Giotto's Hand (Art History Mystery)

I love this series. It offers intricate but not overwhelming plots, clear place descriptions in Italy and England, art history, humor and delightful main characters . While Pears had every right to move on to other genres, I always wish that he’d make a return visit with my old friends.

Art History novel by Iain Pears is well written, entertaining and worth the read.

Good book, interesting plot and historical info. Just love these! Glad to find them on Amazon.

late wife's

I'm love "armchair" travel - especially if the narrative involves Italy. I really love mysteries that convey a sense of place. I bought into this series because I thought it would have a strong Italian influence. So far, I have read 2 in the series, and the action seems to take place as much in England as Italy - a minor disappointment. However, Pears does convey the atmosphere of the UK well in his prose and his character development. Mr. Pears is a skilled writer. He has a flair for intricate plots and believable dialogue. This story has a more than a few sub-plots but he manages to tie them all up nicely in the end. I didn't guess every secret along the way and was surprised by the big plot twist at the very end. I especially liked the way he introduced the Italian political inter-office power struggle into the story. He writes about it with such conviction and style that I suspect that he has a mole in Roma! All in all, this was a fun way to spend a few hours. Quite entertaining and that's exactly what it's supposed to be. If you are looking for a more gritty take on Italian crime, read Dibdin's A.Zen series.

aaa

Excellent service, prompt delivery, excellent conditionas described, packaged well.Would use again.

Speedy shipping- good clean copy

You know that feeling when you begin to despair of finding a new book to really grip you, and only meet with frustrating dead ends?My search appears to have come to an end. I enjoyed this art history mystery book so much that I was overjoyed to find that the author has been reasonably prolific. I am looking forward to spending the summer discovering what else he has up his sleeve.

Arrived on time, very good condition (one sticker on the cover, easily removed). A cracking good read and £2.50 inc p&p... what's not to like?

GREAT READ.

È molto buono, come tutti i libri da Iain Pears della serie di Argyll e di Stefano. È un peccato che Pears non li scrive piu.

Iain Pears has the wonderful ability of being able to combine mystery with humour and his Jonathan Argyll books are a joy to read. He has developed his characters well and in this story, the strengths and weaknesses of each are cleverly woven into the plot. Although the central theme is once again stolen (or were they ?) Italian works of art, the setting is rural England which allows the author to poke fun at his countrymen with gleeful abandon. A must-read for lovers of mystery, art or clever wit.