Giottos Hand: Amazon.ca: Books

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Product Description

Book Description

General Bottando of Rome's Art Theft Squad believes a lone criminal mastermind-dubbed "Giotto"-has been stealing priceless Renaissance art for over 30 years. But his theory is scorned by archrival Corrado Argan, a bureaucrat more interested in politics than policing.

Bottando's right hand, the beautiful Flavia di Stefano, quickly locates a possible culprit-but he's in England. Since the conniving Argan considers even a trip across town an unnecessary expense for Bottando's squad, Flavia must rely on her fiancé, Jonathan Argyll. In England on business, he finds the suspect suspiciously dead. That's a pity-especially for Jonathan. Were he not on the scene-raving about art thefts and coincidences-the police may have ruled that the deceased had a few too many and tripped on a loose stair. Now, Jonathan's passport has been lifted until Her Majesty's magistrate is satisfied that he has told all he knows...

About the Author

Iain Pears has worked as an art historian, a television consultant, and a journalist in England, France, Italy, and the United States. He is the author of the highly praised Art History Mysteries; the novels An Instance of the Fingerpost and The Dream of Scipio; a book of art history, and countless articles on artistic, financial, and historical subjects.

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

3.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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1.0 out of 5 stars huge let down, Jan 19 2002

By A Customer

I had read an excerpt of Pears' "An Instance of the Fingerpost" a while back. It intrigued me enough that I wanted to read the book. While I have still not read that book, when I saw this one for a dollar at my local Half Price books, I decided I would give Pears a try. I found this book to be severely lacking in character development and found the plot to be thin. I now understand why they had the book priced at a dollar. The book tries to cover too much, which is evident in the subplot of the book involving the conflict between the aging detective and the scrappy new detective. This sub plot is tedious and detracts from the main mystery of the book. Overall the story line is weak, there is too much detracting from the main plot, and the character development leaves much desired. I do still want to read "Instance", but it will be a while before I pick up any other Pears book again. Don't waste your time and energy on this book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Art History in an easy-to-swallow size, Dec 19 2001

By	JRob (IL USA) - See all my reviews

Yes, I am a Pears fan, strating with "An Instance Of The Fingerpost". I really like these art history mysteries of his. They always have some quirky characters, interesting settings, and very little bloodshed. So I get my armchair travel nicely wrapped in a whodoneit. But I especially like to learn something along the way. Each of these show me something of an art world I will never live in - so I get a double-dip of tourism. This story, set in both Italy and England also throws in a little of Miss Marple's small village life as well. An easy read, not too long - I strongly recommend it.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Clever Cozy, Nov 12 2001

By	sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

I approached this book with a certain amount of resolve, as my only other outing with Iain Pears was "Instance of the Fingerpost" which while fascinating, was quite complex. "Giotto's Hand" was instead, a very nice diversion. Mr. Pears proves he cannot be pigeonholed into one writing category.

Jonathan & Flavia are a delightful twosome headquartered in Rome, but over half the action takes place in a small village in England. The author is obviously well grounded in the style and flavor of both places. His descriptions of the wiles of Italian bureaucracy are priceless. He has a fine ear for dialogue (see following) and wittiness in comparison between the English vs. Italian spirit:

Flavia: "Why would anyone sneer at someone being charming?
Jonathan: "Because this is England, my dear, and that's what we do here."
F: "Why? I like people to be charming."
J.: "But you're Italian. In this country charm means you're superficial, have a tendency to flattery, are probably a bumptious social climber and, moreover, the term carries very distinct implications that you like women."
F: "What's wrong with that?"
J: "A ladies' man," Argyll said darkly. "Few things can be worse. It suggests a propensity to slobber over people's hands and pay compliments like some continental. You can do that sort of thing with dogs, but not with the opposite sex."

It is rare that a mystery makes me laugh aloud and even rarer that I want to, but Mr. Pears succeeds on all counts. My only problem with the book was most of the characters had a fastidious disinclination to become involved in the plot. I kept thinking I must get them back on track some way or another. Also, Mr. Argyll was so full of moral considerations, I feared for Flavia's financial well-being. What Jonathan would or would not do with ill gotten gains ratcheted up the suspense for me considerably.

This is a fine, clever and cunning read. Recommended as a mood lifter.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Pears' best, but still good
This is the second Pears book I have read, and I thought it was excellent, but not as good as "The Last Judgement. Read more

Published on Jan 8 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Good read on a cool winter's day
This is the first book in the Art Mysteries series that I have read. I enjoyed the characters of Jonathan Argyll and his fiancee Flavia and found the English countryside setting... Read more

Published on Dec 5 2000 by Dana Keish

1.0 out of 5 stars A Shallow Read
I have lived in Italy for over 20 years during the Summers. I had recently bought CITY SECRETS ROME. An excellent guide book. Read more

Published on Jun 16 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice little mystery with a cosmopolitan flavor.
Not only is this book an outstandingly enjoyable read on its own, but also, in Giotto's Hand, Jonathan Argyll and his fiance Flavia meet up with a character who is pivotal to... Read more