What do you think?
Rate this book
Lovejoy #19
The Possessions of a Lady
High-stakes antiques dealer Lovejoy is coming off an unsuccessful liaison with a rich fashion-plate when he finds himself choosing between helping a friend find a missing teenage girl, or exploring a mysterious invitation found in a borrowed tuxedo. Reprint.
324 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
102 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 23, 2024
Lovejoy gets involved with the fashion world as he dodges too many women, all while explaining tricks of the trade, and trying to acquire antiques, including pink diamonds. He is working in the town he grew up in, so we learn a bit about his background. I finally gave up trying to follow the plot. As usual, everyone is after him and he can't sort out who are actually his enemies.
January 4, 2023
This one was even more confusing that a typical Lovejoy novel. To really understand it I would need to go back and read it again, but I wasn't invested enough to do that.
May 31, 2025
This Lovejoy storyline wasn’t impossible to read, and this time, I didn’t lose interest in the story either (as has happened with other entries in the series). That said, a familiar problem persists—one I’ve noticed in several earlier books: Lovejoy just wanders around pointlessly. It gets, honestly, a bit dull. I also wondered why the author introduced so many characters (as usual) when most of them don’t contribute much to the storyline.
Some significant events, like the murder, didn’t feel especially consequential. The reader isn’t given time to become invested in the murdered character—who, ironically, seemed like someone who could have been interesting had they remained alive in the story.
Without giving away the plot, I’d describe the mood as almost melancholic and slightly nostalgic. We’re given some background on central characters, which showed great potential for storytelling—but sadly, that potential falls flat. For instance, all fans of the series know that Lovejoy has a remarkable gift, something he discovered in his youth. It’s referenced in this book, but shockingly, there’s no reflection on it from Lovejoy’s side. That really felt like a missed opportunity.
Another detail—perhaps minor, but still jarring—is the absence of any mention of Lovejoy’s involvement in a war (the Falklands War or any other). This did come up in several earlier books, and given the story’s focus on his personal history, it seemed odd that such a significant life event was completely left out.
Several storylines and character arcs that could have brought depth to the book are cut short. The humor, which has been a highlight in past books, is also in short supply here. And I was puzzled by the reappearance of an apprentice character—one I used to like—who ultimately plays a minimal role, only to disappear without explanation. Perhaps the author had already planned that character’s future direction (which, I admit, shocked me in a later book), but here the disappearance felt abrupt and the character's role underdeveloped.
As always, there are interesting parts about antiques and some promising characters. But Lovejoy’s travels don’t seem to lead anywhere, and the large cast of supporting figures ends up feeling rather pointless. Maybe the book was intended as a kind of hero’s journey—a full circle ending with newfound insight. It does end where it started, but without the “illumination.” As a reader, I felt like I’d gone on a journey only to wind up right back where I began, having gained very little.
Still, it’s not a bad read. Do not get me wrong: I believed that the author is undeniably a skilled writer—he kept me reading, thanks partly to the book’s constant hints at promise and potential. It’s just that those promises rarely deliver. Granted, the story is told from Lovejoy’s first-person perspective, but at times it feels like he’s the only character that matters. He doesn’t seem to care much about others, either, which is reflected in his constantly shifting short-term relationships. He’s immoral and flawed, yet gifted and humane; he loves animals and children—a fascinating character, as always.
I didn’t find the ending very believable—how Lovejoy gets away with what he does just didn’t ring true. Note also, how Lovejoy's East Anglia does not seem to change. (He was in "The Vatican Rip" estimated by someone to be around 45 years of age, and to me it seemed that he was still the same age in this book, although the two books are 15 years apart.)
I got the book as a first edition hardcover from the UK, in good condition—not some worn-out paperback. But unfortunately, I don’t keep books I don’t see myself re-reading. This will probably be one of those that I let go.
Some significant events, like the murder, didn’t feel especially consequential. The reader isn’t given time to become invested in the murdered character—who, ironically, seemed like someone who could have been interesting had they remained alive in the story.
Without giving away the plot, I’d describe the mood as almost melancholic and slightly nostalgic. We’re given some background on central characters, which showed great potential for storytelling—but sadly, that potential falls flat. For instance, all fans of the series know that Lovejoy has a remarkable gift, something he discovered in his youth. It’s referenced in this book, but shockingly, there’s no reflection on it from Lovejoy’s side. That really felt like a missed opportunity.
Another detail—perhaps minor, but still jarring—is the absence of any mention of Lovejoy’s involvement in a war (the Falklands War or any other). This did come up in several earlier books, and given the story’s focus on his personal history, it seemed odd that such a significant life event was completely left out.
Several storylines and character arcs that could have brought depth to the book are cut short. The humor, which has been a highlight in past books, is also in short supply here. And I was puzzled by the reappearance of an apprentice character—one I used to like—who ultimately plays a minimal role, only to disappear without explanation. Perhaps the author had already planned that character’s future direction (which, I admit, shocked me in a later book), but here the disappearance felt abrupt and the character's role underdeveloped.
As always, there are interesting parts about antiques and some promising characters. But Lovejoy’s travels don’t seem to lead anywhere, and the large cast of supporting figures ends up feeling rather pointless. Maybe the book was intended as a kind of hero’s journey—a full circle ending with newfound insight. It does end where it started, but without the “illumination.” As a reader, I felt like I’d gone on a journey only to wind up right back where I began, having gained very little.
Still, it’s not a bad read. Do not get me wrong: I believed that the author is undeniably a skilled writer—he kept me reading, thanks partly to the book’s constant hints at promise and potential. It’s just that those promises rarely deliver. Granted, the story is told from Lovejoy’s first-person perspective, but at times it feels like he’s the only character that matters. He doesn’t seem to care much about others, either, which is reflected in his constantly shifting short-term relationships. He’s immoral and flawed, yet gifted and humane; he loves animals and children—a fascinating character, as always.
I didn’t find the ending very believable—how Lovejoy gets away with what he does just didn’t ring true. Note also, how Lovejoy's East Anglia does not seem to change. (He was in "The Vatican Rip" estimated by someone to be around 45 years of age, and to me it seemed that he was still the same age in this book, although the two books are 15 years apart.)
I got the book as a first edition hardcover from the UK, in good condition—not some worn-out paperback. But unfortunately, I don’t keep books I don’t see myself re-reading. This will probably be one of those that I let go.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews