From Booklist
Mystery writing doesn't get any better than Gash's Lovejoy series, in which a clever rogue, whose morals and antics are straight out of Restoration comedy, makes his way as an expert and sometime forger in the British antiques world. As Lovejoy explains in numerous asides to the reader, this world is crawling with crooks who prey upon the gullible public. This makes a perfect setup for a series (this is the twenty-second Lovejoy novel) in which the hero repeatedly outcons the cons, relying always on his expertise and rare gift of "divvying," i.e., experiencing the physical sensation of dizziness or queasiness (or both) in the presence of genuine antiques. The title here refers to Gash's mental habit of trying to reduce complex situations to a precis of 10 words. The situation he finds himself in this time, however, defies any sense-making formula (also making it a fantastic, nonformulaic read). Lovejoy is on the lam (for stealing his own Rembrandt forgery from a stately home) when he is lured aboard a cruise ship. Lovejoy's kidnappers want him, as the only surviving "divvy," to sniff out and steal priceless treasures from St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum. Lovejoy, lover of art and antiques and hater of art thieves (forgery is tolerable), has his hands full trying to escape and outwit his captors. As always in this series, readers will learn much about art and antiques along the way. A beautifully written, riveting mystery romp.
Connie FletcherCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
Product Description
After stealing one of his own forgeries from the Marquis of Gotham, Lovejoy is on the run. With the bounty hunter David Buddy hot on his trail, Lovejoy makes his way to Southampton in the hope of fleeing the country. He soon finds himself sailing away from the port in the Melissa, one of the world's most luxurious cruise ships - not as a stowaway but as a legitimate passenger. But his cruise turns out to be nothing like a holiday when Lovejoy discovers that his escape from the mainland has been organised by a group of criminals. And now they've got him on board they're intent on using Lovejoy's knowledge of fine art and antiques for their own gain. But exactly what they want him to do remains a mystery...A gripping and unusual tale; The Ten Word Game shows Jonathan Gash and his creation Lovejoy at their finest.
