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Giotto's Hand (Art History Mystery) Paperback – April 1, 2003

by Iain Pears (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 59 ratings
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General Bottando of Rome’s Art Theft Squad believes that a lone criminal mastermind—dubbed “Giotto”—has been stealing priceless Renaissance art for over thirty years. But his theory—prompted by a letter from an embittered, dying old woman—is scorned by archrival Corrado Argan, a bureaucrat more interested in politics than policing.

Bottando’s right hand, the beautiful Flavia di Stefano, quickly locates a possible culprit—but he’s in England. Since the conniving Argan considers even a trip across town an unnecessary expense for Bottando’s squad, Flavia must rely on her fiancé, Jonathan Argyll. In England on business, he finds the suspect suspiciously dead. That’s a pity—especially for Jonathan. Were he not on the scene—raving about art thefts and coincidences—the police may have ruled that the deceased had a few too many and tripped on a loose stair. Now, Jonathan’s passport has been lifted until Her Majesty’s magistrate is satisfied that he has told all he knows… 

 

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Publishing Group
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    5.2 x 0.8 x 7.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780425188545
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0425188545
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Pears has a whimsical take on the scruples of the art trade, on English food and plumbing and on Italian bureaucracy…A sweet, art world ‘cozy.’”—San Jose Mercury News

 

“Art, crime, and Italy mix well…Pears masterfully juggles his plot elements while providing delightful diversion in the contrasting manners of his English and Italian characters.”—Booklist

 

“Fine art, quirky characters and scenes set in Rome and an English country village add to the joys of Giotto’s Hand…A neat twist at the end is the cherry on this fudge sundae of a mystery.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

 

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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 042518854X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Publishing Group (April 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780425188545
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425188545
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 59 ratings

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Iain Pears

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
59 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

jgf
5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery series worth rereading
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2019
Verified Purchase
I love this series. It offers intricate but not overwhelming plots, clear place descriptions in Italy and England, art history, humor and delightful main characters . While Pears had every right to move on to other genres, I always wish that he’d make a return visit with my old friends.
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streborjc
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2016
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Art History novel by Iain Pears is well written, entertaining and worth the read.
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Grandma G.
4.0 out of 5 stars Great read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2015
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Good book, interesting plot and historical info. Just love these! Glad to find them on Amazon.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2015
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late wife's
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Dom Miliano
3.0 out of 5 stars Good Plot, Excellent Dialogue, Likeable Characters
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2002
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I'm love "armchair" travel - especially if the narrative involves Italy. I really love mysteries that convey a sense of place. I bought into this series because I thought it would have a strong Italian influence. So far, I have read 2 in the series, and the action seems to take place as much in England as Italy - a minor disappointment. However, Pears does convey the atmosphere of the UK well in his prose and his character development. Mr. Pears is a skilled writer. He has a flair for intricate plots and believable dialogue. This story has a more than a few sub-plots but he manages to tie them all up nicely in the end. I didn't guess every secret along the way and was surprised by the big plot twist at the very end. I especially liked the way he introduced the Italian political inter-office power struggle into the story. He writes about it with such conviction and style that I suspect that he has a mole in Roma! All in all, this was a fun way to spend a few hours. Quite entertaining and that's exactly what it's supposed to be. If you are looking for a more gritty take on Italian crime, read Dibdin's A.Zen series.
2 people found this helpful
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Lenore Chicka
5.0 out of 5 stars Gotto's Hand (Art History Mystery)
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2010
Verified Purchase
Excellent service, prompt delivery, excellent condition
as described, packaged well.
Would use again.
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Pamela Shephard
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2014
Speedy shipping- good clean copy
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Top reviews from other countries

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Scarpol
5.0 out of 5 stars Quietly wonderful.
Reviewed in Italy on April 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
You know that feeling when you begin to despair of finding a new book to really grip you, and only meet with frustrating dead ends?
My search appears to have come to an end. I enjoyed this art history mystery book so much that I was overjoyed to find that the author has been reasonably prolific. I am looking forward to spending the summer discovering what else he has up his sleeve.
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Mr. Christopher Monk
5.0 out of 5 stars Whaat's not to like?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2022
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Arrived on time, very good condition (one sticker on the cover, easily removed). A cracking good read and £2.50 inc p&p... what's not to like?
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bellepaese
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2015
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GREAT READ.
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John Angel
5.0 out of 5 stars Giotto's Hand
Reviewed in Italy on November 8, 2013
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È molto buono, come tutti i libri da Iain Pears della serie di Argyll e di Stefano. È un peccato che Pears non li scrive piu.
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S. Thompson
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Iain Pears !
Reviewed in France on August 9, 2011
Verified Purchase
Iain Pears has the wonderful ability of being able to combine mystery with humour and his Jonathan Argyll books are a joy to read. He has developed his characters well and in this story, the strengths and weaknesses of each are cleverly woven into the plot. Although the central theme is once again stolen (or were they ?) Italian works of art, the setting is rural England which allows the author to poke fun at his countrymen with gleeful abandon. A must-read for lovers of mystery, art or clever wit.
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