Présentation de l'éditeur
Gabriel is a man with a deep appreciation for all that is beautiful. But he is also an angel of vengeance who will stop at nothing to see justice done. Sometimes he must journey far in search of evil. And sometimes evil comes to him.
For Gabriel and his beautiful Venetian-born wife, Chiara, it was supposed to be the start of a pleasant weekend in London--a visit to an art gallery in St. James's to authenticate a newly discovered painting by Titian, followed by a quiet lunch at an Italian restaurant along the Strand. But a pair of deadly bombings in Paris and Hamburg has already marred this sparkling autumn day. And while walking along Wellington Street, the ever-vigilant Gabriel notices a man whom he believes is about to carry out a third attack. The man is exhibiting several traits common to suicide bombers traits that Gabriel, one of the world's most experienced counterterrorism officers, knows all too well. Armed with a concealed Beretta pistol, he follows the man into the crowded Covent Garden market, determined to prevent the massacre of innocents he fears is about to take place. But before Gabriel can draw his weapon, he is knocked to the pavement by two undercover London police officers. A moment later he looks up to find a scene from his nightmares. Bodies and blood, Baghdad on the Thames ...
Haunted by his failure to prevent the attack, Gabriel returns to his isolated cottage on the Cornish coast, believing his role in the affair is at an end. But when a summons arrives from the CIA, he is drawn once more into the world he thought he had left behind. In Washington, Gabriel finds an American intelligence community that, a decade after 9/11, is bloated, inefficient, and riddled with dissent. Determined to restore America's image in the world, the new president has outlawed many of the tactics used by his predecessor. But in doing so, he has left America's secret warriors ill equipped to deal with the deadly new face of global jihadist terror.
At the center of the threat is an American-born cleric from Yemen to whom Allah has granted a beautiful and seductive tongue. A gifted deceiver, the cleric once worked as a paid CIA asset. Now, from the mountains of southern Yemen, he is plotting to succeed Osama Bin Laden as the new leader of the worldwide jihadist movement. The cleric is not an ally of al-Qaeda but a rival. And he is determined to shed American blood on American soil. At the request of the president, Gabriel agrees to mount an operation against the network, using any and all means necessary to protect innocent life. The stakes could not be higher, not only for the young American leader, but for Gabriel as well.
Set against the disparate worlds of art and intelligence, Portrait of a Spy moves swiftly from the corridors of power in Washington, to the glamorous auction houses of New York and London, to the glittering streets of Paris and the unforgiving landscape of the Saudi desert. It features the most memorable cast of characters in contemporary fiction and a climax that will leave readers haunted long after they turn the final page. But Portrait of a Spy is more than an entertainment of the highest order. It is a story of true courage in the face of unspeakable evil. And it is Daniel Silva's most extraordinary novel to date.
Revue de presse
Silva's thrillers bring readers the best of all spy worlds. The action roars along, touching down in both glamorous settings and godforsaken outposts ... for readers who crave both deft characterization and old-fashioned, spy-novel action. --Booklist
With a dollop of Simon Templar, a dash of Jack Bauer, the urbanity of Graham Greene, and the humanity of John le Carré, Daniel Silva has hit upon the perfect formula to keep espionage-friendly fans fingers glued to his books, turning pages in nearly breathless expectation. --BookPage
Silva builds tension with breathtaking double and triple turns of plot. --People
Biographie de l'auteur
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