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Lovejoy #9
Pearlhanger
Looking for a missing husband is not usually Lovejoy's cup of tea, but this missing husband happens to be an antiques dealer. As usual the police are less than tolerant of Lovejoy's motives and methods - and, as usual, Lovejoy uses his charm, wit, and a little scam of his own to see that justice triumphs.
197 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Gash
92 books73 followersJohn Grant is an English crime writer, who writes under the pen name Jonathan Gash. He is the author of the Lovejoy series of novels. He wrote the novel The Incomer under the pen name Graham Gaunt.
Grant is a doctor by training and worked as a general practitioner and pathologist. He served in the British Army and attained the rank of Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was head of bacteriology at the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for the University of London between 1971 and 1988.
Grant won the John Creasey Award in 1977 for his first Lovejoy novel, The Judas Pair. He is also the author of a series of medical thrillers featuring the character Dr. Clare Burtonall.
Grant lives outside Colchester in Essex, the setting for many of his novels. He has also been published in Postscripts.
Grant is a doctor by training and worked as a general practitioner and pathologist. He served in the British Army and attained the rank of Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was head of bacteriology at the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for the University of London between 1971 and 1988.
Grant won the John Creasey Award in 1977 for his first Lovejoy novel, The Judas Pair. He is also the author of a series of medical thrillers featuring the character Dr. Clare Burtonall.
Grant lives outside Colchester in Essex, the setting for many of his novels. He has also been published in Postscripts.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 25, 2008
Jonathan Gash, Pearlhanger (Penguin, 1985)
Mysteries are like horse races. What pace you get depends more on the country of origin than the type of book. Pearlhanger, the ninth Lovejoy mystery, tries its best to be a hardboiled detective story in the Robert Parker vein (with Lovejoy an antiques dealer instead of a literate chef), but it's foiled by Gash's inveterate Englishness. English mysteries always start out leisurely and then pick up. Not the best way for a hardboiled detective story to start off.
Still, once you're past the slow bits, like most English mysteries, Pearlhanger gets good. The irascible, pejudiced, inveterately Lovejoy and his band of merry misfits are on the trail of a disappeared antiques dealer who doesn't seem to be doing much antique dealing. Once they reach the end of the trail, things pick up and plot twists abound. Unfortunately, reaching the trail takes half the book and a bunch of minor characters (all of whom, you hope, will pop up again later, but they never do except in conversation). The whole thing does come to a satisfactory conclusion, and with a bit faster pacing at first and a little more completeness with minor characters, it would be excellent. As is stands, it's readable enough. ** 1/2
Mysteries are like horse races. What pace you get depends more on the country of origin than the type of book. Pearlhanger, the ninth Lovejoy mystery, tries its best to be a hardboiled detective story in the Robert Parker vein (with Lovejoy an antiques dealer instead of a literate chef), but it's foiled by Gash's inveterate Englishness. English mysteries always start out leisurely and then pick up. Not the best way for a hardboiled detective story to start off.
Still, once you're past the slow bits, like most English mysteries, Pearlhanger gets good. The irascible, pejudiced, inveterately Lovejoy and his band of merry misfits are on the trail of a disappeared antiques dealer who doesn't seem to be doing much antique dealing. Once they reach the end of the trail, things pick up and plot twists abound. Unfortunately, reaching the trail takes half the book and a bunch of minor characters (all of whom, you hope, will pop up again later, but they never do except in conversation). The whole thing does come to a satisfactory conclusion, and with a bit faster pacing at first and a little more completeness with minor characters, it would be excellent. As is stands, it's readable enough. ** 1/2
January 5, 2014
Coming upon my first Lovejoy mystery. I knew about this series before reading it, so I knew a little about the character before I started. The rascal antique dealer was in full form. The mystery felt odd, almost like Lovejoy was barely awake throughout the first half of the book. In the second part he takes a more direct hand at trying to bring the bad guys to some kind of punishment.
I would say the book starts out more interesting than it ends. I enjoyed the writing though at times I just wanted to have an editor step in and take out some of the superfluous sentences.
The story is: Wife wants Lovejoy to help find her husband, who is an antique dealer. Why cause because a spirit at a seance told her. It's all pretty weird... but you go on the trip and have a good time with the discoveries that Lovejoy makes. Then the twists and turns of the "real" mystery come into play and the storyline tends to dissolve a bit.
Would I give another Lovejoy mystery a chance, sure but I'm not going to try and find one right away. I'll wait until I come upon it or try and find one that is considered the best.
I just happened to come upon this book in a sale.
I would say the book starts out more interesting than it ends. I enjoyed the writing though at times I just wanted to have an editor step in and take out some of the superfluous sentences.
The story is: Wife wants Lovejoy to help find her husband, who is an antique dealer. Why cause because a spirit at a seance told her. It's all pretty weird... but you go on the trip and have a good time with the discoveries that Lovejoy makes. Then the twists and turns of the "real" mystery come into play and the storyline tends to dissolve a bit.
Would I give another Lovejoy mystery a chance, sure but I'm not going to try and find one right away. I'll wait until I come upon it or try and find one that is considered the best.
I just happened to come upon this book in a sale.
September 13, 2010
Do you remember the Lovejoy tv series via A&E in the 90's? Loved it. The books are fun, too. Lots of details about antiques and the rogues who supposedly deal them.
Clever and literate, but quick and slight.
Clever and literate, but quick and slight.
February 28, 2013
This is a standard Lovejoy mystery. I started read all of these in order back in 1993 or so, during high school. I was hooked on the Ian McShane Lovejoy TV show, which led me to the books. A fun little mystery.
August 3, 2024
Well-written with a sense of humour. The book starts nicely, Lovejoy going out and about on the trail of antiques. His passion for antiques shows well. The story takes a while to get going, perhaps, but then its fun and clever at every turn. Theres East Anglia life, interesting personalities (not too many), 1980’s British village scenery, appletrees in the wind, animals and little kids, antiques, crime, and bits of history. The divvying moments are great. He still has the apprentices he got in The Grail Tree. Oh, and there’s a mention (just one sentence) of him having fought in a war (it does not come up often in the series but it is def part of his personal history). Its definitely one of the better books in the series. Lovely speech about the chair. If any criticism had to be brought up, perhaps that the story is a bit on the short side. An enjoyable, easy, clever, fun read.
May 18, 2020
The weakest and most confusing of of the first nine Lovejoy books and only really coming together in the last few chapters. Lovejoys is hired to find a missing a dealer, by his wife, as they arrive around the region following his trail. Throw in a couple of murders and a pearl necklace and things become really baffling. What saves the book are Lovejoy's many ramblings about antiques which had me Googling the author to discover how much was true. Apparenly quite a bit.
May 16, 2024
A million characters and so confusing! Audiobook didn’t help with that, I’m sure.
March 25, 2015
Lovejoy is a “divvy” (presumably from “diviner”), a person who can just feel if an antique is genuine by standing near it. This is a great help in his career as an antiques dealer. But just because he’s got a gift of his own doesn’t mean he believes in anything else supernatural. So he’s a bit put out when he’s asked to attend a seance with Donna Vernon, who’s looking for her lost husband. Missing person cases aren’t normally in his baliwick either.
However, this particular missing person is an antiques dealer himself, who vanished while on a cross-country buying sweep. So Lovejoy finds that he’s been roped into the hunt. Things quickly get suspicious, as Mr. Vernon doesn’t seem to be very good at antique hunting, and the actual end of the voyage appears to be a fabulous pearl pendant known as “the Siren”. And then the medium gets murdered after saying she has another message from beyond….
This is the ninth Lovejoy book; I have not read any of the earlier ones, nor have I seen the television adaptaion. He’s described in the back cover blurb as a “rake”; he’s promiscuous, sexist, self-centered, loves pulling nasty tricks on people and is often in trouble with the law. On the other hand, he sometimes does quite nice things for people as long as it will also make him a profit of some sort. That, and the fact that his narration makes it clear he’s easily led around by his appetites, makes him bearable.
A typical moment of his irritating side is when his apprentice Eric for once actually checks to see if an object is genuine, and refuses to buy it. Lovejoy berates him, because this particular fake was extremely valuable in itself, neglecting to consider he hadn’t told the lad this important detail.
Most of the mystery part of the story is solved about halfway through when the murderer actually confesses to Lovejoy–but our protagonist has no proof, and must come up with a clever scheme involving antiques to see that some form of justice is served.
I am told that the television series smoothed out Lovejoy’s sharper edges quite a bit (for example, giving him a steady love interest as opposed to chasing any likely tail in the neighborhood.) This is not a book for those who prefer the hero be more morally upright than not. The ending drives home his moral ambiguity.
But if you liked the TV show, or have a fondness for sleazy mystery protagonists, this is an amusing read.
However, this particular missing person is an antiques dealer himself, who vanished while on a cross-country buying sweep. So Lovejoy finds that he’s been roped into the hunt. Things quickly get suspicious, as Mr. Vernon doesn’t seem to be very good at antique hunting, and the actual end of the voyage appears to be a fabulous pearl pendant known as “the Siren”. And then the medium gets murdered after saying she has another message from beyond….
This is the ninth Lovejoy book; I have not read any of the earlier ones, nor have I seen the television adaptaion. He’s described in the back cover blurb as a “rake”; he’s promiscuous, sexist, self-centered, loves pulling nasty tricks on people and is often in trouble with the law. On the other hand, he sometimes does quite nice things for people as long as it will also make him a profit of some sort. That, and the fact that his narration makes it clear he’s easily led around by his appetites, makes him bearable.
A typical moment of his irritating side is when his apprentice Eric for once actually checks to see if an object is genuine, and refuses to buy it. Lovejoy berates him, because this particular fake was extremely valuable in itself, neglecting to consider he hadn’t told the lad this important detail.
Most of the mystery part of the story is solved about halfway through when the murderer actually confesses to Lovejoy–but our protagonist has no proof, and must come up with a clever scheme involving antiques to see that some form of justice is served.
I am told that the television series smoothed out Lovejoy’s sharper edges quite a bit (for example, giving him a steady love interest as opposed to chasing any likely tail in the neighborhood.) This is not a book for those who prefer the hero be more morally upright than not. The ending drives home his moral ambiguity.
But if you liked the TV show, or have a fondness for sleazy mystery protagonists, this is an amusing read.
December 5, 2014
I found this to be one of the better Lovejoy mysteries. And I got some inside information about antiques, forgeries and history.
This being said, the book followed the same formula in previous entries - Lovejoy is broke - once again - and takes on a shady job without knowing how to say 'no'. Once on it, he gets himself into trouble and takes it upon himself to set things right - his way. All along the way, nothing is his fault.
But still, I found it interesting, entertaining and will continue on.
This being said, the book followed the same formula in previous entries - Lovejoy is broke - once again - and takes on a shady job without knowing how to say 'no'. Once on it, he gets himself into trouble and takes it upon himself to set things right - his way. All along the way, nothing is his fault.
But still, I found it interesting, entertaining and will continue on.
October 6, 2016
I saw one of those pearl constructions he talks about in the Toledo Museum of Art. It was a Neptune, not a Siren but it was exquisite and it would be worth whatever it cost even if it was a fake. Meanwhile, it's Lovejoy so even when he wins he loses, but it's a great trip with the usual cast of thousands.
October 6, 2011
The ending seemed to lack coherence.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
March 26, 2017
Lovejoy is on the hunt for a missing antiques dealer and has to piece the puzzle together to find him on the Essex marshes.
This was one of my favouirte Lovejoy novels to read, as it had an interesting plot and I've just worked it out, - Lovejoy is an 'Absolute Beginner', only he's now (Sort of) grown up! The first person narrative writing of the series and the quips and throw away asides are all pure Colin MacInnes. The rapidly changing characters are similar to MacInnes and his work, many flit in and then are not heard of again in the book, they often perform a specific function and are forgotten. Also Lovejoy would be about the correct age for having been young during the fifties and now mid-life in the eighties.
