BOOK REVIEW: A DEATH IN CORWALL: A NOVEL
By Daniel Silva / Harper
Reviewed by: Jay & Anne Gruner
The Reviewers – Jay Gruner, a former CIA Operations officer, served as Chief of Station in multiple countries and as chief of an area division. After retirement, he founded J.K. Gruner Associates, a business intelligence consultancy. Anne Gruner, formerly a CIA analyst and Deputy Chief of WINPAC, is a Pushcart-nominated writer whose fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and book reviews have appeared in over twenty print and online publications, including the Cipher Brief. Anne and Jay live in McLean, Virginia with their two Golden Retrievers.
REVIEW — Daniel Silva’s latest book, A Death in Cornwall, continues the exploits of his legendary champion Gabriel Allon—master fine art restorer, retired head of Mossad, and occasional assassin—in a fast-paced and intriguing adventure involving murder, stolen art, corporate greed, political immorality, and investigative ingenuity. Fans of his previous 23 Allon works will readily recognize many of the book’s dramatis personae, especially the glamorous women—one a renowned violinist, the other a master thief—who play major roles as the plot develops. World travelers will relish the venues in which the action unfolds, including Cornwall, London, Venice, Paris, Geneva, Monaco and Corsica among others. And finally, Silva’s persistent dark humor throughout the work is a bit of an emollient in some of its most dangerous episodes.
Unlike many of his previous books, A Death in Cornwall is not about espionage operations or fighting terrorists, but rather a private battle against greed and corruption taking place at the highest financial and political levels in various Western countries, most notably in the U.K. The author brilliantly illustrates the activities of the “London Laundromat,” a consortium of financial conglomerates, banks, law firms, investment institutions, and political parties carrying out international tax avoidance and money laundering schemes. Readers of The Panama Papers will recognize some of the many tools used to hide or disguise wealth, in this case transactions in stolen art by the superrich.
The book begins with the brutal murder of a woman, a well-known fine arts scholar in a small town in Cornwall, where Allon lived under a different name many years ago. Timothy Peel, a young friend and admirer of Allon at that time who is now a local police officer, contacts the retired spy for assistance. Allon, who knows the international art world intimately, agrees to help his old friend. The ex-spy’s sleuthing soon reveals the victim was attempting to locate a missing Picasso worth more than a $100 million dollars that the Nazis stole from its Jewish owners in Paris in 1942. While Allon uncovers more of the scholar’s research, another seemingly-related murder takes place in Paris. He and his team are on the trail and new disclosures abound, some of them pointing to the involvement of well-known international personalities and politicians.
As his ingenious operation to recover the painting falters, Western intelligence services become involved to support the investigation. But Allon in his private capacity is the brains of the operation, together with his stable of talented contacts with whom he previously worked. After twists and turns, the plot leads to an epic climax on Downing Street that should especially engage British readers.
Noteworthy is Allon’s mastery of multiple disciplines—technical, investigative, clandestine tradecraft, psychological manipulation and even a bit of the occult—and his ability to inspire a cast of talented protagonists who wield these weapons to confront their opponents and solve a complex murder plot. At a critical point in the book, a principal character proclaims, “The truth is, there is no right and wrong any longer. There is only power and money.” How Allon’s team meets this challenge is the theme of the novel, and increasingly perhaps, the reality of today’s world.
Of considerable interest is the portrayal of Geneva Freeport, a tax-free transit haven on the outskirts of Geneva and the largest single storehouse of fine art in the world. An estimated 1.2 million crated paintings are kept in its miles of climate-controlled corridors in space rented by the shell corporations of international elites and art galleries who seek to maintain the anonymity of possession of these luxury goods. A sales transaction of a prized painting is accomplished by exchanging money offshore and moving the painting into Freeport or shifting it among the plethora of Freeport vaults. Freeport’s arcane modus operandi is central to Silva’s story. In his informative “Author’s Notes” at the end of the book, he acknowledges that he took some license regarding some of Freeport’s rules and regulations, but on “matters of importance” he adhered to the truth. Silva’s extensive research, such as on Freeport, is apparent throughout the book.
In sum, Daniel Silva has once again written an entrancing novel of international suspense and unexpected detours that is both educational and satisfying. Beautifully yet simply written, the book’s characters are memorable and their dialogue compelling. After 24 novels, Gabriel Allon’s escapades remain as captivating as ever, and we look forward to reading about his next adventure in 2025.
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