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Lovejoy #5
The Vatican Rip
A Lovejoy novel. Someone wants an antique recovered, but the present owner is the Pope. Lovejoy is not anxious to do the the job, but Signor Arcellano has ways of making him co-operate. In Rome he meets a delectable damsel, delectable antiques and anything-but-delectable murder.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
7 people are currently reading
121 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 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 26, 2012
Once again if you are familiar with the Lovejoy TV series the books are very different, not necessarily better but different. Lovejoy as a character does work better alone than the chums of the tv series. More violent(even if it's accidental as he swears), meaner but still charming and somehow irresistible to women.
Books always have the advantage of going into greater detail and when the main plot line is antiques that is extremely helpful.
If you've never read Lovejoy you may not want to start here, but if you've read a couple in the series(like me) it was a good(but not great) addition to the series.
Pluses: Great detail in antiques and of the Vatican and Rome.
Minuses: Almost too many characters some which don't add anything to the story.
Books always have the advantage of going into greater detail and when the main plot line is antiques that is extremely helpful.
If you've never read Lovejoy you may not want to start here, but if you've read a couple in the series(like me) it was a good(but not great) addition to the series.
Pluses: Great detail in antiques and of the Vatican and Rome.
Minuses: Almost too many characters some which don't add anything to the story.
January 7, 2016
Not the best in the series, this tells the story of the time Lovejoy ripped off the Vatican. The tale is interesting enough and well told, but Lovejoy is particularly misogynistic and violent here, although his love and passion for antiques shines through as always and somehow makes his unacceptable behaviour almost understandable. It's a strange juggling act that Jonathan Gash attempts, to make Lovejoy so unlikable and yet so utterly charming at the same time. For the most part he somehow manages to pull it off, but in this book Lovejoy teeters perilously close to the edge. What helped rescue it, for me, was the fact that I was listening to the audio book and the narrator, Michael Fenton Stevens, does a brilliant job of bringing Lovejoy to life and making the character and his various excuses utterly believable.
November 21, 2016
Or "The One Where Lovejoy Steals A Table".
I'm slowly working my way through the Lovejoy books, having read a couple when I was much younger and the TV show was still a thing. This is, I think, the fifth in the series and, by now, we're used to Lovejoy's ways which are, as the books are like thirty years old, quite dated.
He's still quite big on hitting women, though. He's really living up to his "Chris Brown of the Antiques World" label I gave him several books ago. This time, by 40% of the way through, he's hit two women - one of them, to all intents and purposes, an old woman. By the time the book closes, he's managed to get in at least four solid hits on a variety of womenfolk.
It's almost a wonder he has time to even think about stealing that table.
I'm slowly working my way through the Lovejoy books, having read a couple when I was much younger and the TV show was still a thing. This is, I think, the fifth in the series and, by now, we're used to Lovejoy's ways which are, as the books are like thirty years old, quite dated.
He's still quite big on hitting women, though. He's really living up to his "Chris Brown of the Antiques World" label I gave him several books ago. This time, by 40% of the way through, he's hit two women - one of them, to all intents and purposes, an old woman. By the time the book closes, he's managed to get in at least four solid hits on a variety of womenfolk.
It's almost a wonder he has time to even think about stealing that table.
January 27, 2013
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2000448.html[return][return]Lovejoy is at his most psychopathic here, gratuitously violent to bad guys and to women, and so utterly besotted with antiques as to be unaware of any other person's feelings. Gash redeems the novel as a reading experience with loving detail on Rome, on the Vatican and on Lovejoy's audacious plan to rip an exhibit from the tightly guarded city-state, and also by Lovejoy getting a mildly comical if emotionally improbable comeuppance at the end, after the bad guys have met their just deserts. But I think the narrator's sheer unpleasantness makes it a weaker entry in the series.
March 26, 2014
Lovejoy travels to Italy in this adventure, which made for a nice change. However, he appeared to be in over his head - more so than usual - and as a result was pretty grouchy and short-tempered. Once he got into a workshop and 'made' an antique, the old Lovejoy resurfaced.
Because of this, I found his personality change a bit jarring. Still, the 'rip' was pretty interesting (and I didn't know what that meant), characters had their individual personality and quirks, if not completely loveable, and the ending, as usual, turned up the excitement factor a few notches.
