The Raphael Affair [Paperback]

‘Pears is a delightful writer, with a light, ironic touch’
Frances Hegarty, Mail on Sunday

‘You don’t have to know much about art to enjoy Iain Pears’s Italian mysteries. Like a good teacher, he shares his passion unobtrusively and flavours his lessons with wit’
Val McDermid

Praise for 'The Raphael Affair': 'An impressive first, promising much.' The Times 'Good, clean art scam fun!plot layered as forger's paint; Italophiles and gallery gazers will love it. A felicitous first.' Guardian 'Ingenious!a good read.' Daily Express 'Clever thriller! Pears balances politics, love and danger nicely, in a plot that has a cunning and satisfactory outcome.' Sunday Times Praise for the Jonathan Argyll series: 'You don't have to know much about art to enjoy Iain Pears's Italian mysteries. Like a good teacher, he shares his passion unobtrusively and flavours his lessons with wit.' Val McDermid 'Pears is a delightful writer, with a light, ironic touch.' Mail on Sunday --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

The novel which began Iain Pears's acclaimed art crime series, introducing General Bottando and Flavia di Stefano of the Italian National Art Theft Squad.

When English art historian, Jonathan Argyll, is caught breaking into a church in Rome, he has an astonishing story to tell. He claims that the church contains a genuine Raphael, hidden under a painting by Mantini. Further investigation reveals that the painting has disappeared…to reappear later in the hands of top English art dealer, Edward Byrnes.

Soon Byrnes is able to unveil the Raphael before an amazed world. But how had he found out about the hidden masterpiece? And there is also the curious matter of the forger whose safety deposit box contains some highly suspicious sketches.

Then a hideous act of vandalism is perpetrated. Murder is to follow…and General Bottando of Italy’s Art Theft Squad faces the most critical challenge of his whole career.

When English art historian Jonathan Argyll is caught breaking into a church in Rome, he has an astonishing story to tell. He claims that the church contains a genuine Raphael, hidden under a painting by Mantini. Further investigation reveals that the painting has disappeared . . . to reappear later in the hands of top English art dealer, Edward Byrnes.

Soon Byrnes is able to unveil the Raphael before an amazed world. But how has he found out about the hidden masterpiece? And there is also the curious matter of the forger whose safety deposit box contains highly suspicious sketches.

Then a hideous act of vandalism is perpetrated. Murder is to follow . . . and General Bottando of Italy's Art Theft Squad faces the most critical challenge of his whole career.

"Pears is a delightful writer, with a light, ironic touch."
FRANCES HEGARTY ' Mail on Sunday'

"Iain Pears has a superior line in this kind of tale"
'Guardian'

"You don't have to know very much about art to enjoy Iain Pears's Italian mysteries. Like a good teacher, he shares his passion unobtrusively and flavours his lessons with wit"
VAL McDERMID

Iain Pears won the Getty Scholarship to Yale University and then worked for Reuters in Rome. He is the author of The History of Modern Painting and the literary novel, An Instance of the Fingerpost. He lives with his wife and son in Oxford.