The Raphael Affair

Jonathan Argyll is an English art scholar whose dream is to find a long-lost painting of Raffael. He travels to Rome but it is too late and the painting is gone. He is arrested by Italian police for being in the church, where was supposed to be the painting, during the night. Later he is meeting Gen......more

Tepid is the word which matches most to this book. Pears should do more with characters and Italian beauties, as his style looks somehow impersonal. The twist in the final makes some redemption, but I think that something misses, leaving you with the impression that just a little extra effort from t......more

The first in Pears' series featuring Art historian Jonathan Argyll and his carabiniera off-sider Flavia di Stefano. These are quick reads, but well plotted and full of interesting artistic information.......more

This is the first in a series from Iain Pears. I think I was lucky to pick it up at the last library book sale, rather than dive into one in the middle of the series. The introduction of Jonathan Argyll was fun. He is lovable in the way you'd love your teenage son. He is brilliant in his own way, bu......more

Not quite in the same class as Arturo Perez-Reverte's antiquarian mysteries. It is the first of a series however, and Pears would grow as a writer later on. In the meantime we have a twisting tale of art world intrigue that begins to deal with larger topics of the nature of beauty, authenticity and......more