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The Last Judgement by Iain Pears
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The Last Judgement (original 1993; edition 2002)

by Iain Pears

Series: Jonathan Argyll (4)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
571741,508 (3.6)30
Witty Italian art-history crime series featuring English dealer Jonathan Argyll, from the author of the best-selling literary masterpiece, 'An Instance of the Fingerpost'. Paris can do strange things to a man's mind... like making him agree to an apparently harmless favour of escorting a picture to Rome. 'The Death of Socrates' is a particularly nondescript piece, so art dealer Jonathan Argyll can sympathize when its recipient refuses to accept delivery. But in an unusual twist, the same man is found dead a few hours later. Surely the painting wasn't that bad? Now caught up in a murder investigation, Jonathan recalls an attempt to steal the artwork while he was at the train station. Could this be the killer? The bodies start piling up and Jonathan must uncover the dark wartime secret at the heart of the mystery - before someone puts him out of the picture for good.… (more)
Member:bookjones
Title:The Last Judgement
Authors:Iain Pears
Info:Berkley Trade (2002), Edition: Berkley Pr, Paperback
Collections:Your library
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Tags:Fiction - Novel, Author - England, Art History Mystery

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The Last Judgement by Iain Pears (1993)

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Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
Jonathan Argyll is happy to help a colleague in transporting a painting from Paris to Rome, where the person who bought the painting is eager to examine it. The transport is not without drama as someone attempts to steal it while Jonathan is waiting for a train, but he fends off the would-be thief and successfully brings the artwork to its buyer. That individual, however, spurns the painting - and a few hours later is murdered! Not only that, someone seems to be tracking the painting and eliminating various interested parties, and it is up to Jonathan and Flavia di Stefano of the Art Police to discover why….It’s quite refreshing to re-read these books, originally published in the 1990s, both because the lead characters are both charming and witty, and because this is a time before ubiquitous technology displaced the need to actually physically travel to find answers. I also quite liked being reminded, as a North American, how very *small* Europe is, as Jonathan and Flavia travel from Rome to Paris to Switzerland to the UK, all within a matter of hours. This is the fourth novel in this seven-book series, and I would recommend that one start with the first one (“The Rafael Affair”) because of the evolving relationships between the characters. That said, recommended as a whole. ( )
  thefirstalicat | Nov 30, 2023 |
This is the third of Pears' "art-history mysteries" that I've read - and I really love them. British art dealer Jonathan Argyll and his girlfriend Flavia, a whiz on the Roman police's art squad, are, not surprisingly, always finding themselves mixed up in unsavory doings concerning art...
In this case, Jonathan agrees to deliver an unexceptional painting entitled 'The Death of Socrates' to a client as a favor to a colleague. However, when not only does someone try to steal it from him at the train station, but the client quickly ends up brutally murdered, he realizes not everything about this deal may be on the up-and-up.
A well-crafted plot, engaging and interesting characters, and well-researched details place Pears' mysteries well above average for the genre. ( )
  AltheaAnn | Feb 9, 2016 |
another enjoyable art mystery ( )
  VictoriaJZ | Oct 21, 2013 |
A very enjoyable art history murder mystery! Jonathan Argyll and his lady love, Flavia, of the Art Police in Rome move between London, Paris, and Rome to solve the case. Fast-paced, betrayal and double crosses that have reached past the WWII era and French Resistance movement to present day lead them a chase. Good read! ( )
  hemlokgang | Jul 29, 2013 |
#4 Jonathan Argyll “art history” mystery in which ghosts of the past float up to haunt Flavia and Jonathan as they try to figure out how a painting that Jonathan bought figures into two murders and a multitude of other curious incidents. Enjoyable read as always, as our two intrepid heroes jaunt across Europe chasing answers about an obscure and unimportant painting, The Death of Socrates, and the people who owned it in the past. Tied in with Nazi war criminals, Resistance members, and people who aren’t what they seem, the painting is causing Jonathan more trouble than he ever dreamed possible. ( )
  Spuddie | Sep 25, 2008 |
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» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Iain Pearsprimary authorall editionscalculated
Berr, KlausTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cerutti Pini, DonatellaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Desmonts, AntonioTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sarotte, Georges-MichelTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Jonathan Argyll stared transfixed at the scene of violence that suddenly presented itself as he turned around.
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Witty Italian art-history crime series featuring English dealer Jonathan Argyll, from the author of the best-selling literary masterpiece, 'An Instance of the Fingerpost'. Paris can do strange things to a man's mind... like making him agree to an apparently harmless favour of escorting a picture to Rome. 'The Death of Socrates' is a particularly nondescript piece, so art dealer Jonathan Argyll can sympathize when its recipient refuses to accept delivery. But in an unusual twist, the same man is found dead a few hours later. Surely the painting wasn't that bad? Now caught up in a murder investigation, Jonathan recalls an attempt to steal the artwork while he was at the train station. Could this be the killer? The bodies start piling up and Jonathan must uncover the dark wartime secret at the heart of the mystery - before someone puts him out of the picture for good.

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