Art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon has finally severed ties with Israeli intelligence and settled quietly in Venice. His wife Chiara has taken over operations of the Tiepolo Restoration Co., and their children are discreetly enrolled in a local scuola elementare, leaving Gabriel free to wander the streets and canals, exorcizing the demons of his violent past. But when eccentric London art dealer Julian Isherwood asks him to look into the rediscovery of a priceless portrait attributed to 17th century master Anthony van Dyck, Gabriel is drawn into an international game of cat and mouse where nothing is as it seems.

"The scheme is a doozy, but the real draw here is the meticulously detailed look at the art of the forger."—Booklist (starred review)