An Inside Job

Gabriel’s official profession consists of removing superficial distortions that mar the quality of a work of art. This work is an extended metaphor for the aphorism that appearances can be deceiving. Because the world of An Inside Job largely consists of deceptive facades, his side job as a private investigator accomplishes much the same thing. In each case, Gabriel is tasked with digging below the surface to reveal the truths and lies beneath. The lost Leonardo presents an entirely new set of problems since the artwork has been concealed beneath an inferior work by an anonymous artist.

While reclaiming the work of a master painter is intriguing as an art mystery, the lost Leonardo carries implications far beyond the provenance of the painting itself. Its disappearance and the string of murders that follows imbue the story with aspects of a morality tale. The painting is merely the plot device that allows the author to delve into much bigger questions about why and how people construct appearances to conceal the truth and what it takes to break through well-crafted networks of deception. The novel’s primary example of this theme is the appearance of sanctity in the Vatican, which is contrasted with the scandalous behavior of its members when the painting is stolen.