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Jonathan Argyll #3
The Bernini Bust
When art dealer Jonathan Argyll arrives in Los Angeles to drop off a painting, he discovers that there are a few devils loose in the City of Angels
260 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
27 people are currently reading
746 people want to read
About the author
Iain Pears
42 books948 followersIain Pears is an English art historian, novelist and journalist. He was educated at Warwick School, Warwick, Wadham College and Wolfson College, Oxford. Before writing, he worked as a reporter for the BBC, Channel 4 (UK) and ZDF (Germany) and correspondent for Reuters from 1982 to 1990 in Italy, France, UK and US. In 1987 he became a Getty Fellow in the Arts and Humanities at Yale University. His well-known novel series features Jonathan Argyll, art historian, though international fame first arrived with his best selling book An Instance of the Fingerpost (1998), which was translated into several languages. Pears currently lives with his wife and children in Oxford.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
July 29, 2018
"Tax Fiddles, murder, fraud, adultery, theft, (suspects) framing each other for crimes, eavesdropping, firing people." Yes all this and more in the 3rd installment of the Jonathan Argyll and the Italian National Art Theft Squad series by novelist Iain Pears. This book is decidedly different from the first two in that most all of the action takes place in California where Argyll is trying to deliver a valuable Titian painting and get paid $4 Million. But nothings works our right, as a lost Bernini bust shows up at the same art gallery and once that happens it opens a can of worms that lead to another interesting peak into the world of Art Theft and those trying to profit from this. We also see advancement in the subplot of Argyll and Art Detective Flavia de Stefano's personal relationship. A good and quick read. Lots of possible suspects and an Agatha Christie style ending that is a lot of fun.
Being Italian, I love reading these books that deal with Italy and Art. They are fast reads and were the beginning of Pears career that has now stretched into lengthy novels, which are good, but I wish he would eventually return to these Art Mysteries - there are 7 of these and so I ration them out very slowly so that I do not run out of enjoyable reading too quickly.
If you have never read any of these, you should take time to delve into the world of Art Historian Jonathan Argyll and the cases of the Italian National Art Theft Squad - you will have a wonderfully good read!
Being Italian, I love reading these books that deal with Italy and Art. They are fast reads and were the beginning of Pears career that has now stretched into lengthy novels, which are good, but I wish he would eventually return to these Art Mysteries - there are 7 of these and so I ration them out very slowly so that I do not run out of enjoyable reading too quickly.
If you have never read any of these, you should take time to delve into the world of Art Historian Jonathan Argyll and the cases of the Italian National Art Theft Squad - you will have a wonderfully good read!
July 29, 2018
Jonathan Argyll, art dealer based in Rome, has sold a Titian to a small private museum in California. The museum requires that he deliver it in person, at which time they will authenticate and pay for it. Argyll puts the painting in a brown paper sack and carries it in his hand luggage. Argyll is clumsy and accident prone, and no, the painting doesn't get damaged or stolen, but he manages to end up in the thick of it in spite of himself. Oh, yes, there is that Bust of Pius V of the title. And there is a murder. Two mysteries for the price of one.
Argyll isn't the best of detectives, but fortunately he has a friend in the Art Fraud Division in Rome. Flavia de Stefano is a marvelous character. She's hard-working, smart and intuitive. She's so underappreciated that Pears didn't make her the star and name the series after her. OK, so yes he did make her a star, but still.
This is such a fun series, I wonder that it isn't more popular. Perhaps it is the lack of digital editions and availability in general. I know I will be looking for the others. I'm probably over rating it, but I enjoyed it so. 4-stars, the top rating in this genre from me.
Argyll isn't the best of detectives, but fortunately he has a friend in the Art Fraud Division in Rome. Flavia de Stefano is a marvelous character. She's hard-working, smart and intuitive. She's so underappreciated that Pears didn't make her the star and name the series after her. OK, so yes he did make her a star, but still.
This is such a fun series, I wonder that it isn't more popular. Perhaps it is the lack of digital editions and availability in general. I know I will be looking for the others. I'm probably over rating it, but I enjoyed it so. 4-stars, the top rating in this genre from me.
February 26, 2017
I've read two of Iain Pears's doughtier historical novels, An Instance of the Fingerpost and The Dream of Scipio, and liked them very much indeed; I was a whole lot less enamored of his novel The Portrait but, hey, that's the way these things work. His Stone's Fall is a novel I'm planning to read soon.
Whatsoever, I thought it might be fun to try one of his lighthearted Jonathan Argyll mysteries set in the art-dealing and -collecting world. And now, to be honest, I wish I hadn't.
To start with the positive: I loved the bitchy art-world milieu. Almost without exception, the professional artists and art dealers whom I know are quite delightful people who, far from backstabbing each other, go out of their way to help each other. At the same time, while nattering with them, it's been perfectly evident to me that there is an undercurrent of nastiness in the art-dealer world. Pears captures, I think, this ambience very well -- and why shouldn't he, since this is his professional field?
Where the novel fell down, I felt, was in that happy lightheartedness. There was, for this particular reader, something immensely selfconscious about all the breezy flippancy. Yes, there were some great bons mots. But far, far too often I was wishing that Pears would stop assuming he was a genius who could toss off a mystery novel jus' like that and start realizing that there's just as much skill and application required to write a good tec as when you're writing something more momentous, like one of his historical novels. To say the writing in The Bernini Bust is slapdash is to be a tad charitable. Most of the characters are straight out of central casting, defined by one or at most two characteristics -- like the main LA cop, who's defined by his gum disease and his designer stubble.
Just to annoy, the solution to the murder mystery is achieved not through yer standard ratiocination, as per the Golden Age, but through the setting of a trap in order to snare the guilty party.
I'm absolutely certain that a billion or more Goodreaders do sincerely love the Jonathan Argyll series, but for me this just did not work. If you've had a happier experience with the Jonathan Argyll series, please by all means tell me so in the comments.
Whatsoever, I thought it might be fun to try one of his lighthearted Jonathan Argyll mysteries set in the art-dealing and -collecting world. And now, to be honest, I wish I hadn't.
To start with the positive: I loved the bitchy art-world milieu. Almost without exception, the professional artists and art dealers whom I know are quite delightful people who, far from backstabbing each other, go out of their way to help each other. At the same time, while nattering with them, it's been perfectly evident to me that there is an undercurrent of nastiness in the art-dealer world. Pears captures, I think, this ambience very well -- and why shouldn't he, since this is his professional field?
Where the novel fell down, I felt, was in that happy lightheartedness. There was, for this particular reader, something immensely selfconscious about all the breezy flippancy. Yes, there were some great bons mots. But far, far too often I was wishing that Pears would stop assuming he was a genius who could toss off a mystery novel jus' like that and start realizing that there's just as much skill and application required to write a good tec as when you're writing something more momentous, like one of his historical novels. To say the writing in The Bernini Bust is slapdash is to be a tad charitable. Most of the characters are straight out of central casting, defined by one or at most two characteristics -- like the main LA cop, who's defined by his gum disease and his designer stubble.
Just to annoy, the solution to the murder mystery is achieved not through yer standard ratiocination, as per the Golden Age, but through the setting of a trap in order to snare the guilty party.
I'm absolutely certain that a billion or more Goodreaders do sincerely love the Jonathan Argyll series, but for me this just did not work. If you've had a happier experience with the Jonathan Argyll series, please by all means tell me so in the comments.
December 25, 2016
Κατ’ αρχήν ένα στοιχείο που μου δείχνει πως ο συγγραφέας έχει δυνατότητες είναι ο τρόπος με τον οποίο μου πέρασε στο προηγούμενο βιβλίο την αγάπη του για τη Ρώμη, με τον τρόπο που μετέδωσε αυτή τη φορά την αποστροφή του για το πολύβουο και άτακτα δομημένο τεχνοκρατικό Λος Άντζελες. Δεν ήταν μόνο η ασάφεια στις περιγραφές κι η άρνηση να υποτάξει έστω και τους πάμπλουτους χαρακτήρες του σε τυποποιημένου τύπου βίλες, περισσότερο θύμιζε μια βιαστική ανατύπωση της σωρείας ταινιών της δεκαετίας 80 – 90 που σχετίζονταν με την περιοχή, τύπου Τρελές Σφαίρες κλπ.
