Portrait of a Spy: A Novel Free Audiobook Download by Daniel Silva

This reviewer stumbled on "Portrait of a Spy" before it was translated into English and had no idea what to expect. The novel opens in 1949, with the protagonist, Michael Cohen, leaving his family in Greece as a young man to study in Paris. He is recruited by French Intelligence and becomes known as the Grey Fox and is recognized by history as an important player in intelligence countering terrorism during the Cold War time frame. It has been translated into 34 languages and sold more than 10 million copies worldwide up to October 2013.

A famous art restorer is found murdered in her home. The next day, Gabriel Allon, a former Israeli spy now living in Paris, is summoned home by his handler. A theory is being floated that the art restorer had been involved with the CIA and may have been part of a plot to kill the president of France.

Simon Vance does a wonderful job with his narration. The story is about an Israeli intelligence officer and the way he goes about doing his job. It's a dark, thrilling genre of writing that I enjoyed immensely. I will warn you to be careful with going into this book too deep though. There are many twists and turns that take place throughout the novel and they can be easy to miss if you aren't paying close attention!

The story opens with Leon G. Tarasco, a freelance spy, and his daughter Liat in the back seat of their car, on the run from assassins. The two are surrounded by gunfire, forced to take refuge in a warehouse and sealing themselves inside with dozens of terrified hostages. As they are struggling to escape and save their family, Leon has some help: three members of his elite team who've been undercover in Israel for months. But even with their help, things don't go according to plan--and soon it becomes clear that nothing will ever be the same again

A spy with a troubled past and a reason to keep repeating it is the protagonist of this novel that follows his life as he goes on an up and down rollercoaster of morality. Forging relationships with many people in order to gather intelligence is a dangerous game, which makes the protagonist's life even more precarious. He spends most of his time living in fear, while trying to find redemption.

Daniel Silva, a renowned international spy novelist and one of the most popular authors of all time, created the most popular spy character in modern times: Gabriel Allon. His latest novel is “Portrait of a Spy” and it features the very beginnings of this famous Israeli spy.