From Publishers Weekly
In his 15th Lovejoy mystery, Gash ( The Great California Game ) again conveys "the bliss that is antiques" as his antiques dealer/sleuth returns to the deceptively idyllic English countryside of East Anglia. Here, as Lovejoy's fans well know, the picture-book scenery is the backdrop for antiques scams--this time on an uprecedentedly large scale that, when combined with a desire for revenge nurtured for centuries, provide multiple motives for murder. Accompanied--and bedded--by a bevy of fair ladies whose husbands he deftly outmaneuvers, Lovejoy investigates brutal murder and discovers an operation in which large caches of stolen antiques are hidden until it is safe to sell them. In his new assistant, the mayor's wife, Lovejoy confides fascinating antiques tips. Other memorable characters include Prammie Joe, who keeps illegally acquired antiques on a small barge hidden in the reedy landscape, and the Great Marvella, a fortune teller/masseuse/ventriloquist who employs a snake to pronounce her clients' fortunes. This gem should secure Gash's fortunes.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In this British author's disappointing new work, a muddle of minor characters and colloquialisms fail to disguise the plot's insignificance. The impecunious and womanizing Lovejoy natters and noshes his way through an antiques scam for which police blame him, then finds a crony murdered in a reed-cutter's hut. Nonetheless, Lovejoy shines forth with his usual panache, dedicating some of his chauvinistic time to the mayor's wife--his "apprentice." Strictly for diehard fans, although the Arts & Entertainment Channel's weekly broadcast of Lovejoy , loosely based on the books, may spark some library demand. Previewed in Prepub Alert, 4/1/92.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
