Death and Restoration - (Art History Mystery) by Iain Pears (Paperback)

About the Book

Art expert Jonathan Argyll and his fianc Flavia di Stefano are baffled by a tip that someone plans to raid an ancient monastery in Rome. There's really no cause for an unholy uproar--until someone commits an unconscionable crime. 320 p.

Book Synopsis

General Bottando can't believe his rotten luck. He has just been promoted--to a position that's heavy on bureaucratic duties-but disturbingly light on investigative responsibilities. As if that wasn't annoying enough, he's received a tip about a planned raid at a nearby monastery. He's relying on his colleague Flavia di Stefano and her art-expert fiancé, Jonathan Argyll, to thwart the plot-but both are beyond baffled. The only valuable item in the monastery's art collection is a supposed Caravaggio that's currently being restored. There are no solid suspects-unless you count the endearing art thief, the flagrantly flamboyant "Rottweiler of Restoration," and the strangely shady icon expert. And there's really no reason to cause an unholy uproar-until someone commits an unconscionable crime...

Review Quotes

"Articulate characters and erudite art commentary...high style." -New York Times Book Review

"Pears again achieves a delicate, sure balance with a book simultaneously witty and instructive."- Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Iain Pears was born in 1955. Educated at Wadham College, Oxford, he has worked as a journalist, an art historian, and a television consultant in England, France, Italy, and the United States. He is the author of seven highly praised detective novels, a book of art history, and countless articles on artistic, financial, and historical subjects, as well as the international bestseller An Instance of the Fingerpost He lives in Oxford, England.