Avenging angels

The book I'm reading now from the library is the latest in the series about the Israeli agent/art restorer, Gabriel Allon, The Defector.

This one is kind of interesting for a number of reasons. One of them is that the story begins with Gabriel restoring a painting for the Vatican - the Crucifixion of Peter by Guido Reni.


- Crucifixion of Peter by Guido Reni

The other reason is that one of the recurring characters in the series comes to the fore in this story .... Mikhail, a former member of Sayeret Matkal and a participant in Operation Entebbe. When Gabriel and Mikhail set off to save Gabriel's kidnapped wife in The Defector, they're referred to as the avenging angels because of their names.

I like these novels by Daniel Silva - I learn about art restoration, get to visit far away places (in this one, Lake Como), but mostly I like them because they seriously challenge my existing opinions on Israel and even more so challenge my ideas of what's right and wrong.