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Summary: A review too far down the list to be seen?
Review: Like "Club Dumas," "The Flanders Panel" is better as a book-to-be-in-the-middle-of than a tale-with-satisfying-conclusion. But I think it is the fate of the 21st century literature fan to find most conclusions relatively unsatisfactory -- kind of unbelievable -- and to enjoy the ride rather than the destination.
I agree with reviewers who wonder whether the translation delivers all the emotional and human context/connotation of the original, however.
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Summary: Disappointing Execution of a Fascinating Premise
Review: Once again, I find myself terribly disappointed by the lack-luster execution of a very fine idea. The premise of The Flanders Panel - a 500-year-old mystery contained in a painting of a chess game - is terribly exciting, but the author fails to live up to it. The book is poorly written, and one rarely gains much feeling for any of the characters, and indeed begins to yearn for some of them to be killed off just so they can stop their annoying theatrics. As for the mystery, without giving anything away let me just say that the supposed motive for the murders is rediculous and melodratmatic. It really does feel as though the author first selected the person whom he wanted to be the killer in order to provide the necessary stunning climax for his readers and only then cobbled together a motive, sprinkling chauvinistic and homophobic comments willy-nilly as he went along. The only interesting part of the book is the actual chess game. It is only in the passages describing this centuries old battle of wits that the book comes alive, and even someone like me, who's never played a game of chess in her life, was drawn in and excited by the game. Alas, one spends too much of the book waiting for the next move to be made, while the far more mundane occurences in the "real" world build up to a climax which makes no sense whatsoever.
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Summary: Who Knew Chess Could Be That Interesting
Review: The setting: Spain. The time: modern day. The main character: a woman art restorer. The subject: a painting. These descriptions seem simple enough when taken a face value but place them together in this novel and add a six hundred year old murder and you have the makings of a truly great novel. When the painting The Game of Chess is brought to Julia, the young art expert, she delves into a mystery that leaves a trail of murder and suicide. For all those who are lovers of the game of chess this surprising mystery of a game in reverse solves more than the reader expects. To lovers of books this combination of history and murder is a delightful change from most books of today. Perez-Reverte is truly an author that grasps the minds of his readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting reading
Review: This book starts very well; the saga is interesting as well as the characters. However, the story starts to lose the point by the end of the book. This is something that dissapointed me. However, I'm interested in reading other Perez's books.
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Summary: No te lo pierdas....Must read!
Review: Uno de los mejores libros de Perez-reverte. Si te gusta el arte, el juego de ajedrez, el suspense y Madrid, este libro te encantara. Una vez que lo empieces no lo podras dejar. ______One of his best. If you like art, chess, suspense, and good descriptions of the city of Madrid, you'd like this book. Must read, you can't stop.
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Summary: Good Start - Poor Finish
Review: This murder mystery starts off very promisingly with the superb ingredients of the shady Art world , the esoteric world of Chess ,greed and a set of well demarked characters. However despite some clever tricks , the plot gets rather cumbersome, the Chess theme is a bit overplayed and the motives of the killer eventually though well delineated are less than believable.
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Summary: Captivating Mystery Let Down by Ending
Review: The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte (translated well by Margaret Jull Costa) is a wonderfully written and engrossing mystery that is let down by a very pedestrian ending. The delightful combination of art, history, chess and suspense is blended masterfully together in a clever and potent mix that, ultimately, is too rich to be sustained. The reader will be carried along, particulary anxious to find out how all these elements can come together as it seems beyond belief that there is a coherent purpose behind all of this delightful madness. The reader would be right as the all the silly psychobabble at the end simply leaves a bitter aftertaste after the sumptuous meal provide for in setting up the situation.
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Summary: Not nearly as good as "The Club Dumas"
Review: I very much enjoyed The Club Dumas for its clever use of plot, subplot and the weaving in of Alexander Dumas' writing style. Thinking I'd found a clever writer, I unfortunately choose to read The Flanders Panel. I was very disappointed by this book. On the plus side, I enjoyed the mystery embedded in the painting and the use of chess imagery was intriguing. On the down side, the villian's identity was telegraphed way too early in the book which took the mystery out of the main plot. Finding out why this person did the evil deeds was a big let down and quite unsatisfying. I didn't believe the motive for a minute. Will I read other books by Arturo Perez-Reverte? Based on the strength of The Club Dumas I would say yes, but if the next one turns out as weak as The Flanders Panel I will relegate this author to my never again list.
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Summary: One of my favorites
Review: I started reading Perez-Reverte with the Seville Communion and then followed up wi the rest of the translations. I am not sure which is my favorite, The Flanders Panel or The Club Dumas. Both have a lot to recommend, not the least of which is the mystery itself. I find that I learn something with every novel, whether it is chess in this particular book or fencing or literature and antiquarian books. I am entertained by the book's plot, its premise, its character development or the style with which the story is told. On top of all that I get a wee lesson in an arcane discipline, what more can one want. The character development is very good, the best part is that the author does not rely on cute devices to get himself out of jams that he has written himself into. Are you listening John Grisham? I won't reveal too much of the plot, except to say that the duality problem presented by the painting and the duality presented in the novel itself was simply exquisite, a very neat and tidy way to unscramble the mystery, a way that is very satisfying to the rational mind. I have enjoyed these books very much and I will continue to await more translations from Spain.
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Summary: Decent Spanish Literary Mystery
Review: Originally published in Spain, this translation is what some people call a "literary mystery," meaning that it follows many of the conventions of the mystery genre and is written to delve into deeper issues than the latest Patricia Cornwall (and presumably is better written). The heroine is a young female painting restorer who gets involved in a very complicated intrigue when she undertakes to restore an old Flemish painting for her art dealer friend. Early into her restoration, she discovers that the painting has an elaborate hidden message about a knight's murder in medieval times. As soon as she discovers this, the stakes skyrocket, with a murder and millions of dollars coming into play. The plot is greatly tied to the game of chess, and an understanding and appreciation of chess is probably necessary for maximum enjoyment of the book. The villain is not hard to guess by the book's midpoint, but the proof and motivation remain elusive 'till the end. Not bad, but not his best.
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