Prince of Fire

Prince of Fire by Daniel Silva  369 pp.

This is the fourth book in the series about master art restorer, spy, and assassin, Gabriel Allon (and the 6th that I've read). In this novel Allon must abandon restoration of a Bellini masterpiece in Vienna after the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Rome. He is charged with finding and killing the mastermind of the attack, a member of a family with a long history of deadly attacks against Israeli citizens and the government of Israel. Allon himself is being hunted after his true identity and that of his lover, Chiara, is compromised. Silva has created memorable characters in Allon, his aged, curmudgeonly boss, Ari Shamron, and others who make recurring appearances in the series. The amount of research done by the author into the difficult relationship between the Israel and the Palestinians shows in the craftsmanship of his storytelling.