An Inside Job

Gabriel Allon is the novel’s protagonist and the main character in Silva’s 25-book spy thriller series. Throughout the series, Gabriel has played many roles and has aged in accordance with the books’ 25-year span. Originally an art student who was selected by Israeli intelligence to work with them, Gabriel is a round, complex character whose arc develops over time in the series installments. In An Inside Job, he is a middle-aged, retired spy who specializes in art restoration. He is described as tall, sophisticated, and strikingly handsome with platinum-silver hair. He resides in Venice and is married to Chiara Zolla. They have two grade-school children, the twins Raphael and Irene.

Aside from his work in the art world, Gabriel has managed to accumulate friends in high and low places through his history in intelligence. He is on close terms with the current pope and high-ranking members of the Italian police, as well as a variety of shady contacts in finance and technology. In past adventures, Gabriel has assisted in the capture of many evildoers. An Inside Job follows the same pattern when he inserts himself into the police investigation of a woman who drowned in a Venice canal.