The Bernini Bust

by Iain Pears

Book Overview

British art historian Jonathan Argyll is in sunny Los Angeles conducting some profitable business with the Moresby Museum. Then the museum's owner is murdered and a Bernini bust disappears. And while awaiting the arrival of his friends from the Italian National Art Theft Squad, Jonathan finds himself targeted by the killer...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425191893
• ISBN13: 9780425191897
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Plot and humor makes up for bad location.

This is the third in the Argyll series. For me it is better then the Titian Committee, but falls short of The Raphael Affair's fast pace. I have to agree with the people who say that having the mystery take place in California, vice Europe, takes some of the enjoyment out of this read. However, I thought the ending had great charm, and the way in which the mystery was 'solved' gave it a good twist. It is the most humorous of the three so far (the characters are developing and interacting nicely), and leave me wanting to go right into the next book. Like all series there will be the occasional dud, this is not a dud but suffers in comparison to other Pears efforts.

A Craftman's Mystery

This is the second Iain Pears book I have read, but it is the first of the Jonathan Argyll mysteries that I have read. I was intrigued by the premise of mixing the art world with mystery and was plesantly surprised that such a caper is possible; and why not, with all the instances of fraud that go on in the art world? Iain Pears is a talented writer with a gift for crafting quick paced mysteries (short or long) that involve the reader in the action. Jonathan Argyll, a somewhat inept seller of art, is stuck in Los Angeles, awaiting payment on a Titian he has sold to the Moresby Museum. While he awaits authentication and payment, the owner of the museum turns up murdered and the list of suspects seems especially long, with Jonathan unwittingly finding himself the target of the killer. Working alongside the American detective Morelli, Jonathan enlists the help of his friend Flavia di Stefano to not only track down the killer, but to also uncover the mystery of a Bernini bust. The bust was supposedly purchased by the owner and disappeared from his office at the same time as his death. Flavia and Jonathan must track down how the bust was smuggled out of Italy which embroils them in the search for the murderer. "The Bernini Bust" is a well-written art fraud caper, filled with likeable (though at times cliched) characters and a plot that clips along at a breezy pace. The mystery is a bit too pat and easy to solve, and the novel has none of the magic and power of Pears' "An Instance of the Fingerpost". Nevertheless, for fans of mysteries it is a fun saunter through clues and alibis to track down a murderer. Plus, the title is excellent, on all the levels of definition, especially when the final mystery is solved.

Enjoyable Reading

This is another in Mr. Pears' art history series featuring an Italian art police woman and English art historian/dealer. Unlike the prior books, this one takes place in Los Angeles rather than Rome. The change in venue does not detract.The Bernini Bust is one of the more enjoyable of the series. Is there a bust or not? Is it a forgery or not? At least the reader is sure there was a murder early on in this thoroughly enjoyable novel.Mr. Pears' all-to-human heroes go through their usual mistakes and miscues and end up solving the crime. There is also a bit of shaving the ethical edges that always adds an interesting twist or two to these books.What adds to this series is that Mr. Pears keeps the characters - and their relationship - developing. He also adds humor - one can imagine that when Mr. Pears writes about Argyll and Flavia he does so with a wry grin.There's no heavy-lifting in these books, but this book, like the others is a great light, quick read.

Jonathan and Flavia are fun to follow in US as in Europe

I'll admit it--I missed the complex and worldly European setting that usually surrounds a Jonathan Argyll/Flavia di Stefano mystery. Transplanting Jonathan to Los Angeles on a business trip was a novel idea for Pears, and it works. Jonathan's being a native Brit wandering forlornly through LA with its lack of public transit and decidedly non-European look and feel adds a breath of fresh air to his well-intentioned bumbling. That bumbling, of course, is the comedy that redeems a topic that could become very dry-art history, wealthy art collectors, and old, aristocratic European families.I love mystery stories, especially serials, but it is always a fine line an author walks while trying to offer fans what they love-and what they want to see again in three, ten, or twenty books about their favorite hero/ine-without coming off as derivative or lacking imagination.Everything to love about Jonathan and Flavia remains in The Bernini Bust. Jonathan is kind and tends to get confused. Flavia is quick and sharp and alternately frustrated by and worried for Jonathan. The ever-evolving relationship between the two does do some growing in this installment.I often guess the ending of mysteries written by favorite authors. I can't be the only one who starts to know how an author's ideas tend to turn out after a time. "The Bernini Bust" actually surprised me at the end, and the hilarious conclusion of the murder investigation in LA soothed my ego for guessing wrong. Aside from the murder, the mystery of the Bernini Bust was another clever puzzle that made this yet another great installment in Iain Pears' mystery series.

Wry, Literate, and Amusing

Jonathan Argyll is almost an anti-hero. He's an art broker who isn't very good at his job, and a lover who suffers from a stuttering inability to express himself. Nevertheless, he's sold an overpriced Titian to an L.A. museum and Argyll must travel from France to the US to oversee his sale.But L.A. is filled with bad guys--sneaky thieves, tacky museums, and thugs of all descriptions. The art world is turned upside down by murders which expose the darker side of human greed: tax evasion, fakery, and adultery. Jonathan's friend Flavia, a member of the Italian art fraud squad, joins him in L.A. to help unravel the increasingly twisted skein. Together they solve the crimes, and return to Italy as friends and lovers for the final, surprising scene of this delightful novel.Enjoy the setting, the characters, and the literate humor of a wonderful mystery story. I highly recommend it.