Μου άρεσε επίσης για μια ακόμη φορά η αγάπη του για τους αδέξιους ανθρώπους γιατί κι εγώ τους αγαπώ, απλώς ούτε αυτός καταφέρνει να δώσει αυτό το γιατί που τόσο όμορφα εξηγεί ο Τερζάκης στη Μυστική Ζωή.
Ωστόσο κάτι πολύ δικό του που μου άρεσε ήταν μια μόνο παράγραφος όπου ισοπεδώνει την κοινή λογική που λέει πως κάποιοι πάσχουν από ματαιοδοξία και λέει όχι όλοι ματαιοδοξούμε, κάνοντας μια ενδιαφέρουσα όσο και αληθή διάκριση ανάμεσα σ’ εκείνον που φοράει κάτι όμορφο για να εντυπωσιάσει και να καμαρώσει τον εαυτό του στον καθρέφτη ακόμα κι αν δε νοιάζεται καθόλου για τη γνώμη των άλλων ( ελάτε παραδεχτείτε το είναι πολύ οικείο αυτό ακόμη κι αν δε μιλάμε για ρούχα ) και σ’ εκείνους που διακαής πόθος είναι να γίνουν το αντικείμενο θαυμασμού και σχολιασμού των άλλων ακόμα κι αν αυτό προέρχεται απ’ το έχειν.
Παρόλ’ αυτά πρόκειται για αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα με τρία αινίγματα. Όσον αφορά το φόνο δεν έκανε καμιά προσπάθεια αυτή τη φορά να τον καμουφλάρει, τον βρήκα με την πρώτη, στο δεύτερο ήμουν κοντά περίπου απ’ τη μέση του βιβλίου και το τρίτο το είχα ξεχάσει όταν πια φτάνει στις τελευταίες σελίδες στην αποκάλυψη.
Ήταν λιγότερο ενδιαφέρον το βιβλίο απ’ το Ραφαήλ, τόσο αισθητικά, όσο και σε θέμα πλοκής κι επίσης η δημιουργία πολλών εικόνων που παρέπεμπαν σε ταινίες δε μου άρεσε. Ήταν διασκεδαστικό πάντως, έστρωσε και το θέμα της χημείας Φλάβια με Άρτζιλ, παρουσιάζουν σχεδόν ενδιαφέρον στην ανατομία, αν και του κακιώνω πως στο μεταξύ τους θέμα το κλείνει κάπως βιαστικά, ήθελα κάτι περισσότερο.
Μου έκανε πάντως παρέα το βράδυ στο κρεβάτι, καθώς και στην ώρα του φαγητού.
2.5 αστέρια
Μου άρεσε επίσης για μια ακόμη φορά η αγάπη του για τους αδέξιους ανθρώπους γιατί κι εγώ τους αγαπώ, απλώς ούτε αυτός καταφέρνει να δώσει αυτό το γιατί που τόσο όμορφα εξηγεί ο Τερζάκης στη Μυστική Ζωή.
Ωστόσο κάτι πολύ δικό του που μου άρεσε ήταν μια μόνο παράγραφος όπου ισοπεδώνει την κοινή λογική που λέει πως κάποιοι πάσχουν από ματαιοδοξία και λέει όχι όλοι ματαιοδοξούμε, κάνοντας μια ενδιαφέρουσα όσο και αληθή διάκριση ανάμεσα σ’ εκείνον που φοράει κάτι όμορφο για να εντυπωσιάσει και να καμαρώσει τον εαυτό του στον καθρέφτη ακόμα κι αν δε νοιάζεται καθόλου για τη γνώμη των άλλων ( ελάτε παραδεχτείτε το είναι πολύ οικείο αυτό ακόμη κι αν δε μιλάμε για ρούχα ) και σ’ εκείνους που διακαής πόθος είναι να γίνουν το αντικείμενο θαυμασμού και σχολιασμού των άλλων ακόμα κι αν αυτό προέρχεται απ’ το έχειν.
