Gabriel Allon returns in a few days, and as hundreds of thousands of expectant fans snatch up “Portrait of a Spy,” author Daniel Silva’s timing and eye will once again astonish reviewers and his public. The drama and the consequences of the Arab Spring and the future of al Qaeda confound the American public. Silva provides not just a riveting thriller full of his trademark tradecraft and compelling, detailed descriptions of post-Sept. 11 espionage and the highest end of the art world, but also a means to understanding the enormity of the events unfolding in real time.

And the stakes. The stakes are so incredibly high, but because the Arab world is so difficult to understand, Silva’s great contribution isn’t the extraordinarily high entertainment value of the amazing series of 11 Allon thrillers that began with “The Kill Artist” in 2000.