Face in the Pool

Lovejoy #24

by Jonathan Gash

Lovejoy has been wrongfully imprisoned, again. So when he's offered a way out by visitor Ellen Jaynor, he takes it, although it becomes clear that there's a big catch involving speed-dating, marriage and the perfect robbery.

Genres: Mystery, British Literature

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

John 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.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read a Lovejoy mystery in quite some time, and I think the series has gone downhill since my last read. There was less of the antiques talk, and more of Lovejoy running around, scared, clueless and baffled by the trouble he'd gotten into. I'm not sure the addition of Mortimer helped, and the plot just seemed wobbly (not to mention overcrowded with potential villains). Maybe I'll just go back and re-read the earlier books rather than keep up with the newer ones.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

From start to finish this is story is bursting with character, plot, adventure, history and fun.

I love the otherness of many of the ‘old’ world characters who have skills and knowledge that and represent a living embodiment of other times.

And Lovejoy weaves his way through them all. From being bedazzled to holding onto his own moral compass he is both likeable, innocent and all knowing in one sweep - a truly clever character to have created.

[Vic Lauterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read installment #20 back in 2017, I vowed not read any more of Mr. Grant's Lovejoy adventures, but in a moment of weakness I started this final installment. Once again, I found it full of very witty, often hilarious dialog [see Note 1], misadventures worthy of Bertie Wooster and oddball characters galore. Unfortunately, it's all covered with a thick coating of cynicism that drains a lot of the fun out it. The story held my interest though, and it rattles along to a satisfying conclusion. My only issue with this novel is that you really have to concentrate to follow the dialogue-driven twists and turns of the plot. The level of concentration required is at odds with the comedic quality of the narrative. It's like taking a course in econometrics with a text book written by Douglas Adams. Overall, I still prefer Ian McShane's TV incarnation, but I can see why this series has devoted fans. Recommended for anyone who likes stories about antiques or anti-heroic (and somewhat unreliable) narrators.
Note 1: One of many gems is [pg. 32]:
"Sh*t," she said. "My f**king luck." An Oxford sociologist, Liza thinks crudity is trendy. [My asterisks.] Sadly, this quip also applies to a majority of contemporary authors.

[Mira · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm invested in Lovejoy, despite his misogynist ways but Faces in the Pool utterly baffled me. The plot was confusing and every turn of the page introduced a new character, most often a lovely lady who Lovejoy promptly bedded.

The most perplexing part of the book for me was that we have about ten pages of an allegedly heartbroken Lovejoy mourning the betrayal of his dear Lydia and the thing that perturbs him most greatly is that he overhears her in the act and she sounds as if she's enjoying it more than she did with him.

Bear in mind that this is the cheeky but lovable rogue who has bedded at least fifty women alongside Lydia, not least about five a few pages beforehand.


I *think* I understand the events of the book, but I've read it twice over and I still feel it needs explaining. I think this is the last in the series but I'll be heading back to read the ones I missed because I'm a a terrible glutton for Lovejoy punishment.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I found the plethora of characters TOO confusing to keep track of. And, sorry to see Lyd go.

[Cat {Pemberley and Beyond} · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely the least enjoyable of the Lovejoy books. That being said, it was lovely that the series was wrapped up so well.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished it because I'm recuperating from a leg injury, and my TBR pile was getting too small. What a lot of disjointed blather.

[Michele Redman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure escapism in a funny adventure for Lovejoy. A friend gave me a few of the early Lovejoy series in 1990...it took me some time to remember and find another one. Thank you, Google.

[Tim Sandlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

you’ll need a scorecard

This is the 24th of in the series and you need to read the first 23 to know what’s going on, but none of the early ones are on Kindle or, so far as I can tell, in print.

[Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

My dad has gotten into these because it's a whole series of books about a guy whose last name is Lovejoy. I was curious too. I thought it would be interesting to read about an antiques-dealing namesake.

I found it kind of a slog. There was a lot of unfamiliar English slang, some of which Gash explained and some of which he didn't. Gash also intentionally wrote scenes with a lot of holes in them, making the reader figure out on his own what the heck is going on. Put those two together and I was just lost for good portions of the book. My dad said both of these things are pretty typical of the series, and it gets easier the more books you read by Gash. I think I may just trust his word on that instead of going to find out for myself.

Spoiler Alert (kinda): Gash only sort of wraps things up at the end, so you walk away from the book unsure of how it ended and how all of the characters fit into the story. It's clearly intentional (and again, my dad says it's a recurring theme in his books). While I enjoy it when authors keep the ending open to make you guess what happens next, I'd like them to at least come clean with what just happened - even (especially?) in mystery books.

It was interesting, but I don't think I'll be reading any more in the series.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2057512.html[return][return]This is the most recent Lovejoy book, published in 2008, and since the author turns 80 this year I guess it may well be the last. (Though not for me; eleven down, thirteen to go.) It is a rather confused affair; an older Lovejoy, more narcissistic than ever, gets swept up in a massively weird conspiracy by the stranded dregs of colonialism (who of course tend to have retained fantastically valuable antiques). As well as Lovejoy's East Anglia base, we get taken to various parts of England with a climactic scene off the coast of Blackpool. Lovejoy turns out to have a son who has inherited his gift of divvying (the supernatural ability to detect genuine antiques) and is the most memorable new character in the book; also, remarkably, his long-suffering apprentice Lydia develops a sudden burst of characterisation, not that it does her much good. And Lovejoy manages to bed pretty much every female character over the age of consent, though not very explicitly. I won't recommend this as a book to start reading the series with; though it seems that this is where it finishes.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lovejoy has been released from prison again. When he gets out, he meets Laura Moon. Laura is a millionaire. She proposes a joint union with Lovejoy. She offers him a marriage of convenience in exchange for a cut of her riches. Laura tells Lovejoy that her former husband has gone into hiding. She wants to draw him out Lovejoy agrees, though he suspects something is up. Has Lovejoy gotten in way over his head this time?

Faces in the Pool is the latest Lovejoy mystery novel by author, Jonathan Gash. I believe it can be read as a stand alone novel. I thought this book started out good but about midway through the book, I started to lose interest. I did finish the book though. It was a little bit of both the plot as well as the characters. The story jumped around too much for me. Lovejoy seemed very interesting but unfortunately he and I did not make much of a connection. Faces in the Poll is a classic who-dun-it mystery with a few modern twists. Fans of mysteries may enjoy this book.

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the last Lovejoy I read was the 1992 title, The lies of fair ladies, which I had a hard time getting into and eventually gave up reading. I adored the first dozen or so Lovejoy books. Loved the little bits about antiques & Lovejoy's trials and tribulations were such fun. Don't know why they started to seem tedious to me by #13. This latest one (#24?) was not terrible but I still found it to be too rambling and confusing. There are so many asides and little tangents that I have a hard time keeping track of all the who's whos and what's whats. As for the plot/mystery, it was not the best aspect of the book. I'm still not entirely sure who the "Faces" were & where they all disappeared to at the end. I like the antiques lore and meeting his quirky friends and fellow antiques types but smaller doses, please, and better plotting.

[Catherine Woodman]

I loved the TV show, of the same character, but had never read any of the books that it s derived from--too mired in details that are about character and underhandedness and not enough depth about what motivates the characters. I found it difficult, British in a way that is obscure, and wouldn't read another. Maybe it is too sophisticated for me, and maybe I need to read the American translation :"-)

[Ellen Oberkotter · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always when reading one of Gash's books, I got a little muddled toward the middle. Who was that person? What's happening? Ah, but who cares -it's a fun ramble, and it all gets sorted out in the end. I learn a little bit about history and about antiques, without even knowing I am learning. Parts of the story are funny, parts are edge-of-your-seat, and at least once in every book it all hits the fan. Think I will read another.

[Viccy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovejoy is back. He is roped into marriage and then someone tries to kill him. He is divvying antiques for the Lost Tribes, groups of people who have been marooned from their original ethnic groups. An interesting premise I had never heard of. I always enjoy Lovejoy's adventures and I always learn something about antiques, which is the best part of these books.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to love Lovejoy, but I have to say that the later books are much harder to follow. In this one it's so twisty, that I often had to read passages more than once to figure out what he was actually saying. It really had so much going on, so many characters, and odd expressions that it made me dizzy.

It still has a lot of info on antiques, but the plot just didn't make much sense.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it was a mistake to jump into the end of the Lovejoy series. Cast of thousands, lots of jargon and slang that might have been easier to follow if I'd started with book one. Still, great characters and plot revolving around the antiques business with lots of detail about various items.Lovejoy is such a bum - you gotta, uh, love him.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the character of Lovejoy. Ian Mcshane plays his character on the television series. He really endeared me to the character. The book was a little hard to follow. I found myself confused several times. There were so many colorful characters I found it hard to keep them straight. I found myself flipping back through the book to refresh my memory.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this Lovejoy mystery disappointing. Not only does the author, Jonathan Gash, spend a lot of time whinging about life, women, and antiques, but his comments are often obscure or unintelligible. Lovejoy seemed to spend a lot of time doing nothing interesting. The early books are fresh and fun, this just seemed tired and old.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to watch the Lovejoy series on PBS, and really enjoyed it. So when I found this book I thought it would be fun to read about the characters I saw on TV. Sadly can't say I really enjoyed the book. Characters are interesting, but the plot totally confused me. And Lovejoy turned out to be nothing like the quick witted wheeler dealer I remember. Was a slog to finish.

[Dantanian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've quite enjoyed a few Lovejoy novels, mostly for the interesting asides about antiques and history. However the plot itself meanders with no real narrative, it's all the see-what-happens-when-we-get=there style. Rather a mish-mash all round on this one, and I was glad when I'd finished it.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another along-for-the-ride Lovejoy mystery! More bizarre characters, British slang and historical tidbits about the only important thing in life--antiques, of course.

[Terry Weingart · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get through it. Stopped after pAge 126. Maybe I need to start at the beginning of the series??

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining and literate, but it made no sense.

[Chuck Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a longtime Lovejoy fan, the one thing that I really didn't like about this one was what the author did with a favourite regular character from the series.

[Polly Forns · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very difficult to follow.....did not enjoy the struggle to read it :( no more Lovejoy for me!

[Jeff Stanger · Rating 4 out of 5]

More fun with Lovejoy. This is a good recovery from The 10 Word Game for Jonathan Gash.

[Les Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe this was written by the same author as "Spend Game"