Travis Simpkins: "The Last Judgement" by Iain Pears

Thursday, September 24, 2015

"The Last Judgement" by Iain Pears

"The Last Judgement" by Iain Pears

Scribner, 1993

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

The Last Judgement, the fourth installment in Iain Pears' series of Jonathan Argyll / Flavia di Stefano art crime novels, combines mystery and murder with art theft and the long-lasting after effects of World War II espionage. When British art dealer Jonathan Argyll is given the seemingly routine task of escorting a lackluster painting of "The Death of Socrates" from Paris to it's buyer in Rome, he has no idea what kind of trouble he is about to face. At the train station, the painting is nearly stolen. Then the painting's new owner, excited at first, puzzlingly becomes dismayed upon viewing the work and promptly asks Argyll to re-sell it. Confusion moves to terror when the buyer is found brutally murdered soon after. Now, Argyll may be the next target of a deranged killer. Argyll's girlfriend, Flavia di Stefano of the Rome art theft squad, is assigned to the case. The two lovers embark on a fast-paced investigation that leads them from Rome back to Paris and on to England. An unsettling picture is presented of false identities and unresolved crimes dating back to World War II and the Nazis vs. the French Resistance. But how does this unexceptional painting fit into the mix? Wonderful well-rounded characters enliven Iain Pears' fictional story, vivid with the art historian's eye for detail that he has become known for. At 224 pages, the book makes for a brief, yet enthralling literary sojourn.