Παρόλ’ αυτά πρόκειται για αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα με τρία αινίγματα. Όσον αφορά το φόνο δεν έκανε καμιά προσπάθεια αυτή τη φορά να τον καμουφλάρει, τον βρήκα με την πρώτη, στο δεύτερο ήμουν κοντά περίπου απ’ τη μέση του βιβλίου και το τρίτο το είχα ξεχάσει όταν πια φτάνει στις τελευταίες σελίδες στην αποκάλυψη.
Ήταν λιγότερο ενδιαφέρον το βιβλίο απ’ το Ραφαήλ, τόσο αισθητικά, όσο και σε θέμα πλοκής κι επίσης η δημιουργία πολλών εικόνων που παρέπεμπαν σε ταινίες δε μου άρεσε. Ήταν διασκεδαστικό πάντως, έστρωσε και το θέμα της χημείας Φλάβια με Άρτζιλ, παρουσιάζουν σχεδόν ενδιαφέρον στην ανατομία, αν και του κακιώνω πως στο μεταξύ τους θέμα το κλείνει κάπως βιαστικά, ήθελα κάτι περισσότερο.
Μου έκανε πάντως παρέα το βράδυ στο κρεβάτι, καθώς και στην ώρα του φαγητού.
2.5 αστέρια
March 3, 2015
This book has been sitting on my shelf for years. It was okay but not great. Some Murder, She Wrote episodes are more suspenseful.
October 8, 2009
This unassuming paperback had been sitting on my bookshelf for years before I finally got around to reading it. I'm not sure where it came from originally, as mysteries aren't generally my genre of choice. This was a fast-paced, cute read and I enjoyed it for what it was. The mystery wasn't terribly mysterious and there weren't many clues dangled about so the reader could play detective along with Jonathan Argyll and Flavia. The audience was meant to passively go along with the ride.
One major complaint: For a series marketed as "Art History Mysteries," there's not a lot of description or detail about art. Pears never bothers to explain what a Bernini sculpture looks like, what his significance is, or much about him at all. (At least Dan Brown, the reigning Hack of Hacks, does THAT much!)
One major complaint: For a series marketed as "Art History Mysteries," there's not a lot of description or detail about art. Pears never bothers to explain what a Bernini sculpture looks like, what his significance is, or much about him at all. (At least Dan Brown, the reigning Hack of Hacks, does THAT much!)
August 22, 2024
Trečiasis „meno detektyvas“ apie Argyllą ir jo itališkąją pasiją - Flavią di Stefano. Argyllas Kalifornijoje, kur atvyko parduoti nedidelį Ticiano paveikslą milijardieriui, steigiančiam naują muziejų. Sutinka jis čia ir seną savo pažįstamą, atvežusį tam pačiam milijardieriui Berninio biustą. Tačiau netrukus viskas komplikuojasi – milijardierius nužudytas, o tiek biustas, tiek ir jo pardavėjas – prapuolė. Na, o pats Argyllas, atrodo irgi tapo taikiniu, mat žudikas įsitikinęs, kad jonathanas kažką žino, ir būtų gerai jį užčiaupti visiems laikams.
Palyginti su pirmosiomis dviem ciklo knygomis, čia staiga pradeda prasimušinėti labai neblogo humoro daigai. Ir tai iškart pagyvina skaitymą. Nors Argyllo ciklo knygos ir taip nestringa tarp dantų. Toks savotiškas greitas maistas, bet pagamintas iš nesugedusių produktų.
Keturi iš penkių. Ir to humoro dėka – nebe tokie paliegę keturi, kaip pirmųjų knygų.
Palyginti su pirmosiomis dviem ciklo knygomis, čia staiga pradeda prasimušinėti labai neblogo humoro daigai. Ir tai iškart pagyvina skaitymą. Nors Argyllo ciklo knygos ir taip nestringa tarp dantų. Toks savotiškas greitas maistas, bet pagamintas iš nesugedusių produktų.
Keturi iš penkių. Ir to humoro dėka – nebe tokie paliegę keturi, kaip pirmųjų knygų.
January 12, 2023
I really love the Iain Pears books and I tend to read them fast. This one is the first and I am reading them entirely out of order, as I find them so in this one I was surprised to find that Jonathan and Flavia are not a couple. It is the story of how they become a couple though, and while romance is never the focus of these books it was sweet/funny to see how this came about.
