The Judas Pair

Rating:
Summary: The beginning of the collection
Review: I finally found the first Lovejoy mystery--not that it is necessary to start reading these wonderful books here, but for the anal retentive like me who must read things in order, it's dreadfully important. The series starts off wild and wooly, too, quickly establishing both the method of Lovejoy's madness (an almost insatiable love for antiques) and his obvious mastery and gift for it. It also establishes what is to become the heart of the books, that wise-cracking attitude of Lovejoy's, direct to the reader, in which he doesn't hesitate to tell you his and the antiques world's trade secrets. Lovejoy isn't afraid to pass this info on because he knows it is of no matter-- the public (i.e, the reader, you and me) is still so dumb that even knowing how things work, we'll still be rubes.

For people whose only experience of Lovejoy is from the A&E series, the books may come as sort of a jolt. While some of the same characters are here, the tone and the interactions are very different (I'm reminded of the difference between Spenser: For Hire and the Parker novels). In this book, Lovejoy has a nervous breakdown, is almost burned and buried alive, and fights a duel with flintlocks in one of the most surprising endings of a mystery novel that has come along in a while (well, this was written in 1977, and I missed it then, so let's just say that it's one of the most surprising endings that I've read in a while).

I feel the urge upon me--read these books!--an urge that hasn't hit me in many years. It's the same urge that put me on to reading all of the Rex Stout and P.G. Wodehouse books. Lovejoy would be pleased--it's the urge of the collector.

Rating:
Summary: Antiques yes - women no
Review: Jonathan Gash has created a mystery series in which the "detective" is a somewhat shady English antiques dealer named Lovejoy. I have no great knowledge of or interest in antiques, but I found Mr. Gash's discussions of antiques and of the antiques business fascinating. The books in this series are worth reading as an introductory course in antiques. In the later books in the series, Lovejoy's irrational and self-destructive behavior may bother some readers. Lovejoy's treatment of women is likely to bother feminists.

The Judas Pair is an early Lovejoy mystery. A man who claims to own a legendary set of matching dueling weapons is murdered, and the weapons are not found in his collection. Lovejoy is hired by the victim's brother to look into the situation. Lovejoy is not an armchair detective; sex and violence attend the search for the murderer.

Rating:
Summary: First Rate!
Review: Lovejoy, where have you been up to now? I can't believe that I waited this long to read the Lovejoy series. It's smart, funny, first rate plotting and characterizations (at least this first book in the series is). I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in this series. These books are thrillers actually more than mysteries, but there is a little of both in them as well as very funny dialogue. Lovejoy is a bounder - not strictly honest, but not an outright crook either. In this book he's trying to track down a set of duelling pistols that everyone thinks were never made. He gets into a pack of trouble doing this. Another fun thing about these books is that as you read them you learn an awful lot about antiques. Great stuff!

Rating:
Summary: First Rate!
Review: Lovejoy, where have you been up to now? I can't believe that I waited this long to read the Lovejoy series. It's smart, funny, first rate plotting and characterizations (at least this first book in the series is). I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in this series. These books are thrillers actually more than mysteries, but there is a little of both in them as well as very funny dialogue. Lovejoy is a bounder - not strictly honest, but not an outright crook either. In this book he's trying to track down a set of duelling pistols that everyone thinks were never made. He gets into a pack of trouble doing this. Another fun thing about these books is that as you read them you learn an awful lot about antiques. Great stuff!

Rating:
Summary: a delight for an aquired taste!!
Review: This was the first Lovejoy, but I warn American viewers of the Lovejoy telly series NOT to expect the books to be like Ian McShane's Version. This Lovejoy is not quite so loveable. He is shifty, ready to cheat anyone, ready to step over the line if he thinks he cannot get caught, he has a temper, kids shove him around, all his old girlfriends - and there are legion - use him as babysitter. He has a very odd selection of friends - most of the telly characters do not show up to late in the series of books - he has very little respect for women as a whole, other than how he can use them, he barely pays his bills, loves animals, is a big mooch and lives on fried bread and tomato sandwiches. He lets people shove him around, only to turn around and stick up for the underdog.

All in all, at times you might find Lovejoy very unloveable if not downright disgusting.

Ah, but to those that stick with it, you soon find that Lovejoy is an acquired taste that can leaving you howling.

This first one revolved around a pair of missing antique dualing pistols. If you get through to the end and find yourself enjoying the book, you will want to read the rest in the series...though you will always find Lovejoy at times rather disgusting!!

Highly recommended for those wishing their mysteries laced with Brit wit and humour, and that is off the beaten path.

Rating:
Summary: a delight for an aquired taste!!
Review: This was the first Lovejoy, but I warn American viewers of the Lovejoy telly series NOT to expect the books to be like Ian McShane's Version. This Lovejoy is not quite so loveable. He is shifty, ready to cheat anyone, ready to step over the line if he thinks he cannot get caught, he has a temper, kids shove him around, all his old girlfriends - and there are legion - use him as babysitter. He has a very odd selection of friends - most of the telly characters do not show up to late in the series of books - he has very little respect for women as a whole, other than how he can use them, he barely pays his bills, loves animals, is a big mooch and lives on fried bread and tomato sandwiches. He lets people shove him around, only to turn around and stick up for the underdog.

All in all, at times you might find Lovejoy very unloveable if not downright disgusting.

Ah, but to those that stick with it, you soon find that Lovejoy is an acquired taste that can leaving you howling.

This first one revolved around a pair of missing antique dualing pistols. If you get through to the end and find yourself enjoying the book, you will want to read the rest in the series...though you will always find Lovejoy at times rather disgusting!!

Highly recommended for those wishing their mysteries laced with Brit wit and humour, and that is off the beaten path.