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Lovejoy #6
FIREFLY GADROON
A priceless, antique silver firefly cage, the Reverse Gadroon, leads the irrepressible Lovejoy into an involvement with two intriguing women
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Jonathan Gash
93 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 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 12, 2014
I discovered the books on Lovejoy a long time ago, did find a few in my local 2nd hand bookstore and found I rather liked them. Not unlike my likes for a tv show like "Bargain Hunt"and the "Antique roadshow". That said I did return to the books again when I saw the episodes of Lovejoy with Ian McShane once again on the telly and he indeed did capture the spirit of Lovejoy the antiques dealer. While the tv series is far more tame than the books when it comes to death and mayhem.
The book has actually been filmed and while the tv episode makes sense, the book is far more exciting. Lovejoy being a bigger bungling fool that manages to catch the bad guys is a differnt ending from the book as do the female characters in the Gash version. Lovejoy has a far easier morale when it comes to the ladies than any tv show could ever get away with. It does make Lovejoy such a rogueish character that operates not in a black/white universe but his dealings are far more greyish (far more that 50 shades I would say). The fun about the Gash books is the knowledge he shares about antiques and live in the corner of world being inhabited by Lovejoy and his freinds and foes.
The Lovejoy series are not detectives they are more thrillerish with a different kind of leading character that gets involved in crime due to his involvement in the world of Antiques. And Lovejoy has got one great skill, he can sense real antiques from duds. That makes him valuable for certain parties. Lovejoy has got one great asset he has certain standards he lives up to and loves antiques. When he is mad at someone they better be aware of his wrath since it might be their undoing.
In this novel Lovejoy gets involved in a series of thefts, he seems to be the one to notice the excistance of the serial robbery and due to the fact that they kill a friend he gets involved out of revenge, for the money and the love of antiques.
The book has actually been filmed and while the tv episode makes sense, the book is far more exciting. Lovejoy being a bigger bungling fool that manages to catch the bad guys is a differnt ending from the book as do the female characters in the Gash version. Lovejoy has a far easier morale when it comes to the ladies than any tv show could ever get away with. It does make Lovejoy such a rogueish character that operates not in a black/white universe but his dealings are far more greyish (far more that 50 shades I would say). The fun about the Gash books is the knowledge he shares about antiques and live in the corner of world being inhabited by Lovejoy and his freinds and foes.
The Lovejoy series are not detectives they are more thrillerish with a different kind of leading character that gets involved in crime due to his involvement in the world of Antiques. And Lovejoy has got one great skill, he can sense real antiques from duds. That makes him valuable for certain parties. Lovejoy has got one great asset he has certain standards he lives up to and loves antiques. When he is mad at someone they better be aware of his wrath since it might be their undoing.
In this novel Lovejoy gets involved in a series of thefts, he seems to be the one to notice the excistance of the serial robbery and due to the fact that they kill a friend he gets involved out of revenge, for the money and the love of antiques.
September 15, 2012
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1995781.html[return][return]One of the best; Lovejoy's obsession with antiques and his particular code of personal loyalty lead him to a dramatic and waterlogged showdown, with cosmic vengeance delivered by a bereaved donkey because the state's forces of law and order are too corrupt and compromised to do it. I think I'd recommend this one to people wondering if the Lovejoy novels are their kind of thing.
March 12, 2010
My introduction to the Lovejoy series: I found it to be humorous and suspenseful, with some of the humor a little heavy and some of the action a bit fantastical. All in all, quite fairly entertaining.
September 21, 2018
I'm a huge fan of Lovejoy, both on page and screen, and this has all the elements you want. There is of course a great deal of action, including a very atmospheric sequence at an offshore gun emplacement. This is described in an evocative way, with Lovejoy allowing you to see it through his terrified eyes. And the fate of Devvo the dealer I think is handled very well.
