Portrait of a Spy    by Daniel Silva Order:  USA  Can Harper, 2012 (2011) Hardcover, Paperback, CD, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Bob Walch Back for his twelfth assignment, Gabriel Allon is pitted against an American cleric who has set up an Al Qaeda like operation in Yemen and has unleashed a wave of suicide bombings. The blood carnage has stunned the citizens of Paris, Copenhagen and London. Summoned to Washington, D.C., the retired Israeli operative, who now takes the occasional assignment for American and British covert agencies, is assigned the task of shutting down Rashid al-Husseini's operation. Working with Nadia al-Bakari, Allon's task will necessitate travelling from England, France and Switzerland to Saudi Arabia and Dubai. The fast paced thriller addresses a number of issues besides terrorism. At the story's center is the clandestine funding the Saudis purportedly supply to various terrorist groups and the lack of women's rights found in many Arab nations. Many readers have also been intrigued by Allon's cover as an art restorer. Naturally, that's a factor in this novel, as in the past, so there's some fascinating material on that aspect of the art world. If you've never read a Daniel Silva thriller you'll be pleasantly surprised by the speed with which this bestselling author pulls his reader into the story. Ten pages into Portrait of a Spy, you'll be hooked. The only problem is finding the time to finish the 500 plus page story but worry not - you'll make the time! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews