"Death and Restoration" by Iain Pears

"Death and Restoration" 

by Iain Pears

Scribner, 1996

Notes by Travis Simpkins

     Death and Restoration, the sixth installment in the Jonathan Argyll and Flavia di Stefano art crime / mystery novel series by Iain Pears, combines art theft with religious beliefs and long-held convictions within the quiet monastic life. The story picks up where the previous novel, Giotto's Hand, left off. British art dealer Jonathan Argyll is living in Rome with his girlfriend, Flavia di Stefano, of the Italian art theft squad. Under pressure from the bureaucratic administration, General Bottando is out of the picture and Flavia is in charge. Her skills are put to the test when a small, seemingly mundane Icon of Our Lady disappears from the monastery chapel and a monk is found bludgeoned nearby… the situation is further complicated when a prominent expert on Icons is found murdered. The investigation leads from the monastery, through the streets of Rome, and ventures off in visions of ancient Constantinople. In addition to finding clues related to the murder, Flavia and Jonathan may have discovered the long-lost Hodigitria- the Mother herself, painted by the hand of St. Luke guided by God, and a true image of her likeness rendered from life. Full of details derived from the imagination of a keen art historian, Iain Pears' work is masterful and creates a wondrous 224-page literary sojourn.

Death and Restoration. Iain Pears: Monastery, Rome

Death and Restoration. Iain Pears:Saint Catherine by Caravaggio

Death and Restoration. Iain Pears

Death and Restoration. Iain Pears:Monastery, Rome

Death and Restoration. Iain Pears: Icon. The Hodigitria

Death and Restoration. Iain Pears

Death and Restoration. Iain Pears

Death and Restoration. Iain Pears

Death and Restoration. Iain Pears

"Giotto's Hand" by Iain Pears

"Giotto's Hand" by Iain Pears

Scribner, 1994

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

     Giotto's Hand, the fifth installment in the Jonathan Argyll and Flavia di Stefano art crime / mystery novel series by Iain Pears, combines art theft with notions of perceived social status and misguided criminal preconceptions. The story picks up where the previous novel, The Last Judgement, left off. British art dealer Jonathan Argyll is living in Rome with his girlfriend, Flavia di Stefano, of the Italian art theft squad. Under pressure from the bureaucratic administration, General Bottando feels compelled to produce results and reexamines a case that stretches back thirty-years… involving a series of art thefts, begun in 1963, perpetrated by a master thief who has been nicknamed "Giotto" due to his mysterious nature. Little evidence can be traced, as Giotto cleverly targeted small works from undocumented private collections, with no photographs of the works to go on. One by one, at irregular intervals, small works by Uccello, Fra Angelico, Pollaiuolo, Diego Velasquez and others have vanished from European manors and palazzos without a clue left behind. Now, an embittered old woman on her deathbed may hold the information the detectives need to unmask the elusive Giotto. The investigation leads from Rome, to Florence, to a countryside Manor House in the village of Weller in Norfolk, England. There, in addition to finding clues related to Giotto and getting involved in a murder investigation, Jonathan Argyll may have discovered a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. Full of details derived from the imagination of a keen art historian, Iain Pears' work is masterful and creates a wondrous 224-page literary sojourn.

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: Fra Angelico

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: 

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: Norfolk, England

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: Antonio Pollaiuolo. Mar, Rest on the Flight to Egypt

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: Manor House. Norfolk, England

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: Uccello. Madonna and Child

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: 

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: Hands. Leonardo da Vinci

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: 

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: 

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: mesericord

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: 

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: 

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: Portrait by Diego Velasquez

Giotto's Hand. by Iain Pears: 

Iain Pears, Author of "The Immaculate Deception." by Travis Simpkins

Iain Pears, 2015. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Iain Pears

Art Historian, Novelist and Journalist

Author of the 
Jonathan Argyll & Flavia di Stefano Series of

Mystery / Detective / Art History Novels

by Travis Simpkins

Iain Pears: Death and Restoration

For more info, please visit:

www.bn.com/iainpears

Iain Pears. by Travis Simpkins. The Immaculate Deception.

"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.

The Death of Socrates: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Rue Bonaparte, Paris: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Iain Pears: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Rue Bonaparte, Paris: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Gare de Lyon: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Gare de Lyon: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Gare de Lyon: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Iain Pears: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Petit Palais: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Petit Palais: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Beauborg, Pompidou Centre: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Neuilly-sur-seine: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Gloucestershire, England: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Gloucestershire, England: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Iain Pears: The Last Judgement. Iain Pears

Portrait of Iain Pears, Author of "The Raphael Affair." by Travis Simpkins

Iain Pears, 2015. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Iain Pears

Art Historian, Novelist and Journalist

Author of the 
Jonathan Argyll & Flavia di Stefano Series of

Mystery / Detective / Art History Novels

by Travis Simpkins

Iain Pears: Death and Restoration

For more info, please visit:

www.bn.com/iainpears

Iain Pears. by Travis Simpkins. The Raphael Affair

"The Bernini Bust" by Iain Pears

"The Bernini Bust" by Iain Pears

Harcourt Brace, 1992

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

     The third installation in the Jonathan Argyll & Flavia di Stefano series, The Bernini Bust, once again finds author Iain Pears in top form… expertly combining murder, mystery, art history and museum dealings in a convincing and clever manner.

     Accident-prone art dealer Jonathan Argyll finds himself in Los Angeles, brokering the sale of his Titian painting to the ultra-rich Arthur M. Moresby Museum of Fine Arts (think J. Paul Getty Museum). With the arrival of a shady dealer, a mysterious bust of Pope Pius V by Gian Lorenzo Bernini pops up as the museum's newest acquisition. But the museum's owner is murdered, and the Bernini bust disappears. Argyll convinces the LAPD to call in the Italian National Art Theft Squad to cover the art angle, and General Bottando sends researcher Flavia di Stefano to Los Angeles to aid in the investigation (and kindle a romance). Another murder and a near-fatal car crash set the tone for further intrigue as Jonathan and Flavia comb through possibilities and known facts… including the likelihood of a master forger at work, a decades-old smuggling operation, tax evasion and a conspiracy to curtail the museum's expansion plans. Was the missing Bernini bust real or fake to begin with? Great characters permeate the text, including a detective in need of dental work, an overpowering widow, a disinherited black-sheep son, an apathetic director and an overzealous museum security manager.

     Arguably one of the best books in the series, The Bernini Bust remains entertaining and suspenseful throughout the concise span of it's 192 pages.

Los Angeles, California: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Los Angeles, California: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

The J. Paul Getty Museum: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Los Angeles, California: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Iain Pears: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

A Bernini Bust: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Bracciano, Italy: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Bracciano, Italy: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Borghese Museum: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Iain Pears: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Borghese Museum: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Borghese Museum: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Borghese Museum: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

The Bernini Bust by Iain Pears

Gubbio, Italy: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Gubbio, Italy: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Gubbio, Italy: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Gubbio, Italy: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

Iain Pears: The Bernini Bust. Iain Pears

The Bernini Bust by Iain Pears