Silva’s master spy Gabriel Allon is a highly respected art restorer who also is an occasional spy for the Mossad. Allon spends much of his time in Europe restoring great works of art. The Heist finds Allon restoring a work in a great church in Venice when the head of the Italian Police Art Squad strongly suggests that Allon help them recover some stolen art connected to a murder scene at Lake Como. The Art Squad is particularly interested in the recovery of a Caravaggio painting that disappeared in 1969. Interwoven in the story is the murder of an art dealer, a cache of stolen art found in his home, some dating back to the time of the Nazis, the involvement of Middle Eastern dictators and Swiss bankers, and links to the atrocities over the past 30 years that have marked the Middle East and especially Syria.
Allon has become the chosen successor as the head of the Mossad, which adds internal strife to his work within the agency. Gabriel must use his resources in the art world, the Mossad, other international spy agencies and his own talent as an artist to find the killers and the stolen works of art. Along the way he forges a Van Gogh and solves the puzzle of the lost Caravaggio. Art theft is rampant and rich investors will stop at nothing to acquire famous priceless works.
Silva is a master storyteller. He interweaves the world of espionage with the talents of the Mossad and other spy networks to keep the reader involved.