Lovejoy novels always give you the antiques and the rural countryside of East Anglia, and that's why I like them, as that's where I'm from. Please just go and read page 70 and Lovejoy's description of a Chippendale period chair and the character's love for antiques becomes so clear.
The antiques dealer sets out the life of the unknown creator of the chair about how he had never owned anything and had never worn a hat, drunk clean water or touched soap and Lovejoy says:
'Whoever he was, he loved his work even in hell. His chair's telling you all this. And I'm proud of him... Touch it and you touch him, back across the centuries. See? Antiques are how we hit back at Time.' (p.70)
Pathos and humility from Lovejoy, - who'd have thought it. I enjoyed the characterisation of Lovejoy, as he was less of a wimp and that's a contrast to some of the more recent books in the series. I'd certainly recommend starting with the earlier books first, before heading towards the most recent publications, certainly 'Faces in the Pool' (2008) is terrible, confused and lacking plot.
And for those worried about seeing Ian McShane and hearing his dulcet tones, that's never a problem as the characterisation of Lovejoy in the books is quite different to the TV series. He's much more of an antiques geek and more of an anti-hero, and less brave. One area I agree with Ian McShane on is use of the character's 'divvy' powers, it is a bit like the sonic screwdriver in 'Doctor Who' something of a get-out-of-jail free card and the fewer times it is used, so much the better in my opinion. In 'Pearlhanger' it is kept to a minimum and the plot does drag a little on the antiques shopping spree, but that is to build up Donna Vernon and her controlling tendencies and to add some jeopardy to the narrative.
I believe to make reading fun it is important to locate a series of books that you can become familiar with and enjoy reading for the seer hell of it, and Lovejoy novels are like that for me!
This was one of my favouirte Lovejoy novels to read, as it had an interesting plot and I've just worked it out, - Lovejoy is an 'Absolute Beginner', only he's now (Sort of) grown up! The first person narrative writing of the series and the quips and throw away asides are all pure Colin MacInnes. The rapidly changing characters are similar to MacInnes and his work, many flit in and then are not heard of again in the book, they often perform a specific function and are forgotten. Also Lovejoy would be about the correct age for having been young during the fifties and now mid-life in the eighties.
Lovejoy novels always give you the antiques and the rural countryside of East Anglia, and that's why I like them, as that's where I'm from. Please just go and read page 70 and Lovejoy's description of a Chippendale period chair and the character's love for antiques becomes so clear.
The antiques dealer sets out the life of the unknown creator of the chair about how he had never owned anything and had never worn a hat, drunk clean water or touched soap and Lovejoy says:
'Whoever he was, he loved his work even in hell. His chair's telling you all this. And I'm proud of him... Touch it and you touch him, back across the centuries. See? Antiques are how we hit back at Time.' (p.70)
Pathos and humility from Lovejoy, - who'd have thought it. I enjoyed the characterisation of Lovejoy, as he was less of a wimp and that's a contrast to some of the more recent books in the series. I'd certainly recommend starting with the earlier books first, before heading towards the most recent publications, certainly 'Faces in the Pool' (2008) is terrible, confused and lacking plot.
And for those worried about seeing Ian McShane and hearing his dulcet tones, that's never a problem as the characterisation of Lovejoy in the books is quite different to the TV series. He's much more of an antiques geek and more of an anti-hero, and less brave. One area I agree with Ian McShane on is use of the character's 'divvy' powers, it is a bit like the sonic screwdriver in 'Doctor Who' something of a get-out-of-jail free card and the fewer times it is used, so much the better in my opinion. In 'Pearlhanger' it is kept to a minimum and the plot does drag a little on the antiques shopping spree, but that is to build up Donna Vernon and her controlling tendencies and to add some jeopardy to the narrative.
I believe to make reading fun it is important to locate a series of books that you can become familiar with and enjoy reading for the seer hell of it, and Lovejoy novels are like that for me!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews