Rating: 
Summary: Chess, art and intrigue
Review: What a fantastic combination of elements! Chess, the supreme game of strategy, smack in the middle of two murder mysteries which are separated by 500 years and several countries. The intricate plot and believable characters bring the plot to life, while the characteristic European flavor lends style to the narrative.Julia, a young art restorer, has happened upon a hidden inscription in a painting she's been hired to restore - Quis necavit equitem - which sets off an investigation into first, who DID kill the knight, and second, whoever is behind the present-day string of murders that stems from it. The chess game in the painting provides the main clues, and the plotting of the moves is integral to the plot. At least a basic knowledge of chess is a good idea, since if you skip the discussion of the moves you miss important points. Those who know more may be confused at first by moves marked with ?, which usually means a blunder, but here is used to suggest a move to be made by the opponent instead. The game itself is slightly weird, with all the play on the queenside (the kingside pawns must have been annihilated early, with both white and black castling queenside), but it is 500 years old, after all. There are frequent sprinklings of phrases in other languages - though the text was translated from Spanish to English, phrases in other languages (French, Latin, etc.) are left alone; since most Europeans I know do have at least a working knowledge of two or three languages, makes sense to me. This is not your typical "beach-read" murder mystery; the chess, art, and historical aspects all demand a greater intellectual investment, which is one of the reasons I love this book - sooner or later, even the most dedicated mystery addict (ahem...) wants some nourishing brain food instead of just brain candy. There are many red herrings swimming around, and if you catch a few the plot twists are all the more exciting. If you like Iain Pears's Art History Mysteries, you'll probably like this one (and vice-versa) - who knows, you may even be inspired to begin playing chess.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating
Review: Having read one of the other reviews here I was surprised by the advice "skip the chess move bits". To me, although I am by no stretch of the imagination a keen chess player, these sections were the key to the story. Give yourself some time to go through the moves and you'll see how clever Reverte really is. In fact I found myself wishing that the spoken exposition that Reverte resorts to would end and he would go back to the more subtle metaphor of the chess game. An absolutely fascinating read.
Although not as good as the Dumas Club or the Fencing Master.
Rating:
Summary: One of my two favorite mysteries.
Review: I loved this book. Reading it was literally like playing a game of chess. I rate it as one of my two favorite mysteries (the other being A Mind for Murder, by P.D. James). I was fascinated by the way the author brought events that happened centuries ago right into the present. I will keep and re-read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book, but with certain reservations.
Review: Perez-Reverte is one of those writers who carries out immense research before embarking on a book, and `The Flanders Panel' attests to this. The plot is intelligent and arresting, but like his `Seville Communion', the novel becomes somewhat predictable, and even cliched after about half way through. Perez-Reverte, in my view, is one of those writers who suffer from the inability to end his novel well, perhaps due to his very brilliant beginning; in this novel, the story about a murder mystery captured in a painting, as well as a book of clever chess playing, the novel nevertheless falters in delivering a better ending. Who the killer is, is, if one reads carefully, quite guessable halfway through the novel; his characters also suffer from profound stereotyping - a beautiful, intelligent woman who is the heroine, a rather sage-like, effaced character as the puzzle solver, the dubious homosexual, the rampantly and wantonly sexual woman who (must) die (because she is the foil to the beautiful virtuous heroine, who must survive), the handsome stud who turns out to be coward and pimp. perhaps this is a tried-and-tested formula for a good old mystery, but i think such a clever writer like perez-reverte should be more innovative and experimental. When one eventually reads the denouement, it is more an irritation than something remarkable (although i do not fault the writer's intelligence here). perhaps perez-reverte should try a less clever opening and end his novel with a real bang, which i am sure, will eventually be the case.
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Summary: You don't have to be Bobby Fischer to enjoy chess!
