General Bottando of Rome's Art Theft Squad is in trouble - his theory that a single master criminal, dubbed "Giotto", is behind a string of thefts has aroused the scorn of his rival, the bureaucrat Corrado Argan. He needs a result, and the confession of a dying women provides clues.
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General Bottando of Rome's Art Theft Squad is in trouble - his theory that a single master criminal, dubbed "Giotto", is behind a string of thefts has aroused the scorn of his rival, the bureaucrat Corrado Argan. He needs a result, and the confession of a dying women provides clues.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Fine jacket. First edition. Fine in fine dustwrapper. Although not marked in any way, this copy is from the distinguished modern first edition collection of Bruce Kahn.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in fine jacket. SIGNED by Pears on the title page. Typical tanning to the text block, else a tight fine unused copy in a fine dust jacket which is now protected by a mylar cover. A Jonathan Argyll mystery.
To those who have patiently followed Pears' development of his art theft characters, this is the beginning of the payoff. The Immaculate Deception, the next in the series (?), is the big payoff. But the two go together. Even so, on its own, Giotto's Hand is a very pleasant read, and not without its challenges. If you figure out "who done it" halfway through, you're only halfway there. This is a book about choices, about character, and about what makes the human condition so engaging. Like all of Pears' books, it is based on a very clever storyline. But in this book, and in the one that follows, Pears has taken a step or two above the merely clever and moved into darker territory. At the same time, however, he has done so without letting on, so to speak. This is a work that is as quiet and tranquil as the English countryside where much of it is set; and yet it is also one that hides within its pages the darkest of secrets. In short, it is a book that rewards all those who have followed Pears and his characters from the outset.