Rating: 
Summary: Another Excellent Entry
Review: I am a great fan of the Jonathan Argyll series as written by Iain Pears. You get a terrific plot, some wonderful inside knowledge of the world of art, and art crimes, and a luscious taste of Italy. Let's not spoil the fun by dissecting the story.Pears has a real talent for believable dialog. His characters are understated and real. They are clever in wit and brilliant in intellect. It's fun to follow them through a mystery. Since Pears is a legitimate academic, you get a little free art education along the way! Warning -- This series is addictive.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Enjoyable Page-Turner from Pears
Review: Iain Pears' mystery series is a delight from start to finish. This latest book is no exception with our heroine, Flavia diStefano, fighting her way through the confusion brought about by the theft and ransom of a painting from the local museum. The political ramifications of the recovery of the painting are a maze through which Flavia (with the help of her newly-minted husband, Joanthan Argyll, our hero) must make her way. Complicating the recovery process is the involvement of Flavia's former superior, Taddeo Bottando, and art-thief extraordinaire, Mary Verney. This book is a delightful addition to the previous entries in this series, although at time the action becomes a little to convoluted for belief. A heartily enjoyable book in a wonderful series. Deduct one star for the small amount of interaction between the main characters (Flavia & Jonathan)- they are a riot when they are detecting together. In this book they spend most of their time jaunting about independently, only meeting up again briefly for the conclusion. Pears has left himself an opening with the end of this book to either end the series or to proceed with it in a slightly new direction. One can only hope that he is currently working on the next Flavia-Jonathan mystery....
Rating:
Summary: Challenging mystery suggests change of direction for series.
Review: Like Graham Greene, Pears writes both serious, philosophical novels (The Dream of Scipio and An Instance of the Fingerpost) and entertainments--in this case, the fascinating art history mysteries which feature Flavia di Stefano and her boss, Gen. Taddeo Bottando of the Rome police. These quirky detectives from the Art Theft Squad are back in action here, though with changed roles. Bottando is now semi-retired and Flavia, newly married to former art dealer Jonathan Argyll, is acting head of the department. Life in Pears' Rome never pretends to be simple, and it's always loads of fun for the reader. Here the theft of a priceless painting on loan from the Louvre leads to the Italian prime minister's order to Flavia to find it, but she must not allow the public or the press to know about the theft, she must get it back no matter the cost, she must pay whatever ransom is demanded without using public funds, and she must do this knowing in advance that she will be a scapegoat--that the prime minister will publicly deny everything he's told her. As the search for the painting gets underway, further mysteries unfold, until even Bottando himself is implicated in an art theft. Influence peddling, payoffs, and old political rivalries are both accepted and taken for granted here as Flavia negotiates the minefields of art and politics. The satire is gentle, and the action is non-stop. The intricacies of the characters' relationships keep the reader constantly challenged and always thinking, and the art history angle, more about provenance than about painters, should appeal to readers with little art background. The surprising conclusion and the major changes resulting to the lives of the main characters are stunning. If Pears continues this series, it will undoubtedly be in new directions.
Rating:
Summary: Praise for Iain Pears
Review: The latest installment from Iain Pears, and not a disappointment. The heroine, Flavia Di Stefano and her former roommate/current husband Jonathan Argyll once again dive into an art history mystery set in beautifully described Italy. This time a "mystery painting" and a cleverly planned daylight robbery move the novel along. This story artfully intertwines the lives of Mary Verney, (everyones favorite art thief) with that of Taddeo Bottando-Flavia's boss, and the handy work of the two "detectives". Taddeo actually takes center stage in this novel for a while, which is a refreshing change of pace. We learn about how he became a part of Italy's Art Theft Squad, and how he plans to leave it. The book also holds two major surprises, both dealing with issues close to Flavia. Iain's latest may be his greatest, and certainly leaves us hanging on for the next novel in this series of Art History Mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: The series just keeps on getting better and better
Review: The seventh and final book of the Jonathan Argyll series by Iain Pears comes after his success with the complex historical thriller 'An Instance Of The Fingerpost', a book totally different from these art mysteries, and far more ambitious. This is not to say that the Jonathan Argyll series is not excellent: it, in fact, keeps getting better and better. Weaving a traditional flair for crime writing with considerable knowledge of the history of art, Pears writes an effortlessly intriguing mystery. This particular volume takes a turn when it appears that Flavia's boss, General Bottando, may be involved in the latest art crime swindle himself. The book is not predictable and keeps you guessing and is very enjoyable if not as spellbindingly clever as 'An Instance of The Fingerpost'. Well worth as read.
