The Judas Pair (1977)

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2108763.html

This is the very first Lovejoy novel, published in 1977 and adapted for TV as part of the first season in 1986. It is interesting coming to it after having read more than half of the rest of the series. Very few of the other books are really recognisable as murder mysteries; they tend to spiral off into grand conspiracies involving antiques and treachery, ending without much resolution. But here there is an actual suspicious death involving obscure antiques (the eponymous pair of duelling pistols) and when Lovejoy is called upon to locate the pistols he inevitably investigates the murder as well, and what's more solves it. It is also noticeable that Lovejoy's supernatural ability to detect antiques is a bit less well developed here than in some later books, and that Tinker Dill (played so lovably by Dudley Sutton on TV) is not the repellent character he becomes later in the sequence.

One very negative point: Lovejoy hits his girlfriend in the first chapter. I am surprised that this was acceptable in 1977 and I would like to think that it would be acceptable now. I suspect that this (and much else) was omitted from the TV adaptation. ( )

I was totally hooked by all the antiques trivia and insider information about the antiques trade. Lovejoy is a much more seriously flawed main character than I would usually tolerate. ( )

Every once in a while I drift back into "mysteries", usually with my eyes wide open, wary of possibly formulaic writing (and talking cats). Although I don't go for the gritty, police/forensic procedurals, the overly cozy are equally a turnoff. This was a good middle of the road.

Lovejoy is an antiques dealer by trade, but old things come from dead people, and this one has him searching not only for a pair of legendary dueling pistols, but the person who apparently used them to kill their former owner. There was a lot of history, art, antique and trade talk - and I loved it all. I felt the murder was wholly unnecessary and the book would have been just as good if he had just been searching for the pistols, but it was still enjoyable. I'll be looking for more of the series. ( )

The Judas Pair is the name of a set of flintlock dueling weapons that are like the holy grail of the antique gun world. Lovejoy, a somewhat shady antiques dealer with a penchant for the ladies, is hired to find them by the brother of a man who claimed he owned the Judas Pair, but then was murdered. When the police went to examine the crime scene, the guns were nowhere to be found. Lovejoy sets out to find the weapons (if they exist), but it soon becomes obvious that someone else is interested as well, and will use any means possible to have the entire set.

Lovejoy may not be a perfect human being, but he's witty and philosophizes throughout the novel, often to the point of making me laugh out loud. Considering that this is the first installment of a rather lengthy series, Gash has done a really nice job of fleshing out his character and making him real enough for people to either really like or really hate, which is really rare in a series opener. As far as the story, the mystery isn't all that hard to guess, but I think it's really secondary here to the character of Lovejoy himself.

There have been several reviews that speak against Lovejoy's treatment of women, and I agree that this is definitely a downside to his character, but actually you'll probably find more domestic abuse in one of Oprah's book club selections.

Not a cozy, not a police procedural, The Judas Pair is still a really good read. I'd recommend it to readers of British crime fiction, or to those who've seen the series on television and want to read the original source. ( )