- Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Books; Reprint edition (Dec 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0743422082
- ISBN-13: 978-0743422086
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.2 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 629,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
A good working rule for the police is to have as little as possible to do with politicians, but Flavia, acting head of the Rome Art Squad, finds herself deprived of that luxury when the Prime Minister involves himself in the case of a painting hijacked for ransom... Iain Pears' new thriller The Immaculate Deception picks up the story of Flavia and her British art-dealer husband Jonathan at a point where they are thinking seriously about the rest of their lives--Flavia is pregnant and Jonathan is in the process of selling off his remaining stock. The last thing they need is for Flavia to find herself at the heart of a major scandal involving illegal handovers of ransom, the last gasp of 1970s terrorism and a performance artist who has drowned in a vat of plaster. Meanwhile, Jonathan sets out to track down an unattributed painting owned by Flavia's former boss, and uncovers some neat little mysteries of his own... Art scholarship and police work are not that like each other, but Iain Pears wittily explores what analogies between them there are; he is intelligent about art, and marriage and Italian politics. This is a worthy addition to a charming series. --Roz Kaveney
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
‘Pears is that rare bird: a crime writer who can grip without gore’ Jane Jakeman, Independent
‘An intricately plotted, entertaining murder mystery’ Peter Guttridge, Observer Review
‘The writing is graceful, the characters are people in whose company it would be a delight to pass an evening. And Pears gives a rich sense of what it is to live in raddled, ever-glorious Rome’ Donna Leon, Sunday Times
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Challenging mystery suggests change of direction for series.,
By
This review is from: The Immaculate Deception (Paperback)
Like Graham Greene, Pears writes both serious, philosophical novels (The Dream of Scipio and An Instance of the Fingerpost) and entertainments--in this case, the fascinating art history mysteries which feature Flavia di Stefano and her boss, Gen. Taddeo Bottando of the Rome police. These quirky detectives from the Art Theft Squad are back in action here, though with changed roles. Bottando is now semi-retired and Flavia, newly married to former art dealer Jonathan Argyll, is acting head of the department.Life in Pears' Rome never pretends to be simple, and it's always loads of fun for the reader. Here the theft of a priceless painting on loan from the Louvre leads to the Italian prime minister's order to Flavia to find it, but she must not allow the public or the press to know about the theft, she must get it back no matter the cost, she must pay whatever ransom is demanded without using public funds, and she must do this knowing in advance that she will be a scapegoat--that the prime minister will publicly deny everything he's told her. As the search for the painting gets underway, further mysteries unfold, until even Bottando himself is implicated in an art theft. Influence peddling, payoffs, and old political rivalries are both accepted and taken for granted here as Flavia negotiates the minefields of art and politics. The satire is gentle, and the action is non-stop. The intricacies of the characters' relationships keep the reader constantly challenged and always thinking, and the art history angle, more about provenance than about painters, should appeal to readers with little art background. The surprising conclusion and the major changes resulting to the lives of the main characters are stunning. If Pears continues this series, it will undoubtedly be in new directions. Mary Whipple
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Roman Mind Candy,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Immaculate Deception (Paperback)
This was my first introduction to Pears and I'd read him again. He has a lovely light touch and you might as well be in Piazza Navona the way he gets his Italian setting just right. The story? A mildly diverting caper that turns out to be a bit far-fetched. But the characters are well drawn and the yarn keeps you engaged.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Darker side of Art/,
By
This review is from: The Immaculate Deception (Paperback)
He writes such clever books and his research on Art is faultless.
I have collected all the books as the three main characters are such fun and still solve the crime
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