Review: Another book showing the craftsmanship Pérez Reverte carries out so well. In this story each of the elements in a chess board shown in an old painting, have their corresponding opposite number in the real life of Julia. She is an art restorer working in Madrid. Just as in the game there are rivals, a powerful Queen and a mystery, in Julia's own life the pieces start moving around her, and when the corpses start turning up she will need a White Knight. Truly. This mystery around a masterpiece may very well be the author's own masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Knights and knaves
Review: I must admit, I sit down to Pérez-Reverte's work with the comfort with which I'd chat with an old friend; his interests so often overlap mine that I feel confident that whatever's between the covers will be interesting enough to make the hours pass quickly. In "The Flanders Panel" Pérez-Reverte tells a story set within the cutthroat world of Spain's art and antique auction industry. Julia, a young art restorer, is gently cleaning a priceless painting for her friend Menchu Roch, one of the greediest auctioneers in all Madrid. It's a painting other auctioneers would love to have - and to sell. While restoring the 15-century tableau for her friend, Julia uncovers a hidden inscription that hints at a riddle asked by the painting itself, an unorthodox view of two powerful men playing chess while the wife of one looks on. Menchu has no interest in the painting beyond its resale value, so Julia turns to other friends for help in deciphering the painting's secret: her longtime mentor, a gay antique dealer named Cesar Ortiz, and her ex-boyfriend, the pipe-smoking history professor Alvaro Ortega. It is Alvaro who fills her - and us - in on the history of the people in the painting, medieval nobles Ferdinand and Beatrice of Ostenburg and their loyal knight, Roger of Arras. The latin inscription Julia has uncovered, "Quis necavit equitem", surely alludes to the historical mystery of Arras' death in 1469 - who killed the knight? The 500-year-old painting by an artist friend of Arras' may hold the clues to answer the very question it poses, since the chessboard shows Arras has just lost a white knight to his opponent. But just when an enigmatic chess champion named Muñoz has filled Julia in on the order of play suggested by the remaining pieces on the board, Julia's white knight Alvaro is murdered and the game left unfinished 500 years before comes to life around her, forcing her up against a diabolical grand master determined to win the game - a game in which she has been assigned the role of Queen. This is Pérez-Reverte at his best, drawing on the professional skills he sharpened as a journalist to keep the action moving without a letup. Ideal summer reading, it will drown out the beach-blanket noise around you and keep you digging for clues in a mystery as carefully constructed as the medieval painting its title refers to.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing...
Review: Like many readers here, I was drawn in by what seemed to be a great plot hook... ...but, the translation was terrible. Many of Perez-Reverte's books are very readable, but this one wasn't. Like when characters say at several times "I'm on tenterhooks." Its a cliche that is never used any more in English... was there any equally bad cliche in the Spanish? (unlikely.) Did the author use the literal spanish word for tenterhooks? (even more unlikely.) Or did the translator just grab the wrong English expression? Whatever the cause, most of the characters turn out fairly unbelievable. And they are stereotypes, which has been mentioned before. Although 2/3 of the characters in murder mysteries are stereotypes, so maybe that's not so egregious. Unfortunately, there wasn't much of a plot -- just a bunch of clashing personalities. Unlike most of the readers, I actually thought the second half was better, when things actually started going a little bit, instead of all the name dropping. OK, we know, you read Godel-Escher-Bach, lets get on with it....
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest chess books ever written
Review: A completely over the top puzzle based on a chess game in a flemish painting. Linking a clue in a chess game to a modern murder mystery is no mean feat and and the author pulls its off with gusto. Not exactly social realism, but just a great read to be sat next to Name of the Rose. Thoroughly enjoyable and enthralling.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I loved this book so much I couldn't put it down! What a great story! Julia, an art restorer, finds a hidden message in a 400 year old painting she is working on: "Who killed the knight?" What follows is a fascinating story of murder, chess, and the relationships of the people surrounding her. It's a game-within a game-within a game, as Julia and her friends try to figure out whodunit over 400 years ago. I don't play chess, don't even know a thing about it, and was a little worried that I wouldn't understand what was going on. Not to worry though, the author gives an explanation of what is going on with regards to the chess moves. This book is a great introduction to this author, and a great follow-up to "The Club Dumas."
Rating:
Summary: Very gifted Writer
Review: This book, in my opinion, was extremely well written and thoroughly researched. The author has the incredible ability to describe, in complete detail, the surrounding areas so well, that the reader actually feels like he/she is really there. The author describes the characters' emotions in such a way, that the reader can honestly feel what the character is feeling. I love that in a book! The theme of chess is woven throughout the entire novel and without a love for the game or, at the bare minimum, an understanding of how the game is played, there is a very good chance that this book will leave the reader confused. The characters (especially the "bad guys") base their every move on the position of the chess pieces and the "good guys" have to counteract with a move of their own. With all of that being said, I felt that this was a five star novel up until the last chapter. Although I felt that the ending was slightly far-fetched, it was still a plausible ending. However, I felt that the main character's response to the "solution" of her mystery was weak and unbelievable. There is a twist at the end and, in my opinion, the main character did not respond to that twist in a way that corresponded with her actions throughout the rest of the novel...she suddenly became signifigantly less emotional than she had been up until this point and for me, that was worth the reluctant removal of one star.
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