Synopses & Reviews
As deaths go, art dealer Jonathan Argyll has seen better the last moments of Socrates, as rendered by a mediocre eighteenth-century artist, seems an unlikely painting to attract much attention. But it has found a buyer, an affluent businessman living in Jonathan's adopted city of Rome. In an exchange of favors with an art dealer colleague, Jonathan unluckily offers to transport the Death of Socrates from Paris back to Rome. The assignment seems routine enough. The Parisian art dealer will package the painting and arrange the paperwork. All Jonathan must do is carry it to its final destination. And, of course, he will then be reunited with his girlfriend, Flavia di Stefano, who just happens to work for Rome's Art Theft Squad. It sounds like a fine plan, until things start to go wrong. Jonathan begins to realize that everything is not as it should be when a stranger approaches him at the train station and attempts to run off with the painting. Why would anybody go to such risk for a relatively unimportant piece of art? The answer becomes no clearer when Jonathan finally delivers his precious parcel to Arthur Muller, its new owner in Rome. After an initial inspection of the artwork, Muller seems distinctly less interested than the would-be thief, even asking Jonathan to arrange a sale to a new buyer. But if Muller doesn't want to keep the painting, somebody else desperately wants it. As events soon prove, somebody will even kill to possess it.
Review
“A sophisticated, adventurous, and gripping story that is sure to hold wide appeal.”
—Booklist
“The Last Judgement is a joy for readers who enjoy a complex plot set to clever dialogue with the often nefarious goings-on of the international art market as a backdrop.”—St. Petersburg Times
“A witty, exceptionally brilliant puzzler.”—Sunday Times (London)
“The latest (mis)adventure of art historian Jonathan Argyll delivers its plot twists at a rapid clip right up to the closing pages. . .Pears keeps his readers well occupied.”—Publishers Weekly
“[Pears] writes clearly, persuasively and with a hand guided by touches of sentimentality as well as mischief.”—Chicago Tribune
Synopsis
Iain Pears has delighted fans and critics alike with his charming mystery novels featuring art dealer Jonathan Argyll. In The Last Judgement, Argyll agrees to transport a decidedly nondescript painting from a gallery in Paris to its new owner in Rome. But when his mission is plagued by robbery and murder, Argyll must investigate the dark secrets in the painting's past before someone tries to put him out of the picture for good.
Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Iain Pears—who “exhibits quite a masterful touch at suspenseful storytelling”*—has delighted fans and critics alike with his charming mystery series featuring art dealer Jonathan Argyll. In The Last Judgement, Argyll agrees to transport a decidedly nondescript painting from a gallery in Paris to its new owner in Rome. But when his mission is plagued by robbery and murder, Argyll must investigate the dark secrets in the paintings past—before someone tries to put him out of the picture for good.
Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Iain Pears—who “exhibits quite a masterful touch at suspenseful storytelling”*—has delighted fans and critics alike with his charming mystery series featuring art dealer Jonathan Argyll. In The Last Judgement, Argyll agrees to transport a decidedly nondescript painting from a gallery in Paris to its new owner in Rome. But when his mission is plagued by robbery and murder, Argyll must investigate the dark secrets in the paintings past—before someone tries to put him out of the picture for good.
About the Author
Iain Pears was born in 1955. Educated at Wadham College, Oxford, he has worked as a journalist, an art historian, and a television consultant in England, France, Italy, and the United States. He is the author of seven highly praised detective novels, a book of art history, and countless articles on artistic, financial, and historical subjects, as well as the international bestseller An Instance of the Fingerpost He lives in Oxford, England.