What this book is really about - like all by this author I have read - is art theft, a subject which I find fascinating and all too often neglected in the crime genera where authors seem regrettably fixated on things like bullion, diamonds and state secrets. Art is much more fun, much more interesting and you learn so much more along the way.
The writing though is probably the thing that keeps me coming back, Jonathan and Flavia are both great characters, all the secondary characters are always distinct. The author uses the tiniest, most insignificant phrases and descriptions to keep everyone vivid and real and relevant. It is an enviable talent and makes reading the books delightful.
The author has travelled widely and that comes through in his place descriptions, Rome and Los Angeles mostly, in this book. As always, having read this I have another place I would like to visit - this time the Borghese gallery gallery in Rome.
What this book is really about - like all by this author I have read - is art theft, a subject which I find fascinating and all too often neglected in the crime genera where authors seem regrettably fixated on things like bullion, diamonds and state secrets. Art is much more fun, much more interesting and you learn so much more along the way.
The writing though is probably the thing that keeps me coming back, Jonathan and Flavia are both great characters, all the secondary characters are always distinct. The author uses the tiniest, most insignificant phrases and descriptions to keep everyone vivid and real and relevant. It is an enviable talent and makes reading the books delightful.
The author has travelled widely and that comes through in his place descriptions, Rome and Los Angeles mostly, in this book. As always, having read this I have another place I would like to visit - this time the Borghese gallery gallery in Rome.
November 17, 2013
I think this is a VERY lightweight novel - light on plot and on characters. Almost nothing on art was included, and it could have been located anywhere since very little of Los Angeles was mentioned except a couple of passing generalized witticisms. However, it's number three in the series about Jonathan Argyll and Flavia di Stefano, who at the moment may never get together since Argyll might be transferred to England.
Flavia is phoning it in at her research/investigator job in Italy, depressed and disgruntled by Argyll's possibly moving on. Her boss, Bottando, decides to send her to Los Angeles to help out Argyll, who in acting as an art dealer for a client, was almost killed by a mysterious purple car after a museum party. Then, the museum's owner, Moresby, is discovered, dead on the floor of his office. Moresby had bought a smuggled Italian sculpture by Bernini which has now disappeared. Four million dollars is involved, as well as breaking the laws on smuggling. Argyll, an accident-prone art lover, seems to have stumbled into the middle of nefarious doings once again. Flavia, the brains of their relationship, had better figure out what is happening or she might lose Argyll in a more permanent manner!
Flavia is phoning it in at her research/investigator job in Italy, depressed and disgruntled by Argyll's possibly moving on. Her boss, Bottando, decides to send her to Los Angeles to help out Argyll, who in acting as an art dealer for a client, was almost killed by a mysterious purple car after a museum party. Then, the museum's owner, Moresby, is discovered, dead on the floor of his office. Moresby had bought a smuggled Italian sculpture by Bernini which has now disappeared. Four million dollars is involved, as well as breaking the laws on smuggling. Argyll, an accident-prone art lover, seems to have stumbled into the middle of nefarious doings once again. Flavia, the brains of their relationship, had better figure out what is happening or she might lose Argyll in a more permanent manner!
September 26, 2013
In The Bernini Bust, a privately owned Los Angeles museum has just made two unusual purchases – a painting that doesn't really fit into the museum's collection, from lovable but rather bumbling dealer Jonathan Argyll, and an assortment of half-rate (and possibly fake) classical sculpture from a known-to-be-crooked dealer. However, it soon turns out that the latter dealer was tricked into smuggling a valuble marble bust by the famous Bernini out of Italy (which of course means that Flavia, from the Art Crimes squad in Italy gets called in) – a bust that possibly he had some connection to in the past. However, the museum's owner-patron soon turns up murdered right before making a big announcement, and the shady dealer goes missing... the conclusions seem obvious.. but, of course, they're not. This installment does suffer for being set in L.A. rather that the more colorful settings of Europe that Pears prefers, and I felt that Jonathan seemed a little too bumbling in this one.