And, through it all, most of what happened, still wasn't Lovejoy's fault. Or so he keeps saying...! :)
Because of this, I found his personality change a bit jarring. Still, the 'rip' was pretty interesting (and I didn't know what that meant), characters had their individual personality and quirks, if not completely loveable, and the ending, as usual, turned up the excitement factor a few notches.
And, through it all, most of what happened, still wasn't Lovejoy's fault. Or so he keeps saying...! :)
May 19, 2016
The book is a treasure trove of English humor and sayings, The author is no doubt a Brit and writes his main character as a Brit as well. Lovejoy is the main character's name and antiques are his game. He is a "divvie" being able to ferret out "real" antiques when he comes across them no matter the type of the part of the world the antique may be from. He is put in the position of trying to "rip" or steal an antique from the Vatican. His plan, his activities before engaging in the plan are the fun stuff of the book. The real meat of the book is in its last ten pages when he is trying to extract himself from the problem of having successfully done his rip. To say more is to say too much.
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January 30, 2014Older book, but enjoyable. This one is easier to read the Cockney/east London vernacular. Love joy is supposed to rip off the Vatican---a table. Or, they will kill his friends. His way to steal the table is genius.
June 1, 2025
The book begins in East Anglia (which I liked) and quickly leads Lovejoy to Rome (which, it turned out, I didn't like as much). Familiar characters appear mostly at the beginning, but are absent for the rest of the story. Rome itself could almost have been Amsterdam or Berlin; most locations are too nondescript, often described vaguely as “across the street” or “behind the corner.” Places are mentioned, such as San Bartolomeo, St.Peter's, The Corso, and the Coliseum, but remained distant (to me in any case). The Roman citizens feel a bit unreal, and their Italian identity doesn’t come through—add to that the expectation that readers believe Lovejoy learns fluent Italian in no time. Honestly, most of them could have been Danish, Finnish, or German.
The “Rip” was a bit of a dud. It also echoed other books in the series: Lovejoy ends up in a solitary, dangerous place, somehow survives, and, in the end, the “bad guys” suffer. That, already a pattern, felt a bit tired already. The "bad guys" are never arrested, oddly enough. A lady often gets Lovejoy as her "prisoner" at the end. So with this novel. Another little pattern, there (granted, not repeated in every book, for example 'Pearlhanger' ends different).
As always, the women in the story inexplicably fall into bed with Lovejoy. He’s like some brutish kind of catnip—a chunk of kryptonite for the opposite sex. The women are described a bit like antique objects.
One of the female characters turns out to be a villain, but this twist comes completely out of the blue. The reader is just expected to accept it without buildup or explanation. The final scenes—both the violence and the airport ending—don’t feel believable. There are no consequences with the law for Lovejoy at all. It all reads like a “Weekend in Rome” fantasy in a slightly alternate universe.
A ray of light in the story is Tinker, whose character is always fun; plus, how much a loyal friend Lovejoy is to him. Another one, as always, are the (unfortunately few) "divvying" moments.
The book just felt a bit out of its depth when in Rome. While I could still enjoy parts of it, this book didn’t offer as strong or engaging a reading experience as earlier entries in the series. It is not a bad read, however, and kept me interested in the story about two thirds of the way. The fact I didn't love the ending did not ruin the experience for me entirely.
A detail about Lovejoy's personal history. In the earlier book, "The Spend Game", the reader learns that Lovejoy had been fighting in a war, somewhere in a jungle (the place is not given). He is estimated to be 45 years or so, in this book. So, if the book took place in the late 1970s East Anglia, his being involved in a war could have been at most, what, 25 years earlier - in the mid-1950s. Korea? If the story takes place in the early 1970s, and he's a bit older (like, 50), he might have been fighting in WWII as a young kid. But is this really what the readers are supposed to believe? His war or wars were never given a name. But this has little to do with this book (it is just something that I was thinking when reading about his age and having recently read "Spend Game".)
Ultimately, the "sex and violence" element having had a stronger presence in this book did not make it into any better reading experience. The slow pace in Rome and rather unlikely events (for example, is the reader supposed to believe that the Vatican can be robbed so easily, or that the police is so incompetent that there is not even a sense of danger of anybody getting arrested for any crimes committed, like, ever) made it a rather less engaging read than the earlier entries in the series.
This was my second read after a decade or so, and I still think the same way about it.