And then there's the antiques. Gash himself has a genuine love of antiques, and this informs Lovejoy at the deepest level. I'm all for the way that Lovejoy sees antiques as love captured and expressed in the work of the craftsman. And Lovejoy is a craftsman: hence the novel's title. He is learning from Drummer - a former silversmith reduced to penury and giving donkey rides - how to do the reverse gadroon. Thus the novel, and the Lovejoy novels in general, focus primarily on valuing life and your own abilities, and refusing to give in to the ready-made aspect of modern life.
(Incidentally, the Mysterious Press version of this edition has a much better cover design - but same ISBN.)
And then there's the antiques. Gash himself has a genuine love of antiques, and this informs Lovejoy at the deepest level. I'm all for the way that Lovejoy sees antiques as love captured and expressed in the work of the craftsman. And Lovejoy is a craftsman: hence the novel's title. He is learning from Drummer - a former silversmith reduced to penury and giving donkey rides - how to do the reverse gadroon. Thus the novel, and the Lovejoy novels in general, focus primarily on valuing life and your own abilities, and refusing to give in to the ready-made aspect of modern life.
(Incidentally, the Mysterious Press version of this edition has a much better cover design - but same ISBN.)
November 16, 2018
This is the 4th of the Lovejoy books that I've gorged on over the last 5 weeks, and this one was as brilliant as the others.
The great thing about this series is that Lovejoy's character is utterly immutable: he's always broke, always going to end up in bed with a woman, and he will invariably end up getting on their nerves when he ditches them for an antique sale. Because of his character staying the same, Gash can drop Lovejoy into bizarre situations and style them out to seem utterly realistic. The icy terror I felt as Lovejoy was all too real!
Sadly my local library only has two more, so I won't be able to give a full review of the whole series. Nonetheless, this is my favourite book in the series (so far).
The great thing about this series is that Lovejoy's character is utterly immutable: he's always broke, always going to end up in bed with a woman, and he will invariably end up getting on their nerves when he ditches them for an antique sale. Because of his character staying the same, Gash can drop Lovejoy into bizarre situations and style them out to seem utterly realistic. The icy terror I felt as Lovejoy was all too real!
Sadly my local library only has two more, so I won't be able to give a full review of the whole series. Nonetheless, this is my favourite book in the series (so far).
February 1, 2021
"Lovejoy is determined to acquire some antiques ... and to avenge a murder.
"Lovejoy -- unscrupulous conniver, feckless lecher, and more important, gifted visionary who loves beautiful antiques more than life itself -- marshals all of his diverse skills to revenge the murder of an old friend. Jonathan Gash's entertaining expertise covers everything from Queen Anne baby walkers and stump-work boxes to the ultimate antique: the hand-hammered silver Reverse Gadroon. This bawdy, fast-paced adventure -- in which the all-time scamp must confront an international ring of antiques smugglers and murderers -- is an entertaining delight from start to finish."
~~back cover
A nice enough little mystery, until the final chapters ... which were terrifying, and awash with detail -- most of which I skipped over.
"Lovejoy -- unscrupulous conniver, feckless lecher, and more important, gifted visionary who loves beautiful antiques more than life itself -- marshals all of his diverse skills to revenge the murder of an old friend. Jonathan Gash's entertaining expertise covers everything from Queen Anne baby walkers and stump-work boxes to the ultimate antique: the hand-hammered silver Reverse Gadroon. This bawdy, fast-paced adventure -- in which the all-time scamp must confront an international ring of antiques smugglers and murderers -- is an entertaining delight from start to finish."
~~back cover
A nice enough little mystery, until the final chapters ... which were terrifying, and awash with detail -- most of which I skipped over.
January 18, 2020
Possibly the most enjoyable of the early Lovejoy books and it follows the structure of many contempary mystery novels but never strays too much from tips about antiques and what to look for. As always with Lovejoys his motivation is always that special antique and in the case the firefly gadroon; as piece of perfectly hammered steal. Lovejoy was mentored by Drummer the last of his kind reduced to taking his donkey Germaline along the beach to make a living. The villian is a nasty piece of work called Devlin who Lovejoy is hell bent on revenge when he kills Drummer for discovering what he was up to. If you have seen 1986 BBC TV series then most of the book will be familiar but there is more than enough to keep the reader interested.
January 16, 2020
The best yet. Fantastic pace and interest. Days gone by in a time that is now lost, the field burning is a prime example. Doesn't let up and the ending doesn't disappoint. Excellent
May 19, 2015
Until I came across this novel in my local charity shop, I hadn't realised that the popular TV series "Lovejoy" was based on somebody's novels. I was pleasantly surprised: this is a highly enjoyable read, although it differs somewhat from the television series.
Fictional antique dealer and womaniser Lovejoy lives in a small village somewhere in the North of England, I think, near an ancient town that is bursting at the seams with antique shops and auction houses. He also lives within a few miles of the North Sea, an impressive WWII fort and an equally impressive estuary with a yacht club.
The book version Lovejoy character cannot resist regaling his audience with stories of antiques and how to restore them and the book-version of this loveable rogue is also far more chauvinistic than its TV counterpart. Clearly, TV bosses felt they'd alienate a female audience, if the main character was so outspokenly misogynistic. Also, in the book the character of Jane Felsham is not an aristocratic lady living in a mansion, but a fellow antique dealer specialising in certain antiques, Georgian silver and watercolours, if I'm not mistaken.
The story begins with an auction, where Lovejoy is drafted in as a last minute replacement for the auctioneer, who has fallen ill. Lovejoy manages to annoy one of the big-wig dealers, Devlin and makes a friend of an American collector, whom he saves from buying a fake Nelson letter. The gadroon of the title refers to Lovejoy's ambition, he hopes one day to be able to produce a silver Reverse Gadroon, a type of silver platter with an intricate pattern that is stencilled in by hand. Drummer, an old man who lives in a hut by the sea and provides donkey rides to children, is a retired master silversmith, who gives lesson in gadroon-making to Lovejoy.
I won't give away anymore details of the plot, for it would only spoil Goodreads bookworms' enjoyment. Let's just say, the plot involves a never-ending stream of women in Lovejoy's bed, a horrible murder and a very, very dramatic ending that will put most readers off the seaside and boating for ever. Donkeys rule, though, and in sturdy little Germoline the author has created a wonderful, four-legged heroine after my own heart.
The story ends with Lovejoy's arrest, which is where I think the TV series began, the antique dealer having just been released from doing time in prison and now picking up the pieces of his life. I cannot wait to read more, although the novel is firmly rooted in Britain of the 1980s, where all men were chauvinist swine and a quid could still buy you antiques. If you love beautiful things, then this series of books is not just entertaining, but also educational, teaching you not only silversmithing in the process but also how to restore anything made from oak. What more could a discerning bookworm ask for?
Fictional antique dealer and womaniser Lovejoy lives in a small village somewhere in the North of England, I think, near an ancient town that is bursting at the seams with antique shops and auction houses. He also lives within a few miles of the North Sea, an impressive WWII fort and an equally impressive estuary with a yacht club.
The book version Lovejoy character cannot resist regaling his audience with stories of antiques and how to restore them and the book-version of this loveable rogue is also far more chauvinistic than its TV counterpart. Clearly, TV bosses felt they'd alienate a female audience, if the main character was so outspokenly misogynistic. Also, in the book the character of Jane Felsham is not an aristocratic lady living in a mansion, but a fellow antique dealer specialising in certain antiques, Georgian silver and watercolours, if I'm not mistaken.
The story begins with an auction, where Lovejoy is drafted in as a last minute replacement for the auctioneer, who has fallen ill. Lovejoy manages to annoy one of the big-wig dealers, Devlin and makes a friend of an American collector, whom he saves from buying a fake Nelson letter. The gadroon of the title refers to Lovejoy's ambition, he hopes one day to be able to produce a silver Reverse Gadroon, a type of silver platter with an intricate pattern that is stencilled in by hand. Drummer, an old man who lives in a hut by the sea and provides donkey rides to children, is a retired master silversmith, who gives lesson in gadroon-making to Lovejoy.
