Travis Simpkins: "The Titian Committee" by Iain Pears

"The Titian Committee" by Iain Pears

Harcourt Brace Publishers, 1991

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

The second installment in the Jonathan Argyll & Flavia di Stefano series of Art History/Mystery novels, The Titian Committee by Iain Pears offers a lush follow-up to it's predecessor, The Raphael Affair. Set in the flowing canals and tight alleyways of Venice, the storyline centers on a simple murder investigation that quickly erupts into a complex mystery involving the Renaissance works of Tiziano Vecellio, better know to the art world as Titian. An American art historian, Louise Masterson, one of six researchers on the Italian government-sponsored group called The Titian Committee, is found stabbed to death in a Venetian garden. Beset by budget woes, General Bottando of the Rome Art Theft Squad sends Flavia di Stefano to assist in the investigation as a precursory measure. Through research and interviews, and despite roadblocks and hinderances from local authorities, Flavia and old accident-prone friend Jonathan Argyll uncover details surrounding the case that indicate a much deeper problem… a conspiracy becomes even more apparent when two more deaths are discovered and an art heist is perpetrated in their midst. Suspicion seems to center on one of the stolen paintings, which Masterson had been researching, and it's increasingly apparent connection to the early-career frescoes of Titian in Padua. With a great sense of place, Iain Pears creates a wonderful cast of characters in a Venetian setting… with brief sojourns to Padua and Balazuc, France. As in the other novels in the series, Pears' in-depth knowledge of art history, provenance and market schemes make for a believable, enjoyable and mysterious 190-page respite.