Someone's planning to raid an ancient monastery in Rome. But why? And when? Enter art expert Jonathan Argyll...

Le Mystère Giotto

Our Review
When in RomeA stolen masterpiece with arcane allegorical significance; a decades-old political kidnapping and murder; and, of course, a tantalizing artwork of unknown provenance -- in his seventh Jonathan Argyll art mystery, The Immaculate Deception, English art historian Iain Pears returns with a virtuosic display of ingenious plotting and literary trompe l'oeil.Pears's clever and effortlessly erudite art mysteries have found a select readership on both sides of the Atlantic. But the phenomenal success of Pears's 1998 literary thriller, An Instance of the Fingerpost -- a multifaceted Restoration whodunit on a par with Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose -- has dramatically increased stateside interest in the author's earlier work. The Immaculate Deception once again centers on the exploits of the affable and perpetually distracted English art dealer Jonathan Argyll; the beautiful and formidable Flavia di Stefano of the Italian Art Theft Squad; and hererstwhile boss, General Taddeo Bottando, along with several of the series' usual -- or, more appropriately -- unusual supporting cast of suspects.When a masterpiece on loan for the opening of an international exhibition is stolen in a manner calculated to embarrass the Italian government, Flavia di Stefano is ordered by the newly installed prime minister to recover the painting at all costs. Her deceptively simple mandate quickly reveals itself to be a politically fraught, no-win situation. If is she meets the thief's ransom demands, she'll almost certainly be disgraced -- and perhaps go to jail; if she refuses the order, she'll be summarily removed from her post. With Jonathan jaunting through the Tuscan countryside on the trail of an interesting art collection, Flavia turns to her oldfriend and confidant General Bottando for advice. As a seasoned survivor of the Roman political arena himself, he suggests that she follow the time-honored convention and do as other Romans: "When faced with deviousness, you must be devious yourself."Working together, Flavia and Bottando devise a plan to recover the painting. But no sooner has the ransom been paid than the art-napper -- a former '60s radical turned bourgeois performance artist -- is found dead under highly suspicious circumstances. Worse, Bottando himself has disappeared without a trace, leaving Flavia to face her first major crisis as head of the ArtSquad alone. Risking official censure and hounded by a sinister journalist, Flavia explores the tenuous connection between a decades-old act of terrorism and recent events, only to discover a secret conspiracy that could topple the government -- or cost her her life.Like Michael Dibdin's award-winning Aurelio Zen novels, Pears's Jonathan Argyll mysteries go beyond genre fundamentals to immerse readers in every aspect of contemporary Italian culture -- from its legendary art and cuisine to the labyrinthine bureaucracy of the political and criminal justice systems to candid, unexpectedly breathtaking portrayals of everyday life. The Immaculate Deception is a splendid addition to a mystery series of the first order, and an exuberant confirmation of Iain Pears as a modernmaster of the form.
  --Greg Marrs

Le secret de la vierge à l'enfant

Université d'Oxford, 1663. Le professeur Grove est retrouvé mort dans son cabinet. L'autopsie est formelle : il y a des traces d'arsenic dans son foie. L'enquête conduit à l'arrestation de sa servante. Interrogée, elle est jugée, condamnée et exécutée.
Que s'est-il réellement passé ce jour-là ? A ces questions quatre témoins apportent des réponses différentes et contradictoires. Le premier est Marco da Cola, médecin vénitien, qui se trouvait à Oxford au moment des faits. Son témoignage est contredit par celui de Jack Prestcott, fils d'un traître mort en exil, ainsi que par celui du Dr John Wallis, maître espion au service du pouvoir. Il faudra attendre le récit de John Wood, historien, pour entrevoir ce qui pourrait être la vérité.

Le Cercle de la Croix - Occasion

Le policier italien Taddeo Bottando et son adjointe Flavia sont confrontés à une incroyable révélation. Un étudiant britannique, Jonathan Argyll, affirme que, sous la toile obscure d'une petite église romaine, se cache en réalité un chef-d'oeuvre de Raphaël.Les policiers arrivent, hélas, trop tard ; le curé de la paroisse a déjà cédé ce tableau à un collectionneur. Le gouvernement italien devra le racheter à un prix exorbitant lors d'une vente aux enchères. Pourtant, malgré les expertises, un doute demeure sur l'authenticité de cette œuvre et les soupçons d'escroquerie risquent fort d'être confirmés au-delà de toute espérance. Voici une enquête menée de main de maître. Iain Pears réussit à allier érudition, humour et suspense. Il entraîne le néophyte dans les coulisses de l'histoire de l'art, où le spécialiste côtoie le faussaire.

L'Affaire Raphaël

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'.

Last judgment

Clever Italian art-history crime series featuring scholar and dealer Jonathon Argyll, from the author of the best-selling masterpiece 'An Instance of the Fingerpost'.

 The hardest part of being an art dealer is having to sell your beloved works. For Jonathan Argyll, the pain is soothed when an American billionaire agrees to pay a vast sum for a relatively minor piece.

 Arriving in the Californian sunshine eager to collect his cheque, Jonathan bumps into one of his less scrupulous colleagues, and discovers he is not the American's only seller. A bust of Pope Pius V is being smuggled out of Italy, and trouble is following in its wake.

 Within hours, Jonathan's billionaire is dead and both the smuggler and his bust have gone missing. Thinking things can't get any worse, Jonathan calls for the help of the Italian Art Theft Squad - and instead finds himself the killer's next target.

The Bernini Bust

Henry MacAlpine, jeune peintre ambitieux, est bien décidé à se faire une place sur la scène artistique londonienne du début du XXe siècle. Avec son ami et mentor, le féroce et tout-puissant critique William Nasmyth, ils vont bientôt en devenir les maîtres. Mais la rencontre de Henry avec Evelyn, une peintre rebelle et insaisissable, va tout bouleverser. Un beau jour, sans donner d'explication, Henry disparaît pour un exil volontaire sur l'île de Houat. Quatre ans plus tard, William Nasmyth le rejoint dans l'intention de faire réaliser son portrait. Au fil des séances de pose, un impitoyable duel se met en place entre les deux hommes tandis que la vérité sur le passé resurgit, impitoyable...
 Iain Pears dresse avec maestria la chronique au vitriol du monde de l'art dans ce thriller psychologique aussi cruel que subtil.

Le portrait

Le comité Tiziano

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'.

 Membership of the prestigious Titian Committee is normally considered a high honour. Normally, that is, until two of its members end up dead and someone seems to be taking the idea of backstabbing a little too far.

 Flavia de Stefano of Rome's Art Theft Squad is sent to find out why. She calls upon the help of dealer Jonathan Argyll, in Venice to buy a picture from the Marchesa di Mulino. But the sudden theft of the Marchesa's collection sets Flavia and Jonathan on a tortuous trail to uncover the truth.

 A further death threatens the very survival of the Committee itself, as well as offering the tantalizing possibility of an undiscovered Titian - a mysterious composition that may have been suppressed for 'moral' reasons..

Le Mystère Giotto

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