well, theft, and the kind of man who is the exact contrary of the image he has carefully worked to cultivate.

If you've read Gabriel Allon novels before, then it is fair to say that you largely know what to expect. A simple and elegant prose which complements the tremendous pace which the plot itself sometimes has trouble keeping up with. In-between all the investigative prowess nearly-constantly on display, Silva finds the time to also discuss art, one of its favorite subjects.

Most notably he touches on the value it holds in modern society, both in terms of economic and spiritual worth. He discusses the subject of the countless international fiscal scams perpetrated across the globe.

And in addition to that, there is plenty of food for thought given in the politics department, though I will admit that at times the author is rather obviously trying to impose his way of thinking on the viewer, rather than stating it firmly and still understanding that there may differences of opinion, and that they are acceptable.

Though the plot itself certainly has its fair share of cliches, there are nevertheless some rather tense and interesting moments where the reader (or at least in my case) tries to instinctively outsmart the author and figure out how any particular challenge can be overcome.

It is a shame though that even the more interesting of the characters got criminally-little in terms of development, though I suppose that is the price we pay for having such a rapid thriller.

One thing this novel certainly has going for it, at least for my taste, is the amount of traveling done by the character and the exquisite descriptions of the various locations he comes to visit.

There is a real sense of closeness to Allon, of being the invisible narrator of his story, always remaining close by and experiencing the same marvelous sights he does.

Silva knows how to paint landscapes, whether urban or devoid of human life, giving them all the attention they deserve without breaking the tension.

All in all, The Rembrandt Affair is a rather solid Gabriel Allon thriller, and though there are a few shortcomings to it, they are nothing that should keep it off your “to-read” if you enjoyed the author's previous works or are simply into the genre.

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Daniel Silva Personal site Daniel Silva is an American author renowned for his numerous espionage and thriller novels. His first publication was made back in 1996, The Unlikely Spy, and became a New York Times bestseller, launching off his career. He is the recipient of the 2007 Barry Award for Best Thriller for writing The Messenger, and in 2009 was appointed to as part of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Council.