Rating: 
Summary: Felt cheated
Review: The strengths of this book have been covered in other reviews here and don't need to be repeated. It's a diverting book, and other than occasional stylistic missteps like amateurish shifts in point of view within scenes and italian characters who seem no more italian than the residents of Omaha, Nebraska, the book goes along okay.
However, there's a major flaw in the book for a regular, mostly ignorant reader like me.
The most compelling mystery in the novel is the identity of the unknown artist of a painting that hangs above a character's mantlepiece. Who painted it? I was dying to know. But Pears never answers that question explicitly. Instead he leaves clues scattered throughout the text, expecting the reader to figure the answer out on his own. Cute, buddy. Hide the dang ball on me. Remind me of my own ignorance. Ach! I wanted to throw the book across the room.
I assume this is some kind of game for art history buffs to play, but would it hurt to have put some kind of warning on the front cover that a degree in renaissance painting is necessary to get full enjoyment from the book?
Rating:
Summary: Easy reading, intelligently written
Review: There are times when even the most sophisticated readers need a break and want to read what I call an "airplane" book--"beach" book would also be a good description--at the same time it's hard not to get annoyed with poor writing, unbelievable dialogue and dumb plots. If you've had this problem, try Pears' books. This is the first of the series I've read, and found a good plot with an interesting smidgen of art history and modern Italian culture woven in. I had the added bonus of reading it during a flight home from a 2-1/2 week sojourn in Tuscany and Umbria! This book bears no resemblance to "Instance of the Fingerpost," which was a serious literary work; this is for fun!
Rating:
Summary: Solid Entertainment
Review: This is the latest installment of a mystery series starring the Italian detective Flavia di Stefano and her boyfriend, the art dealer/teacher Jonathan Argyll. These books are well written mysteries with good plots, attractive characters, and an element of screwball/romantic comedy. Pears has inverted the usual stereotypes by pairing a highly competent Italian woman with a somewhat flighty British man. Pears draws on his training as an art historian to base all the mysteries on art theft or fraud or something related to art.
The present book is a good addition to the series. Pears is inventive enough not to have lost momentum and has kept the professional and personal lives of his characters evolving in a way that prevents them from becoming stale. Good bedtime reading.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Entertainment
Review: This is the latest installment of a mystery series starring the Italian detective Flavia di Stefano and her boyfriend, the art dealer/teacher Jonathan Argyll. These books are well written mysteries with good plots, attractive characters, and an element of screwball/romantic comedy. Pears has inverted the usual stereotypes by pairing a highly competent Italian woman with a somewhat flighty British man. Pears draws on his training as an art historian to base all the mysteries on art theft or fraud or something related to art.
The present book is a good addition to the series. Pears is inventive enough not to have lost momentum and has kept the professional and personal lives of his characters evolving in a way that prevents them from becoming stale. Good bedtime reading.
Rating:
Summary: Good read!
Review: This was the first Flavia di Stefano book that I've read, and it won't be the last. Flavia is pulled against her wishes (and against much advice) into the disappearance of a painting borrowed from the Louvre. An already complicated matter becomes worse when it seems that there's a lot more than a simple art theft going on. Strong characterizations, deft plotting, and a lot of enjoyable atmosphere.
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