Iain Pears Reihenfolge der Bücher

Während einer Tagung des Tizian-Komitees in Venedig werden zwei seiner Mitglieder ermordet. Das erfolgreiche Team des römischen Kunstraubdezernats greift ein: Taddeo Bottando, seine Assistentin Flavia di Stefano und der verklemmte britische Kunsthistoriker Jonathan Argyll.

A captivating adventure story with huge heart and dazzling imaginative power, from the bestselling author of An Instance of the Fingerpost. Three interlocking worlds. Four people looking for answers. But who controls the future - or the past? In the basement of a professor's house in 1960s Oxford, fifteen-year-old Rosie goes in search of a missing cat - and instead finds herself in a different world. Anterwold is a sun-drenched land of storytellers, prophecies and ritual. But is this world real - and what happens if she decides to stay? Meanwhile, in a sterile laboratory, a rebellious scientist is trying to prove that time does not even exist - with potentially devastating consequences.

Set against a rich historical backdrop, this novel weaves a vast and intricate mystery that showcases the author's ambition and complexity. Following the success of "An Instance of the Fingerpost," the narrative promises to engage readers with its dazzling storytelling and multifaceted plot, inviting exploration into a world filled with intrigue and depth.

Our Review When in Rome A stolen masterpiece with arcane allegorical significance; a decades-old political kidnapping and murder; and, of course, a tantalizing artwork of unknown provenance -- in his seventh Jonathan Argyll art mystery, The Immaculate Deception, English art historian Iain Pears returns with a virtuosic display of ingenious plotting and literary trompe l'oeil. Pears's clever and effortlessly erudite art mysteries have found a select readership on both sides of the Atlantic. But the phenomenal success of Pears's 1998 literary thriller, An Instance of the Fingerpost -- a multifaceted Restoration whodunit on a par with Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose -- has dramatically increased stateside interest in the author's earlier work. The Immaculate Deception once again centers on the exploits of the affable and perpetually distracted English art dealer Jonathan Argyll; the beautiful and formidable Flavia di Stefano of the Italian Art Theft Squad; and her erstwhile boss, General Taddeo Bottando, along with several of the series' usual -- or, more appropriately -- unusual supporting cast of suspects. When a masterpiece on loan for the opening of an international exhibition is stolen in a manner calculated to embarrass the Italian government, Flavia di Stefano is ordered by the newly installed prime minister to recover the painting at all costs. Her deceptively simple mandate quickly reveals itself to be a politically fraught, no-win situation. If is she meets the thief's ransom demands, she'll almost certainly be disgraced -- and perhaps go to jail; if she refuses the order, she'll be summarily removed from her post. With Jonathan jaunting through the Tuscan countryside on the trail of an interesting art collection, Flavia turns to her old friend and confidant General Bottando for advice. As a seasoned survivor of the Roman political arena himself, he suggests that she follow the time-honored convention and do as other Romans: "When faced with deviousness, you must be devious yourself." Working together, Flavia and Bottando devise a plan to recover the painting. But no sooner has the ransom been paid than the art-napper -- a former '60s radical turned bourgeois performance artist -- is found dead under highly suspicious circumstances. Worse, Bottando himself has disappeared without a trace, leaving Flavia to face her first major crisis as head of the Art Squad alone. Risking official censure and hounded by a sinister journalist, Flavia explores the tenuous connection between a decades-old act of terrorism and recent events, only to discover a secret conspiracy that could topple the government -- or cost her her life. Like Michael Dibdin's award-winning Aurelio Zen novels, Pears's Jonathan Argyll mysteries go beyond genre fundamentals to immerse readers in every aspect of contemporary Italian culture -- from its legendary art and cuisine to the labyrinthine bureaucracy of the political and criminal justice systems to candid, unexpectedly breathtaking portrayals of everyday life. The Immaculate Deception is a splendid addition to a mystery series of the first order, and an exuberant confirmation of Iain Pears as a modern master of the form. --Greg Marrs

Ein wertvolles Landschaftsgemälde wird aus einer Ausstellung in Rom gestohlen. Flavia di Stefano, Dezernentin für Kunstraub, muss den politisch heiklen Fall diskret lösen. Ihr Mentor General Bottando warnt vor möglichen Konsequenzen, bietet aber seine Hilfe an, bleibt jedoch bei der Herkunft eines anderen Gemäldes geheimnisvoll.

Ein selbstgefälliger Kunstkritiker. Ein zorniger Künstler. Eine unheilvolle Tat, die kein Vergessen findet. Der neue Roman von Bestsellerautor Iain Pears über die Faszination der Kunst und die Abgründe der Macht. Henry Morris McAlpine, ein berühmter Künstler, hat sich schon vor Jahren aus der Öffentlichkeit zurückgezogen und lebt jetzt auf einer kleinen Insel vor der bretonischen Küste. Als plötzlich sein einstiger Freund William Nasmyth, ein scharfzüngiger und gefürchteter Kunstkritiker, vor seiner Tür steht, um sich portraitieren zu lassen, geht Henry nur widerwillig darauf ein. Nur zu präsent ist ihm ein dunkles Geheimnis des gefeierten Kritikers, das vor langer Zeit die Freundschaft der beiden Männer zerstörte – und eine große Liebe. Bei ihren Portraitsitzungen verschiebt sich nun, Jahrzehnte später, unmerklich das eingespielte Machtverhältnis zwischen Kunst und Kritik, zwischen Macht und Ohnmacht ...

Oxford 1663: un luogo e un momento storico di grandi fermenti politici, scientifici e religiosi. Un docente del New College viene trovato morto in circostanze misteriose. Una ragazza è accusata di stregoneria e di omicidio, e condannata all'impiccagione. Quattro testimoni raccontano la loro "verità": un cattolico veneziano, Marco da Cola; uno studente in medicina, Jack Prestcott; un insigne matematico e teologo, John Wallis; uno studioso dell'antichità, Anthony Wood. Ma uno soltanto di loro dice tutta la verità... Thriller di alto profilo e sorprendente originalità, sospeso tra finzione narrativa e fedele ricostruzione storica, "La quarta verità" ricrea magistralmente l'atmosfera, ma anche e soprattutto la mentalità di un'epoca tra le più complesse e affascinanti.

Die Verteidigung der zivilisierten Welt gegen die Barbarei ? welches Thema könnte zeitgemäßer sein? Vor dem Hinter-grund der ebenso geschichtsträchtigen wie malerischen Land-schaft der Provence verwebt Pears mit leichter Hand drei exemplarische Lebensläufe. Drei Männer, jeder schicksalhaft verbunden mit einer außergewöhnlichen Frau, drei anfechtbare Helden in dramatischen Krisenzeiten der europäischen Geschichte. »Die geschickt eingestreuten Spannungselemente, die dramatischen Schicksale der Protagonisten sowie drei fesselnde Liebesgeschichten halten den Leser beim atemberaubenden Ritt durch die Geistesgeschichte des europäischen Kontinents fest im Sattel.« Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger