The Great California Game: A Lovejoy Mystery [Paperback]

Jonathan Gash (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lovejoy Mystery | Publication Date: November 1, 1992

Persona non grata in England and Hong Kong, antiques expert Lovejoy escapes to America, where he must rely on the help of a destitute hooker and a streetwise eight year old to stay one step ahead of the law. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gash's 14th Lovejoy mystery finds the hero, still on the run from British authorities, in New York as an illegal immigrant, his penchant for antiques once again involving him with mysterious doings.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (November 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140172246
• ISBN-13: 978-0140172249
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,251,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovejoy discovers New York, March 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great California Game: A Lovejoy Mystery (Paperback)

Although the title sets the buyer's attention on California, the book largely takes place in New York where Lovejoy is stuck trying to earn money to get home. As with many of Gash's later Lovejoy books, the pace is often frantic, but he does not sacrifice character--both of Lovejoy and the folks he meets. Lovejoy's irreverence finds a home among Americans, but there's a lighter touch than usual--Gash is often more merciful towards Americans than to any other group. I've read all of the Lovejoys and found this one of the more memorable ones, though not necesarily one of the best for plot or for development of Lovejoy's philosophy of life. But it is a bit more surreal than usual in presenting Lovejoy's circumstances, and rather sentimental, while also introducing us to the usual wide array of shady characters.

1.0 out of 5 stars Do yourself a favor and skip California Game Entirely, June 30, 2006

By 

D. F. Curran "dfcurran" (Missoula, MT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great California Game: A Lovejoy Mystery (Paperback)

This book stopped my love of the Lovejoy series in its tracks. There is little of the Lovejoy we know and love in this awful novel. There are no interesting characters that we can get into at all.

This novel should have followed Jade Woman (been the next published after Jade Woman). For whatever reason, The Last Gambado followed it, which chronologically takes place after this atrocity.

The last Gambado is a good book. This will spoil Lovejoy for you. It seems to me Gash wrote a dull book about a different character with this one.

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovejoy finally breezes into the US., March 18, 2005

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great California Game: A Lovejoy Mystery (Paperback)

In this book we have Lovejoy orchestrating one of his because there was no Tinker Dill in it. But the great thing about a Lovejoy book is the characters that you do meet. Gash's imagination enables him to come up with some really wonderful ones. The best two in this book are Magda and her great fiddles in the US of A. There are a lot of characters in this book, but there aren't any of the older ones that we know and love from East Anglia. I felt the book lacked somethingson (?) Zole. Lovejoy always seems to be a "Champion of Lost Causes" and these two certainly fit that category, but it turns out that they become his greatest allies. That and a New York Underworld leader called Busman. We see more wonderful cons played out by Lovejoy and his motley crue of recruits. And we see and hear more antique information. This book has a very surprising ending though that is played out in Los Angeles. I absolutely love this series, and can't wait for the next one. Will Lovejoy still be on the run in America, or will he escape to somewhere else? Wherever it is, he'll be sure to come up against some real nasty people (as well as some real gems).