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I don't much like working for clients. It means that I have to follow someone else's instructions, and I've never been too good at that. When those instructions came from a spirit guide at a seance, I just had to laugh. Well, you would, wouldn't you?The rather attractive young woman whose husband the spook had said I should help her to fine took me on a quest that turned into a trail of lucrative antiques deals, spoiled only when the police came plodding in and I found myself up to my neck show more in forgeries and murders. Situation normal, really.
Then the killer turned his attentions to me, just as the spirit had said he would, and I certainly wasn't laughing an more.
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Lovejoy always provides a chaotic, fun romp through the world of antique dealers in East Anglia, England. Those flat, sea dominated landscapes are the backdrop for all the scheming. The most delectable part of this series is the Lovejoy stream of consciousness which throws up arcane after arcane tidbit from the world of fine arts, craftsmanship and, of course the 'fiddles' of those completely untrustworthy dealers. It's a wonder to contemplate where Gash finds all this in the pre-internet world. Lovejoy' friends fill out a stable of diverse, humorous characters. Gash also delivers a fine sense of locale as these villains and heroes dash about. If you need a break from the noir Gash and his Lovejoy may offer a chuckle filled interlude.
"Lovejoy attends a seance... East Anglia's scruffiest antique dealer and divvie is unconvinced by the spirit message instructing him to help Donna Vernon find her missing dealer husband. But a job's a job, and Lovejoy sets out with Donna on the trail. By the time he catches up with Vernon on the Essex marshes, though, it's too late. Then, harried by crooked police, watched by the Antiques Squad, hunted by a killer, and increasingly haunted by the medium's prophecy of what lies in store, Lovejoy becomes the bait at the priciest auction in the district." - Arrow jacket notes.
The Lovejoy books are interesting for the details about antiques and forgeries, and the crazy adventures the hero gets himself into. But I get tired of the nasty way show more he treats other people, especially women. He seems to care only about himself, antiques, and making a profit, and the books leave me feeling annoyed. show less
The Lovejoy books are interesting for the details about antiques and forgeries, and the crazy adventures the hero gets himself into. But I get tired of the nasty way show more he treats other people, especially women. He seems to care only about himself, antiques, and making a profit, and the books leave me feeling annoyed. show less
I can only describe this as a run of the mill crime story: it doesn't have enough, for me, to be rated any more.
Lovejoy is asked to trace a missing antiques dealer (WHY? He's not supposed to be a PI). The dealer turns out to be dead and Lovejoy is the leading suspect and; just to add to our hero's woes, he has a murderous crook cum dealer believing that Lovejoy has duped him into buying a forged jewel. It all works out to Lovejoy's advantage in the end, of course,after a few hairy moments.
Lovejoy is asked to trace a missing antiques dealer (WHY? He's not supposed to be a PI). The dealer turns out to be dead and Lovejoy is the leading suspect and; just to add to our hero's woes, he has a murderous crook cum dealer believing that Lovejoy has duped him into buying a forged jewel. It all works out to Lovejoy's advantage in the end, of course,after a few hairy moments.
The ninth [Lovejoy mystery]
rather confusing Lovejoy about a fake pearl pendant
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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
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Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Pearlhanger
- Original publication date
- 1985
- People/Characters
- Lovejoy; Donna Vernon
- Important places
- East Anglia, England, UK
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated, with respect and humility, to the Chinese God Wei D’to, who protects books from evil, destruction, and forgetful borrowers.
- Lovejoy
A story for Lal, Jackie, Yvonne, Elizabeth (who... (show all) knows about this sort of thing), and Susan - First words
- People are stupid: women with money, men with motorbikes, and everybody with pearls.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Isn't moonlight romantic?"
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Statistics
- Members
- 171
- Popularity
- 190,907
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.64)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 7