The “Rip” was a bit of a dud. It also echoed other books in the series: Lovejoy ends up in a solitary, dangerous place, somehow survives, and, in the end, the “bad guys” suffer. That, already a pattern, felt a bit tired already. The "bad guys" are never arrested, oddly enough. A lady often gets Lovejoy as her "prisoner" at the end. So with this novel. Another little pattern, there (granted, not repeated in every book, for example 'Pearlhanger' ends different).
As always, the women in the story inexplicably fall into bed with Lovejoy. He’s like some brutish kind of catnip—a chunk of kryptonite for the opposite sex. The women are described a bit like antique objects.
One of the female characters turns out to be a villain, but this twist comes completely out of the blue. The reader is just expected to accept it without buildup or explanation. The final scenes—both the violence and the airport ending—don’t feel believable. There are no consequences with the law for Lovejoy at all. It all reads like a “Weekend in Rome” fantasy in a slightly alternate universe.
A ray of light in the story is Tinker, whose character is always fun; plus, how much a loyal friend Lovejoy is to him. Another one, as always, are the (unfortunately few) "divvying" moments.
The book just felt a bit out of its depth when in Rome. While I could still enjoy parts of it, this book didn’t offer as strong or engaging a reading experience as earlier entries in the series. It is not a bad read, however, and kept me interested in the story about two thirds of the way. The fact I didn't love the ending did not ruin the experience for me entirely.
A detail about Lovejoy's personal history. In the earlier book, "The Spend Game", the reader learns that Lovejoy had been fighting in a war, somewhere in a jungle (the place is not given). He is estimated to be 45 years or so, in this book. So, if the book took place in the late 1970s East Anglia, his being involved in a war could have been at most, what, 25 years earlier - in the mid-1950s. Korea? If the story takes place in the early 1970s, and he's a bit older (like, 50), he might have been fighting in WWII as a young kid. But is this really what the readers are supposed to believe? His war or wars were never given a name. But this has little to do with this book (it is just something that I was thinking when reading about his age and having recently read "Spend Game".)
Ultimately, the "sex and violence" element having had a stronger presence in this book did not make it into any better reading experience. The slow pace in Rome and rather unlikely events (for example, is the reader supposed to believe that the Vatican can be robbed so easily, or that the police is so incompetent that there is not even a sense of danger of anybody getting arrested for any crimes committed, like, ever) made it a rather less engaging read than the earlier entries in the series.
This was my second read after a decade or so, and I still think the same way about it.
August 21, 2021
This is Lovejoy's first foray away from East Anglia since the trip to the Isle of Man in Gold from Gemini, and his first venture on the Continent. Having read all the Lovejoys already, I'm very much a fan, and enjoyed rereading this one once again. However the story line doesn't feel quite so satisfying. Perhaps it's the scale of the robbery against the narrow timescale. The idea of robbing the British Museum as portrayed in The Very Last Gambado feels a lot more satisfying.
I think that here it's the sheer implausibility of the robbery, especially the seeming ease of opening the locked store room with a comb, that got me on this rereading. Anna's ability to source the items he needs given the short timescale makes her thieving skills seem almost miraculous. Her arrest for pickpocketing makes her appear vulnerable, although it's more of a plot point preparing for the ending than anything else. But the desire for the 'rip' to work carries you over all this.
The meticulous planning is believable, because Lovejoy is that kind of character, and it's his oversights resulting in things going wrong which add the dynamic to these narratives. Of course some things, such as the real problem behind this theft, are beyond his control. He's just outsmarted. But in this and the other novels there's a contrast between what he prepares and what he misses which is sustained by his warnings throughout about things going wrong, and that it wasn't really his fault that they did, especially the killings.
As usual there's the appreciation of antique items not because of their financial worth, but because they embody the effort put into making them by their makers, which Lovejoy sees as love. He reminds Adriana - and us - of the miserable conditions endured by those who created these works, and of the link between their hardships and the individuality of the items they made. This is Lovejoy's most important trait not only because it reminds us not to be so superficial, but also because it blinds Lovejoy to much of human nature. His continuing misreadings of people make him vulnerable.
Yes, Lovejoy seems to have a misogynist streak, although this is not because he believes that women are inferior. In fact he points out often how more skilled and in control the women are, being cooler and more calculated than the men. He's not above hitting a woman, but again this isn't because they're women. He's equally violent to men, if not more so. He hits Anna, but he puts Carlo in hospital. His reactions differ not because one's male and one's female, but because of the amount of threat posed by each. He lives in a more basic and violent context which depends on survival, and indeed he suffers a great deal of physical violence himself in these narratives.
