On the morning after the Venice Preservation Society's annual black-tie gala, art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon enters his favorite coffee bar on the island of Murano to find General Cesare Ferrari, the commander of the Art Squad, eagerly awaiting his arrival. The Carabinieri have made a startling discovery in the Amalfi villa of a murdered South African shipping tycoon-a secret vault containing an empty frame and stretcher matching the dimensions of the world's most valuable missing painting. General Ferrari asks Gabriel to quietly track down the artwork before the trail goes cold.
"Isn't that your job?"
"Finding stolen paintings? Technically speaking, yes. But you're much better at it than we are."
The painting in question is The Concert by Johannes Vermeer, one of thirteen works of art stolen from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. With the help of a most unlikely ally, a beautiful Danish computer hacker and professional thief, Gabriel soon discovers that the painting has changed hands as part of an illicit billion-dollar business deal involving a man code-named the Collector, an energy executive with close ties to the highest levels of Russian power.
The missing masterpiece is the lynchpin of a conspiracy that if successful, could plunge the world into a conflict of apocalyptic proportions. To foil the plot, Gabriel must carry out a daring heist of his own, with millions of lives hanging in the balance.
Elegant, meticulously plotted, and filled with a cast of unforgettable characters, The Collector moves swiftly from the graceful canals of Venice to the windswept coast of northern Denmark to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia-and, finally, to a heart-pounding climax in Russia as current as tomorrow's headlines.
'Silva builds suspense like a symphony conductor' Booklist
'A master of his craft' Adelaide Advertiser
'Gabriel Allon never fails' President Bill Clinton
'World-class' Washington Post
Joel Selwood's remarkable leadership is well-known across AFL football. Announcing his retirement at the end of the 2022 season, Selwood will not only go down in history as an icon of the game – a record breaker – but also as a selfless leader who supported his team through one of the club’s most successful periods in its history. After Selwood was made captain of the team in 2012, Geelong made the finals in all but one season, playing in seven preliminary finals and two Grand Finals – culminating in Geelong's tenth premiership in 2022. Easier said than done.
Now, for the first time, Selwood tells his story in his own words.
All In relives the highs of Selwood’s proudest career moments, but also the lows battling the physical and personal challenges in his life, from his infamous knee injury and long recovery to the impact of COVID-19 on the AFL 2020 and 2021 seasons. For the first time, Selwood also describes the bravery, disappointment and celebration entering the IVF merry-go-round with his wife, Brit, to finally have their son, Joey Victor Selwood.
A Geelong supporter who grew up to play his entire professional career with the Cats, Joel Selwood is a true AFL legend of our times.
5 Ingredients Mediterranean is everything people loved about the first book, but with the added va-va-voom of basing it on Jamie's lifelong travels around the Med. With over 125 utterly delicious, easy-to-follow recipes, it's about making everyday cooking super-exciting, with minimal fuss - all while transporting you to sunnier climes.
You'll find recipes that empower you to make incredibly delicious food, but without copious amounts of ingredients, long shopping lists or loads of washing up. 65% of the recipes are meat-free or meat-reduced, and all offer big, bold flavour. With chapters on Salads, Soups and Sarnies, Pasta, Veg, Pies and Parcels, Seafood, Fish, Chicken and Duck, Meat and Sweet Things, it will have readers coming back for more, seven days a week.
Dive into the Big Blue Guy's guide to being the best dad ever and find out how to kick some dad goals!
A gorgeous hardback book for kids of all ages.
Bluey is an award-winning preschool show about Bluey, a blue heeler pup, and her family. Airing on ABC KIDS, the show has amassed legions of dedicated fans and hugely popular ranges of books, toys, clothes, games and more.
