Antiques specialist and dealer (just a teeny bit shonky!)Lovejoy is left guardian of his friend Drummers' donkey when Drummers' hideously battered body is discovered in the dunes surrounding the salt marshes near the Essex coast.He is shown a curious firefly cage by an aggressive woman who claims that it had belonged to her deceased uncle and needed Lovejoys'help to open it, revealing a small hollow in its base. Lovejoy finally comes to realise that it is a model of the small WW2 naval fort which had stood guard at the entrance to the marshes during the war but was now deserted. He risks life and limb to get out to the fort which is several miles out to sea, and discovers the hiding place to be a repository for stolen antiques. It's an interesting story, full of country humour and good detail about antiques and the business. I'll be looking for more of this series.
Lovejoy at his most appealing!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
Lovejoy is a rogue, but a most endearing one. In this book we see Lovejoy at his most vulnerable. One of his mentors gets killed and he blames himself for it. And it all started with an antique firefly box. Lovejoy gets caught up in an international antiques smuggling ring, and his friend loses his life because of what he happens to see the thieves doing. Lovejoy and his new trusty friend Germoline (who happens to be a donkey) set out to try to right a wrong. As usual Lovejoy has no faith in the local constabulary, and gets himself in a pack of trouble because "He will try to fix things himself". There is a lot of sea stuff in this book, and I must say that it is handled very well. The sea is a different setting for Lovejoy, but he seems as much at home in that environment as he does on dry land. This is a reamarkable series.
Plot that keeps on twisting
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
The writing was very captivating with lots of action and suspense. The whole idea of hidden treasure in East Anglia and the puzzle of the carved coal were intriguing. The reliance on characters previously developed helped give more depth to both the characters and the story. A real winner.
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