I won't give away anymore details of the plot, for it would only spoil Goodreads bookworms' enjoyment. Let's just say, the plot involves a never-ending stream of women in Lovejoy's bed, a horrible murder and a very, very dramatic ending that will put most readers off the seaside and boating for ever. Donkeys rule, though, and in sturdy little Germoline the author has created a wonderful, four-legged heroine after my own heart.
The story ends with Lovejoy's arrest, which is where I think the TV series began, the antique dealer having just been released from doing time in prison and now picking up the pieces of his life. I cannot wait to read more, although the novel is firmly rooted in Britain of the 1980s, where all men were chauvinist swine and a quid could still buy you antiques. If you love beautiful things, then this series of books is not just entertaining, but also educational, teaching you not only silversmithing in the process but also how to restore anything made from oak. What more could a discerning bookworm ask for?
September 6, 2023
A bit more East Anglian local color on this Lovejoy outing, especially of the naval variety. There's also Tinker's grottier pal Lemuel winning a ploughing contest at a country fair, and the gentle donkey of a murdered beachcomber giving rides to local children, along with the expected antiques hunting at area shops, auctions, and markets, so the land isn't entirely neglected either. Lovejoy's murderous vendetta against a rival wealthy dealer responsible for the beachcomber's death forms the grittier plotline, which climaxes with bloody mayhem and explosive pyrotechnics on the high seas. Yes, Lovejoy may be going away for awhile after all the land, sea, and body-damage is tallied up, to say nothing of his mid-sea capsizing one of Her Majesty's gunforts, but his experiences here shore up enough psychological trauma for him to execute a perfect reverse gadroon in silver at the end. So at least there'll be something constructive to fill his jail-time with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2020
I quite liked this series in the 1970s and 1980s though I think I gave up on it by the end of the 1980s and never read any of the later books. I was pleased to see this at a friend's house and read it again as I was staying overnight. Sadly it was not as good as I had remembered. Lovejoy is a massive egoist with little empathy for other people so is not a particularly likeable main character but at the same time can be surprisingly heroic. Although a decent read I doubt I will try and read any of the other books again.
March 28, 2013
As a huge fan of the tv series I was intrigued to read the book. The books are much more violent, people seem to be dying left right and centre, in all manner of ways. The stories are of their time, bit mysogonistic, but take it with pinch of salt.
Enjoyed it, but probably won't rush to read any more.
Enjoyed it, but probably won't rush to read any more.
November 21, 2016
This book took me an age to read. I don't know if it just didn't grab me or what. Ok, I'll be honest, it just didn't grab me. It seemed to be all over the shop.
On the plus side, though, despite thinking - within two paragraphs of the start of the book - of smacking a woman for wearing provocative garb, Lovejoy made it through the whole book without any woman-based violence.
On the plus side, though, despite thinking - within two paragraphs of the start of the book - of smacking a woman for wearing provocative garb, Lovejoy made it through the whole book without any woman-based violence.
April 16, 2014
Typical Lovejoy mystery, where everything is still not his fault.
Enjoyable, but not as good as others in the series. I had a hard time following the boat stuff towards the end of the book and I didn't care so much for parts of the storyline.
Enjoyable, but not as good as others in the series. I had a hard time following the boat stuff towards the end of the book and I didn't care so much for parts of the storyline.
February 25, 2016
I'm used to the Lovejoy procedurals now. This one is the usual, Lovejoy has no money, eats a pasty, he beats people up, gets beaten up, is rude to various women who adore him. I didn't enjoy this as much as his earlier adventures, but I'm pretty sure I'll continue with him until the bitter end...!
April 8, 2016
Antique dealer Lovejoy get into a fight with some women, got a police warning and committed a crime, all on the same morning. Murder and forgeries place prominent roles in the story.
May 5, 2013
Pretty standard Lovejoy. Good read.
April 11, 2013
Think i'll read all the Lovejoy mysteries.
July 11, 2015
Lovejoy solves a puzzle, and gets embroiled in a situation much scarier than anything in the TV series. I could visualise the Essex coast as I read it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews