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Lovejoy #1-4
The Lovejoy Omnibus (Books 1-4): The Judas Pair, Gold from Gemini, The Grail Tree, Spend Game
The Judas Pair
Every antique dealer is a bit of a detective, following clues to find the trophies that pay the rent, but when Lovejoy takes on the job of tracking down a pair of duelling pistols so rare that he's not even sure actually exist, he needs all the instincts of a detective to pick his way through an unsolved crime.
Along the way, he becomes convinced that the weapons do exist but that they have fallen into the hands of a vile murderer. Locating the ancient weapons seems like the least of his problems when Lovejoy then finds himself fighting for his life in a duel to the death!
Gold From Gemini
Lovejoy discovers how the lure of gold brings out the worst kind of treasure seeker when, broke as usual and earning a crust as an unlikely babysitter, he stumbles across the diaries of a painter that appear to point to the whereabouts of a fabled hoard of Roman gold coins.
Lovejoy is tempted to dismiss the whole thing as a hoax, but vile threats and violent intimidation have a way of changing his mind. He sets out to unravel the clues in the diaries, with some particularly nasty characters dogging his every move.
The Grail Tree
Lovejoy has heard of more nutters who have claimed to be in possession of the one, true Holy Grail than he has had hot dinners. He's not too impressed with the eccentric clergyman making the latest claim - especially when the good vicar turns out to be one of the finest forgers Lovejoy has ever met.
But when the vicar and his lady companion end up dead it becomes clear that someone else is after the old man's artefact. To solve the mystery and protect a precious piece of history, Lovejoy puts his life on the line and acquires a surprising new partner...
Spend Game
When Lovejoy witnesses a car crash that turns out to be a murder - with one of his oldest antique-dealer friends the victim - he sets out on a trail of revenge that leaves him pondering several bewildering questions.
Why did his friend buy up a load of junk furniture? What did he want with an old doctor's bag? Why was his friend killed? Who was trying to kill Lovejoy and - most perplexing of all - what the hell is he doing potholing through underground tunnels dodging armed hit men?
Every antique dealer is a bit of a detective, following clues to find the trophies that pay the rent, but when Lovejoy takes on the job of tracking down a pair of duelling pistols so rare that he's not even sure actually exist, he needs all the instincts of a detective to pick his way through an unsolved crime.
Along the way, he becomes convinced that the weapons do exist but that they have fallen into the hands of a vile murderer. Locating the ancient weapons seems like the least of his problems when Lovejoy then finds himself fighting for his life in a duel to the death!
Gold From Gemini
Lovejoy discovers how the lure of gold brings out the worst kind of treasure seeker when, broke as usual and earning a crust as an unlikely babysitter, he stumbles across the diaries of a painter that appear to point to the whereabouts of a fabled hoard of Roman gold coins.
Lovejoy is tempted to dismiss the whole thing as a hoax, but vile threats and violent intimidation have a way of changing his mind. He sets out to unravel the clues in the diaries, with some particularly nasty characters dogging his every move.
The Grail Tree
Lovejoy has heard of more nutters who have claimed to be in possession of the one, true Holy Grail than he has had hot dinners. He's not too impressed with the eccentric clergyman making the latest claim - especially when the good vicar turns out to be one of the finest forgers Lovejoy has ever met.
But when the vicar and his lady companion end up dead it becomes clear that someone else is after the old man's artefact. To solve the mystery and protect a precious piece of history, Lovejoy puts his life on the line and acquires a surprising new partner...
Spend Game
When Lovejoy witnesses a car crash that turns out to be a murder - with one of his oldest antique-dealer friends the victim - he sets out on a trail of revenge that leaves him pondering several bewildering questions.
Why did his friend buy up a load of junk furniture? What did he want with an old doctor's bag? Why was his friend killed? Who was trying to kill Lovejoy and - most perplexing of all - what the hell is he doing potholing through underground tunnels dodging armed hit men?
- GenresMystery
826 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2013
18 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Gash
91 books73 followersJohn Grant is an English crime writer, who writes under the pen name Jonathan Gash. He is the author of the Lovejoy series of novels. He wrote the novel The Incomer under the pen name Graham Gaunt.
Grant is a doctor by training and worked as a general practitioner and pathologist. He served in the British Army and attained the rank of Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was head of bacteriology at the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for the University of London between 1971 and 1988.
Grant won the John Creasey Award in 1977 for his first Lovejoy novel, The Judas Pair. He is also the author of a series of medical thrillers featuring the character Dr. Clare Burtonall.
Grant lives outside Colchester in Essex, the setting for many of his novels. He has also been published in Postscripts.
Grant is a doctor by training and worked as a general practitioner and pathologist. He served in the British Army and attained the rank of Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was head of bacteriology at the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for the University of London between 1971 and 1988.
Grant won the John Creasey Award in 1977 for his first Lovejoy novel, The Judas Pair. He is also the author of a series of medical thrillers featuring the character Dr. Clare Burtonall.
Grant lives outside Colchester in Essex, the setting for many of his novels. He has also been published in Postscripts.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2020
A joyful jaunt through the duplicitous world of the antique game !
Each book is a little portmanteau, believable characters, plots that as a-hairs breath from the the possible and proper wrong’uns.
Each book is a little portmanteau, believable characters, plots that as a-hairs breath from the the possible and proper wrong’uns.
February 28, 2015
The first four Lovejoy novels. My favorite is the first, The Judas Pair, but the other stories were quite enjoyable as well. Lovejoy is a cad. He doesn't treat his women all that well, he's hit several of them, yet they still keep coming back to him. In each book he has a new lay that needs bedding. Tinker is the only recurring supporting character that is well defined. Several of the others that come and go are mostly there for scenery or to conveniently fill a small plot point. They are still likeable though.
While not always obvious, and the 2nd book, Gold by Gemini is particularly annoying in this regard, the books do appear to be published in chronological order. The fact that one of his possessions from the first book shows up in the second with no explanation what-so-ever really kind of pulled me out of the story at times. It does get mentioned in a subsequent book how it came to be though.
The biggest downfall of this edition is the bad OCR. There are numerous spelling/punctuation errors that at times make the sentences rather choppy. Hopefully later editions correct this. Otherwise the eBook was formatted well.
While not always obvious, and the 2nd book, Gold by Gemini is particularly annoying in this regard, the books do appear to be published in chronological order. The fact that one of his possessions from the first book shows up in the second with no explanation what-so-ever really kind of pulled me out of the story at times. It does get mentioned in a subsequent book how it came to be though.
The biggest downfall of this edition is the bad OCR. There are numerous spelling/punctuation errors that at times make the sentences rather choppy. Hopefully later editions correct this. Otherwise the eBook was formatted well.
October 14, 2014
Love these books! They are of their time but Lovejoy is such a rogue so it makes for great light reading.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews