- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: UK General Books; 1 edition (Jun 27 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0007229208
- ISBN-13: 978-0007229208
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 240 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #4,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
Jonathan Argyll, British art dealer and sleuth, delivers an obscure 18th-century painting to a Parisian dealer's client in Rome. The client, however, ends up dead. Argyll and his fiancee, Flavia de Stefano, pursue the murderer as well as information about the painting. A solidly enjoyable series.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Jonathan Argyll, British art dealer, and his amour, Flavia de Stefano, a member of Rome's art-theft squad, have decided to marry after happy months of living together. But first, there's business to tend to. On a buying trip to Paris, Jonathan is asked by a colleague to deliver a valuable painting to a client in Rome. He soon discovers that whoever is interested in this picture seems to wind up dead. The trail leads both Jonathan and Flavia from Rome to Paris and back, unearthing in the process a story that began with the French Resistance during World War II and has extended its tendrils to the present day, where familial jealousy, greed over an inheritance, and unrequited love provide the perfect motives for murder. In the odd moment when Jonathan and Flavia aren't detecting, they carry on a delightful courtship that provides nearly as much enjoyment as the surprising plot. A sophisticated, adventurous, and gripping story that is sure to hold wide appeal. Emily Melton
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun! Why not Excellent?,
By Random Joys "nicholasgeo" (Carmel, IN USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Last Judgement (Art History Mystery) (Paperback)
THE LAST JUDGEMENT is one of the "art history mystery" series. The series' protagonists are quite appealing. They are a still unmarried couple living in Rome. I must admit that we end up knowing her by her first name, Flavia, and him by his last, Argyll. If that seems a bit sexist, it is consistent with the European scene where new attitudes must break through habits that have crusted over centuries. Flavia is with the department of the Italian police that specializes in art crime. She has an interesting mentor in her department and faces competition from the regular police, the Carabinieri. Argyll is an expatriated British art scholar. In this book he is an art dealer. In a later volume, Death and Restoration, he becomes an art history instructor at a university. The adventures revolve around art theft, invariably including murder. The plots exploit historical mysteries and criss-cross Europe. In the LAST JUDGMENT, Flavia and Argyll go from Rome to Paris, Zurich, London, and the English countryside. The historical component is the German occupation of France during WWII, and the post-war punishment of the collaborators. The unfolding of the plot of THE LAST JUDGMENT frustrated me. The mystery is fairly obvious, even before the midpoint of the book. The result is a painful observation of the discovery of the obvious. Nevertheless, the book is fun and I give it three stars.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing,
By
This review is from: The Last Judgement (Art History Mystery) (Paperback)
I've been reading this series in order and have been enjoying it a lot - the main characters are quirky and amusing, the world of antique art buying, selling, and stealing is fascinating, and the plots are fun. But this one just seemed a bit "off". Maybe Iain Pears was having a bad day (or month or however long it takes to write these). I'm a big fan of Pears' but the bleakness of the historical background and the fact that torture was central to the plot seemed quite dissonant to the usual light-heartedness of the series. I also started to get irritated that Jonathan and Flavia never had enough money. Don't they have credit cards? Oh well, I'm going to continue through the series. I'm still a fan.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing on the whole,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Last Judgement (Art History Mystery) (Paperback)
I could hardly believe that this was by the same author as the brilliant "An instance of the fingerpost". Admittedly, it's not the same kind of thing and it's an earlier work, but even so, it is mediocre as whodunnits go. The outcome was largely predictable, and the characters lacked dimension. The best thing I can find to say about it is that it is vastly superior to the art history mysteries of Derek Wilson.
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