To sum up, I did enjoy reading this again, but more because of the familiar elements being present. It works as a narrative, but largely because you want it to. You can see the joins more clearly, and it does feel more contrived than usual, principally because of the narrow timescale. Inevitably though Gash is seeking to develop the stories and to avoid getting boxed in by sticking to the East Anglian setting, and this requires experiment. Talking of which, we get back to more familiar ground next with Firefly Gadroon, but I'll be skipping that as I reread it not long ago. So I'll be off to Ireland with The Sleepers of Erin!
I think that here it's the sheer implausibility of the robbery, especially the seeming ease of opening the locked store room with a comb, that got me on this rereading. Anna's ability to source the items he needs given the short timescale makes her thieving skills seem almost miraculous. Her arrest for pickpocketing makes her appear vulnerable, although it's more of a plot point preparing for the ending than anything else. But the desire for the 'rip' to work carries you over all this.
The meticulous planning is believable, because Lovejoy is that kind of character, and it's his oversights resulting in things going wrong which add the dynamic to these narratives. Of course some things, such as the real problem behind this theft, are beyond his control. He's just outsmarted. But in this and the other novels there's a contrast between what he prepares and what he misses which is sustained by his warnings throughout about things going wrong, and that it wasn't really his fault that they did, especially the killings.
As usual there's the appreciation of antique items not because of their financial worth, but because they embody the effort put into making them by their makers, which Lovejoy sees as love. He reminds Adriana - and us - of the miserable conditions endured by those who created these works, and of the link between their hardships and the individuality of the items they made. This is Lovejoy's most important trait not only because it reminds us not to be so superficial, but also because it blinds Lovejoy to much of human nature. His continuing misreadings of people make him vulnerable.
Yes, Lovejoy seems to have a misogynist streak, although this is not because he believes that women are inferior. In fact he points out often how more skilled and in control the women are, being cooler and more calculated than the men. He's not above hitting a woman, but again this isn't because they're women. He's equally violent to men, if not more so. He hits Anna, but he puts Carlo in hospital. His reactions differ not because one's male and one's female, but because of the amount of threat posed by each. He lives in a more basic and violent context which depends on survival, and indeed he suffers a great deal of physical violence himself in these narratives.
To sum up, I did enjoy reading this again, but more because of the familiar elements being present. It works as a narrative, but largely because you want it to. You can see the joins more clearly, and it does feel more contrived than usual, principally because of the narrow timescale. Inevitably though Gash is seeking to develop the stories and to avoid getting boxed in by sticking to the East Anglian setting, and this requires experiment. Talking of which, we get back to more familiar ground next with Firefly Gadroon, but I'll be skipping that as I reread it not long ago. So I'll be off to Ireland with The Sleepers of Erin!
May 10, 2020
My fifth read of 2020 is done and my second one of isolation. I very much enjoyed the frivolity of it all though the book is very different to the TV series. Lovejoy is still an old rogue but he’s bordering on psychopathic in his desire to hunt out antiques. In the show there’s more caper and lightness and definitely less murder. I have learned a fair bit about antiques though and as Rome is one of my favourite cities the chance to wander about it albeit by turning a page was lovely.
I’m not discounting reading another of the novels but I am very much looking forward to bingeing they final season of the TV show. Preferably wearing a beret with a gin and tonic in hand a la Tinker. Q
I’m not discounting reading another of the novels but I am very much looking forward to bingeing they final season of the TV show. Preferably wearing a beret with a gin and tonic in hand a la Tinker. Q
January 28, 2021
"Lovejoy goes to Rome to steal an antique table -- from the Pope!
"Lovejoy, witty expert of all things antique, is asked to recover a family heirloom. Unfortunately, the Chippendale table in question now sits in the Vatican. Though matters of protocol, a brutal murder, and several romantic entanglements slow his progress, Lovejoy once again triumphs, finding his way to a most ingenious solution."
~~back cover
The plot was easier to grasp this time around, and Lovejoy certainly is ingenious at these little "rips." Ending was rather deus ex machina, which tied things up nicely but ...