December 6, 2017
Rating: Art, heists, murder, museum misbehaving, millionaires shown up, what's not to love!
I enjoy this series a lot. the Characters, Flavia and Jonathan are both a hoot, the art is interesting, and the murders are often quite well plotted. And generally they are running around Italy however this time they take their act to L.A. which suffers as a consequence. FTW!
I enjoy this series a lot. the Characters, Flavia and Jonathan are both a hoot, the art is interesting, and the murders are often quite well plotted. And generally they are running around Italy however this time they take their act to L.A. which suffers as a consequence. FTW!
May 20, 2018
Όπως καιτα αλλά 2 της σειράς είναι γρήγορο ενδιαφέρον καιμε αρκετό χιούμορ...σε κάποια σημεία είναι λίγο βιαστικό
June 26, 2016
An art / art history thriller - what's not to like? Well, actually, Iain Pears writes as if he'd never been to Los Angeles. His grasp of geography, local custom, and speech patterns seems distinctly British rather than Californian. The story sails along well enough, but I never found it more than mildly engaging, and if you don't see the shocking twists at the end, well, you're paying even lees attention than I did. They're pretty apparent from far off.
August 19, 2018
Another good re-read. A very enjoyable mystery, this time set mostly in Los Angeles rather than Italy. I found the writing wittier than in the first two books of the series, and often chuckled as I was reading.
March 28, 2020
"The Bernini Bust" was a thoroughly enjoyable book. It wasn't very long and didn't have nearly enough about Bernini himself, but the mystery is solid, the prose is witty and moves you briskly along, and the main characters Argyll and Flavia are both good protagonists. A fun art history caper.
December 10, 2010
A really great book shows us how everything is great and worth to die for
January 20, 2019
The characters, all upper crust,
abound in all things but trust.
The lies and deception
distort all perception
when chasing the Bernini Bust.
abound in all things but trust.
The lies and deception
distort all perception
when chasing the Bernini Bust.
December 30, 2021
Iain Pears wrote "An Instance of the Fingerpost" and I suspect he spends his time reading reviews of his other books in which people say that they are not as good as "An Instance of the Fingerpost". This is not as good as "An Instance of the Fingerpost". It is a piece of crime fiction set in the art world, with a murder taking place just as the owner of a private Los Angeles museum is about to unveil its latest acquisition, a previously lost Bernini bust of some Renaissance pope. The protagonists are Jonathan Argyll, a somewhat hapless art dealer, and Flavia DiStefano, a detective with the Italian art police. It is an easy enough read but there is not really much to it - I'm not really sure it would be of that much interest to people who are more into detective fiction than I am.
One key weakness with this for me lay with the main characters. Argyll is well drawn enough as a kind of generic bumbling Englishman but Flavia (always the first name) seemed like a bit of a blank. I initially liked the way their relationship was presented, as one where they were close friends who had never progressed into a romantic entanglement, with it being stated that Argyll would have been interested in such things but Flavia had rebuffed him. That seemed to chime with the dynamic in many real life male-female friendships, but then it is revealed that Flavia has feelings for Argyll and is sad because he had not made a move on her. That these two could have been friends for some time (this is the third book in their series) without either blurting out their feelings for the other rather strained credibility for me.
So yeah, this book is good if you want an undemanding read but if you'd like to read something that is actually v good check out "An Instance of the Fingerpost".
One key weakness with this for me lay with the main characters. Argyll is well drawn enough as a kind of generic bumbling Englishman but Flavia (always the first name) seemed like a bit of a blank. I initially liked the way their relationship was presented, as one where they were close friends who had never progressed into a romantic entanglement, with it being stated that Argyll would have been interested in such things but Flavia had rebuffed him. That seemed to chime with the dynamic in many real life male-female friendships, but then it is revealed that Flavia has feelings for Argyll and is sad because he had not made a move on her. That these two could have been friends for some time (this is the third book in their series) without either blurting out their feelings for the other rather strained credibility for me.
So yeah, this book is good if you want an undemanding read but if you'd like to read something that is actually v good check out "An Instance of the Fingerpost".
November 17, 2025
Best of the Argyll series so far, though I haven’t read all of them, and the ones I have, out of order.
This one has a Knives Out tone, though those of course came much later than this. A flippant tale of the crazy rich, with the hapless art procurer and his more-than-capable flame from Italy. Through in a few murders, a missing masterpiece, and a few other minor mysteries solved at the end, and it’s a winning story, well-written. You can see the different POVs and the wrapping up of minor mysteries at the ends that Pears would later use in his masterpiece, An Instance at the Fingerpost.
Well worth your time, and not bogged down with infodumps, a la Dan Brown, if you don’t like that type of thing. To know anything at all about Bernini and the art world, you’ll have to look it up.
This one has a Knives Out tone, though those of course came much later than this. A flippant tale of the crazy rich, with the hapless art procurer and his more-than-capable flame from Italy. Through in a few murders, a missing masterpiece, and a few other minor mysteries solved at the end, and it’s a winning story, well-written. You can see the different POVs and the wrapping up of minor mysteries at the ends that Pears would later use in his masterpiece, An Instance at the Fingerpost.
Well worth your time, and not bogged down with infodumps, a la Dan Brown, if you don’t like that type of thing. To know anything at all about Bernini and the art world, you’ll have to look it up.
February 20, 2017
An interesting peek into the world of museums, collections and the life of the humble art dealer, flogging works off to the absurdly rich, with a murder or two to throw everyone out of their element. I appreciated that none of the characters in the book were hidden Sherlock Holmes' - they stumble through the mystery as uncertainly as any amateur investigator. Mistakes are made, things are found by accident, and the whole things is rife with misunderstandings - in much the way I expect real investigations would occur. But somehow things get rounded up, if only by the skin of their teeth and the ending is surprising enough without being outrageous or unbelievable.
April 25, 2021
This was a reread for me. Written almost thirty ago, the book stands up extremely well. There are a few details that date it, but they are few and not intrusive. Pears' prose is lovely and he has a delightful cast of characters, most notably the hero, art dealer Jonathan Argyll. In truth, the suitably Byzantine plot takes a back seat to Argyll's pithy, deadpan observations about the people and places he encounters. The whole book borders on being a comedy of manners (or lack thereof). Still an engaging and delightful read.
May 7, 2023
The Bernini Bust is a genial mystery, but just a bit vague and sloppy at points. There are a number of minor characters and it is not always clear from the writing, at times, exactly who is speaking. Several times I had to backtrack to trace down who said what to whom.
This is part of a series of art mysteries by Pears. Jonathan Argyll, an English art dealer, and Flavia di Stefano, a member of the Italian national art theft squad, are kind of a duo. Up to this point in the series, neither has declared his/her feelings for the other. But when Jonathan is injured while on a trip to Los Angeles to deliver a painting to a minor museum, Flavia flies there to find out what is happening. There are vague intimations that there are art shenanigans that the Italian police should be concerned about. A hard-boiled Italian-American police detective, Morelli, takes them both in hand. The murder of the museum owner, and the subsequent death of a shady art dealer who is known to Jonathan, draw attention to fraud and tax evasion by museum officials. Oddly, the deaths are a sideshow.
Most of the mysteries are solved by the end of the book and Jonathan and Flavia are living together in Rome, so all is well. I just wished that the writing and the plotting had been sharper. I might read another entry in the series because I do love Italian art and Italy,
This is part of a series of art mysteries by Pears. Jonathan Argyll, an English art dealer, and Flavia di Stefano, a member of the Italian national art theft squad, are kind of a duo. Up to this point in the series, neither has declared his/her feelings for the other. But when Jonathan is injured while on a trip to Los Angeles to deliver a painting to a minor museum, Flavia flies there to find out what is happening. There are vague intimations that there are art shenanigans that the Italian police should be concerned about. A hard-boiled Italian-American police detective, Morelli, takes them both in hand. The murder of the museum owner, and the subsequent death of a shady art dealer who is known to Jonathan, draw attention to fraud and tax evasion by museum officials. Oddly, the deaths are a sideshow.
Most of the mysteries are solved by the end of the book and Jonathan and Flavia are living together in Rome, so all is well. I just wished that the writing and the plotting had been sharper. I might read another entry in the series because I do love Italian art and Italy,
September 28, 2024
Από τις πληροφορίες που δίνει ο συγγραφέας καταλαβαίνω ότι έχει κάνει την έρευνά του. Αυτό που δεν καταλαβαίνω είναι γιατί όλα τα έργα τέχνης που είναι στο επίκεντρο της ιστορίας στο τέλος καταλήγουν κατεστραμμένα. Στο πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς αφαίρεσαν το μεγαλύτερο μέρος ερος του πορτραίτου, ζωγράφισαν κάτι άλλο από πάνω και στο τέλος τον έκαψαν. Στο δεύτερο το πορτραίτο που αποτελούσε κλειδί για την διήγηση μιας ιστορίας παρασύρθηκε από τα νερά της Βενετίας και καταστράφηκε, και τώρα η προτομή έγινε κομμάτια. Θα μπορούσαν, για εκδίκηση, να την αφήσουν κρυμμένη με τον Μπορούνα. Όσο για την πλοκή του βιβλίου, νομίζω αν αφήνανε μερικά πράγματα απ' έξω θα ήταν καλύτερα.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2017
Καλό αγγλικό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα. Ο συγγραφέας το εμπλουτίζει με χιούμορ που είναι δύο επιπέδων και αυτό δίνει πολύ ενδιαφέρον στο λογοτεχνικό μέρος του βιβλίου. Υπάρχουν βέβαια και κάποια κλισέ σημεία (τύπου Αγκάθα Κρίστι) στην ιστορία, που ωστόσο είναι πολύ αποτελεσματικά δοσμένα και κρατούν ισορροπία στην εξέλιξη του στόρυ.
July 13, 2018
So very entertaining. With only 6 or 7 books in this series, I’ll too soon have read them all, but I look forward to forgetting the plots and re-reading them sometime...as always with Pears’ work, the art education is as pleasing and interesting as the mystery. If you haven’t read these yet, do start with the first (The Raphael Affair?), you won’t regret it - nor will you be able to stop!
August 23, 2018
Jonathan Argyll is an art dealer--reluctant and not very good at it by his own estimation. Pair him with the terribly efficient Flavia di Stefano and this art dealer's trip across the pond from Rome to Los Angeles has bust-up written all over it. It's a welcome break between deep literary fiction and psychological thrillers. A quick read and fun.
February 11, 2019
По-прежнему мило и смешно.
Место действия Лос-Анжелес. Ну пусть Лос-Анжелес.
Герой не меняет своих привычек – такой же недогадливый, рассеянный и добросердечный.
Героиня такая же прекрасная, как и была.
Пусть они будут счастливы вместе.
Вроде будут.
Линия с расследованием немного путаная. Или я запуталась... Неважно.
Место действия Лос-Анжелес. Ну пусть Лос-Анжелес.
Герой не меняет своих привычек – такой же недогадливый, рассеянный и добросердечный.
Героиня такая же прекрасная, как и была.
Пусть они будут счастливы вместе.
Вроде будут.
Линия с расследованием немного путаная. Или я запуталась... Неважно.
March 21, 2021
From Rome to Los Angeles. And it appears that finally, Flavia discovers how Argyle feels about her.
And yes, if course, there is a good plot involving museums, a black sheep, lots of money, fraud, murder and electronic surveillance.
Most entertaining, but not as much eating out in restaurants as usual. Still pretty readable.
And yes, if course, there is a good plot involving museums, a black sheep, lots of money, fraud, murder and electronic surveillance.
Most entertaining, but not as much eating out in restaurants as usual. Still pretty readable.
October 8, 2023
Jonathan finds himself in California to finalise the sale of a Titian painting, when the billionaire owner of the museum is murdered he finds himself center of yet another murder mystery.
It's a quick enjoyable read, but it's also a little messy and disjointed, definitely the weakest book in the series yet.
December 20, 2017
Another fun mystery romp with goofy art expert Jonathan Argyll. This time it’s in L.A. I must admit I miss the Italian locales of the first two books, but he did go to LA’s version of Venice. LOL! All I need say about this third book in the series is, like the others, a light, enjoyable read.
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