Customer Reviews

The Immaculate Deception

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read all Iain Pears's Jonathan Argyll art mysteries (although why poor Flavia doesn't get equal billing, I don't know), and I have to say I find them a flat-out delight. Smart, funny, well-written. They're not as profound as, say, his INSTANCE OF THE FINGERPOST (which I rate as 5 stars, so I can't rate this any higher than 4, no disrespect intended), but they're not as long, either. I think the characters, the central character' "real-life" situations, the mysteries (art thefts and murders) are cleverly plotted, the dialogue excellent. I just wish he could write books as fast as I can read them.

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....

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!

Nowadays, it seems that there is a plethora of mystery writers who must use a particular gimmick to make their mystery work. Some of these writers are sucessful, such as Stephanie Barron and her Jane Austen mystery series, while others get too bogged down in the gimmick to focus on the story at hand. For Iain Pears, his gimmick is that of art history; his detective, a police officer who finds and returns stolen works of art. And it works time and time again.

"The Immaculate Deception" is one of seven books Pears has written that center around his detective Flavia di Stefano and her long-time fiance, now husband, art history professor Jonathan Argyll. This story finds Flavia summoned by no less personage than the prime minister. In this meeting she is told that a painting that was to be borrowed and displayed as part of an exhibition has been stolen. She is to get it back as quickly as possible and to guarantee that no one hears anything about the theft. The recovery process seems just as much of a mystery as to who stole the picture, and for what purpose, in the first place. In the meantime, Jonathan finds himself drawn into a different mystery, concerning the unknown heritage of a small painting owned by Flavia's former boss, General Bottando, who is soon to retire. As each digs further into their own mysterious trails, they soon come to see that the two stories quite possibly are connected to one another.

Iain Pears is an extremely intelligent writer, whose doctorate in art history is evident in the knowledge his characters have at their disposal. His descriptions of the world in which Jonathan and Flavia live are sometimes clipped, as though he expects readers to know as much as him. And even though these books are a series and therefore have some information recapped to the reader in each book, it never seems repetitive or second-hand. That is because the reader has come to know these characters, and smiles at these recaps in fond memory of those former stories. "The Immaculate Deception" is a fascinating web of art history, theft, high crimes and murder. It will keep readers guessing to the very end, when the loose ends are tied up, even if in an unconventional manner.

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.

Mr. Pears authored the brilliant work, "An Instance At The Fingerpost". His newest work, "The Immaculate Deception", is his first since writing that novel, which elevated him as an Author, and greatly expanded his audience. This book is the latest of his series that feature Jonathan, Flavia, and the balance of the Art Theft Squad, and I enjoyed it more than any other episode. His skills from Fingerpost are evident here, and the briefer work is the beneficiary.

This ongoing storyline is light fare if compared to Fingerpost, but a comparison would be without merit, for these are a group of novellas and not a singular expansive work. This addition to the series is much stronger than previous works. The dialogue is sharper, the wit more clever, and most importantly, more original. Like Michael Dibdin who Authors the Aurelio Zen series, Mr. Pears sustained the tension throughout the work. The plot twists were well placed, and benefited from the 40 plus years the story uses to unwind itself.

This book is clearly the last, as we have known the series, Mr. Pears seems to be making irrevocable changes, but future works will branch from this work, and the potential for further originality of plot without the loss of the familiar, is clearly their for Mr. Pears to create. I thought his handling of the adjustment to the series was particularly well managed. He did not resort to melodrama, rather he begins a transition that is logical, untainted by literary cliché, and will give new life to a series that has steadily improved.

Good reading, good fun, enjoy.

Prime Minister Antonio Sabauda guaranteed the safety of the Claude Lorraine masterpiece, on loan from the Louvre. Alas museum security and art thieves obviously misunderstood the PM as the painting is stolen. Desperate to recover the stolen painting, but without the media and consequently the public knowing, Sabauda assign acting chief of the Rome Police Department's art theft squad with recovering the lost art.

The government cannot pay the ransom demands as that would break Italian law that is very clear that kidnappers are not to receive ransom money. Like magic an anonymous package containing the exact amount of Euros arrives. A bit surprised by the appearance of the cash, Flavia is further shocked to learn that the thief Maurizio Sabbatini drowned in a tub of plaster with the time of death occurring before he made the ransom demand. While Flavia struggles with her case wondering if the PM is pulling a stunt or perhaps her retired mentor General Taddeo Bottando, her spouse Jonathan Argyll looks into the stealing of the Immaculate Conception painting four decades ago. Neither realized the link between the thefts, but they better soon as more corpses follow the death of Sabbatini.

IMMACULATE DECEPTION provides intriguing varying perspectives of the Italian art world especially from the husband-wife team, the PM, the museum that lost the painting, and the thief, etc. The who-done-it is somewhat convoluted and difficult to follow as the connections between the art thefts seem more like a nebulous version of the DNA helix. Still it is fun to follow Flavia and Jack struggle to solve art mysteries four decades apart and a murder too while their right and wrong morality is challenged as never before.

Harriet Klausner

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. Mary Whipple

What an absolute joy to have another book by Iain Pears! All the old characters are here: Flavia di Stefano, now acting head of the art crimes squad; Jonathan Argyll, now her husband; Taddeo Bottando, about to retire; Mary Verney, the old nemesis as art thief; and so on. Intricate plotting, as usual, with sharply limned characters. And the usual zigzag of events and suspects. A bit confusing towards the end, but easily forgiven.

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.