English Assassin
The English Assassinbrings back Gabriel Allon, the appealingly  melancholy art restorer with a double life as an Israeli secret agent, first  introduced in 2000'sThe Kill  Artist. Gabriel is sent to Zurich under a pseudonym to restore a Raphael  belonging to a prominent Swiss banker and art collector, Augustus Rolfe, but  upon arriving he finds Rolfe lying in a pool of blood. When Gabriel tries to  leave Zurich, the Swiss police capture him immediately--and moreover, they know  his real identity. He's released through some diplomatic string-pulling, but he  soon discovers that Rolfe had requested a meeting with Israeli intelligence, for  reasons unknown, just before his death.Rolfe's daughter, Anna, is a world-class violinist attempting to rebuild her  career after an accident that nearly destroyed one of her hands. But her  physical scars are nothing compared to those on her psyche, left by her mother's  suicide when Anna was a teenager. Temperamental and mistrustful, she  nevertheless believes Gabriel's story, and reveals that Rolfe owned a secret  collection of priceless French Impressionist paintings, apparently stolen by his  murderers.As Gabriel begins to put together the pieces of the puzzle, he faces two  adversaries: a powerful group of men who would do anything to bury the past  forever, and a hired killer who's planning a spectacular murder. LikeThe  Kill Artist,The English Assassinbalances fascinating characters,  authentic-sounding historical detail, and plenty of glamorous international  intrigue on the edge of a knife-keen plot.--Barrie Trinkle--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.