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After stealing one of his own forgeries from the Marquis of Gotham, Lovejoy is on the run. With the bounty hunter David Buddy hot on his trail, Lovejoy makes his way to Southampton in the hope of fleeing the country. He soon finds himself sailing away in the Melissa, one of the World's most luxurious cruise ships - not as a stowaway but as a legitimate passenger. Then Lovejoy discovers that his escape has been organized by a group of criminals intent on using his knowledge of fine art and show more antiques for their own mysterious purposes. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I've been reading the Lovejoy books since the first one in the series and that is probably why I'm disappointed with this one. The first ones were so great that this one doesn't compare. Also, because Lovejoy got shanghaied, Tinker wasn't in this book and I do love Tink.
As I was reading this book I kept thinking about the reviews I've seen for Lee Child's last book [b:A Wanted Man|13359067|A Wanted Man (Jack Reacher, #17)|Lee Child|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333623254s/13359067.jpg|18587348] with readers complaining that Reacher spent 3/4 of the book riding in a car. Well, that's how I felt about this book. The first 3/4 of the book was kind of filler. We were tossed some crumbs of antique trivia to keep us around but basically it show more was nothing. The story that comes out in the last 1/4 of the book has enough depth and breadth to have given us a whole book's worth but, instead, we are given a short story.
Lovejoy says something interesting on p. 238: "Is there anything more useless than a prologue, a preface, a foreword, or an introduction? If they've anything to say, I always think, get on with it and stop annoying us." Couldn't have said it better myself. show less
As I was reading this book I kept thinking about the reviews I've seen for Lee Child's last book [b:A Wanted Man|13359067|A Wanted Man (Jack Reacher, #17)|Lee Child|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333623254s/13359067.jpg|18587348] with readers complaining that Reacher spent 3/4 of the book riding in a car. Well, that's how I felt about this book. The first 3/4 of the book was kind of filler. We were tossed some crumbs of antique trivia to keep us around but basically it show more was nothing. The story that comes out in the last 1/4 of the book has enough depth and breadth to have given us a whole book's worth but, instead, we are given a short story.
Lovejoy says something interesting on p. 238: "Is there anything more useless than a prologue, a preface, a foreword, or an introduction? If they've anything to say, I always think, get on with it and stop annoying us." Couldn't have said it better myself. show less
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2043954.html
Another Lovejoy book, from the later end of the series, and operating very much to the formula of richly realised foreign setting (in this case a cruise ship going round the Baltic, with special attention to St Petersburg), with Lovejoy mixed p in a heist most of whose details are incomprehensible (and remain so) and his supernatural sense of detecting genuine antiques a key plot point. The harder edges of the character from the earlier books are considerably toned down, no doubt under the influence of the TV series, and he doesn't actually manage to have sex with anyone until more than half way through (though then vigorously makes up for the delay).
Another Lovejoy book, from the later end of the series, and operating very much to the formula of richly realised foreign setting (in this case a cruise ship going round the Baltic, with special attention to St Petersburg), with Lovejoy mixed p in a heist most of whose details are incomprehensible (and remain so) and his supernatural sense of detecting genuine antiques a key plot point. The harder edges of the character from the earlier books are considerably toned down, no doubt under the influence of the TV series, and he doesn't actually manage to have sex with anyone until more than half way through (though then vigorously makes up for the delay).
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Author Information
46+ Works 4,280 Members
Jonathan Gash, best known as the creator of the character Lovejoy, is the pseudonym of John Grant. Grant was born on September 30, 1933 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. He was educated at the University of London and the Royal College of Surgeons and Physics. In the mid-1970s, Gash began writing to relieve some of the stress of his career as a show more physician. The first Lovejoy novel, The Judas Pair, won the Creasey Award for the Crime Writer's Association of Great Britain for best first crime novel. A number of other novels, Lovejoy's and otherwise, have followed. (Bowker Author Biography) Jonathan Gash was born John Grant on September 30, 1933 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. He was received an M.B. and a B.S. at the University of London, a M.R.C.S. and a L.R.C.P. at the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians and has also earned D.Path., D.Bact., D.H.M., M.D. and D.T.M.H. He achieved the rank of Major in the British Army Medical Corps and was posted to Germany. In 1955, he married Pamela Richard, and they had three daughters. Grant had served as a general practitioner in London, a pathologist in London and Essex, a clinical pathologist in Hanover and Berlin, a lecturer in clinical pathology and head of division at the University of Hong Kong, and a microbiologist in Hong Kong and London. He was also the head of the bacteriology unit at the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, from 1971 to 1988. He is a fellow of the International College of Surgeons and of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine. Jonathan Gash is the author of The Lovejoy Novels, whose first was "The Judas Pair" (1977). It won the Creasey Award from the Crime Writer's Association of Great Britain for the best first crime novel of the year. Some of the other titles in the Lovejoy series are "The Vatican Rip" (1981), "The Gondola Scam" (1983), "Jade Woman" (1988), "Lies of Fair Ladies" (1991), "The Grace in Older Women" (1995), and "A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair" (1999). He also has a series that features Dr. Clare Burtonall with the first being "Different Women Dancing" (1997). He has also written "The Incomer" (1982) under the pseudonym Graham Gaunt and "Mehala, Lady of Sealandings" (1993) under the pseudonym Jonathan Grant. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2003
- People/Characters
- Lovejoy; Margaret Dainty; Henry Semper; Melissa (cruise ship); Mangot (purser)
- Important places
- Southampton, Hampshire, England; Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands; St Petersburg, Russia
- Dedication
- Thanks: Ta, Susan. Jackie with love.
- First words
- The woman beside me slept.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 74
- Popularity
- 424,092
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (2.86)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 3