"Lovejoy, witty expert of all things antique, is asked to recover a family heirloom. Unfortunately, the Chippendale table in question now sits in the Vatican. Though matters of protocol, a brutal murder, and several romantic entanglements slow his progress, Lovejoy once again triumphs, finding his way to a most ingenious solution."
~~back cover
The plot was easier to grasp this time around, and Lovejoy certainly is ingenious at these little "rips." Ending was rather deus ex machina, which tied things up nicely but ...
November 12, 2019
Lovejoys returns for a fifth outting as he attempts his most difficult task so far by stealing a Chippendale table from the Vatican and replacing it with a fake. Hired by heavy muscle Gignor Arcellino, Lovejoy is forced to learn Italian but embarking on an impossible task while meeting with Anna, young woman who goes around stealing under the guise of an old age pensioner, and the beautiful Adriana who runs her own antique which is used as an unwitting base of operations. Ultimately a very enjoyable read with other Jonathan Gash making everything seemingly impossible possible.
February 5, 2025
A lighthearted tale of a plot to replace a valuable antique with a dud- who better to do it other than Lovejoy ?
The enchanting tale details his antiques knowledge ( and successful womanising) skills, as well as details of Vatican architecture and infrastructure.
A good yarn, including much danger, of how to starry out the operation, but a sting in the tale. Lovejoy however, if he fell in the Co-op would land in its dividend.
The enchanting tale details his antiques knowledge ( and successful womanising) skills, as well as details of Vatican architecture and infrastructure.
A good yarn, including much danger, of how to starry out the operation, but a sting in the tale. Lovejoy however, if he fell in the Co-op would land in its dividend.
June 7, 2018
The thing that pleasantly surprised me about this suspense story is that it had so many twists that surprised me.This is a good and entertaining writer, kept me going, and I particularly enjoy the way the hero is never off the hook at the end of the novel, but suffering from some further lunacy of his own creation, though it caught me off guard once again.
January 27, 2021
Lovejoy is his usual charming, thoughtful self only here Tinker has been replaced by what appears to be an old crone who helps him not only survive in Rome but also attempt to pull off a major theft from the Vatican museum.
The story itself is decent but perhaps a little thin and did start to drag by the final act. However, for fans of the novel series it's still worth picking up.
The story itself is decent but perhaps a little thin and did start to drag by the final act. However, for fans of the novel series it's still worth picking up.
June 6, 2019
A reminder, Lovejoy is very different to the character TV series, much rougher.
Another enjoyable story, 5th in the narratives. Twists and turns all the way through.
Another enjoyable story, 5th in the narratives. Twists and turns all the way through.
March 26, 2018
I’d say if you’re going to read a Lovejoy novel this is the best one I have read. Lovejoy burgles the Vatican, pretty cool crime mystery story.
I’d actually recommend the BBC series Lovejoy over the books. Ian Mcshaine, younger, played Lovejoy for something like 5 or 6 seasons. Still a scoundrel on both sides of the law, his portrayal was infinitely more likeable and charming than the dude in the books.
I’d actually recommend the BBC series Lovejoy over the books. Ian Mcshaine, younger, played Lovejoy for something like 5 or 6 seasons. Still a scoundrel on both sides of the law, his portrayal was infinitely more likeable and charming than the dude in the books.
February 14, 2016
Lovejoy is forcibly transplanted to carry out a job in Rome, trading in East Anglia and his regular haunts for The Vatican no less.
I prefer Lovejoy at home, this has a feel of a holiday special and I'm a fan of Tinker and the pet robin so they were missed.
I prefer Lovejoy at home, this has a feel of a holiday special and I'm a fan of Tinker and the pet robin so they were missed.
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April 17, 2009intrigue,antiques,fiction,adventure,Lovejoy
April 10, 2014
Some might not like the journey to Rome, as it minimizes the role of recurring characters like Tinker. However, it was a good story and had plenty of twists and turns.
July 8, 2015
Lovejoy gets into trouble in Rome, aided and abetted by two interesting women.
April 6, 2017
I just happened to remember in watching a Father Dowling Mystery on television about Lovejoy --- I enjoyed that program so very much and was happy to know they are based on books! It was so much fun learning more about Lovejoy - his philosophy on life, as strange as it is, and a lovely romp to Rome and the Pope's Vatican so he could rip off a treasure of what he thought was a holocaust victims stolen treasure! Was so much better then the show and a thoroughly enjoyable read!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews