What do You think about The Judas Pair (1977)?
I love the character of Lovejoy, flawed as he is. He's the only really well developed character, though there were no badly written ones. The police investigations seemed a trifle inadequate, but it helps keep the story moving. The pace of the story was quick and it was enjoyable. There is lots of slang to sort through, but most of it is pretty obvious. Quite a bit of information on antiques, though I have no way of knowing how accurate it might be.I forgot what a cad Lovejoy is. I read these stories 25-30 years ago and remembered basic plot points but not the particulars. I knew he didn't treat his girlfriends all that well, but not that he slugged the one because she was talking while he was on the phone. I also didn't remember her later working on his poor car. I thought the murderer fairly obvious, but that might just be because I read it before. Lovejoy's development/change of character as events progress was rather drastic, but well within the realm of story. Though written decades ago, it didn't seem all that dated. Suspension of disbelief was not a problem, I very much enjoyed the story.The eBook was formatted well with only a couple of minor spelling errors.
—Kamas Kirian
Read long ago.One of the better plots and tales in this series. Having Venice as your backdrop does not hurt, either. I remember both the book and the series (which got me hooked).I think I collected every Loveyjoy book published and can't recall a single one that felt weak or disappointed. The plots are well-setup, the writing is good, the details about various kinds of antiques, and the characters are "earthy".In comparison with the series, Lovejoy is further down the economic scale (and usually loses out to others), his companions are even worse off (going from genteel alcoholics to downright drunkards), and there is no permanent "angle" to bail him out (literally and figuratively). Not to bash the show - I rather liked it for what it was, but the grittier feel of the books makes them better.Kudos to goodreads for once again reminding me of some very well written books that I read, liked, and have not thought of for years & years. Time to see if there are any that I missed.
—Mike
After watching the television series back in the day, this was a bit of a shock. It is a very readable romp but the characters are not at all like their TV counterparts.I was startled and quite alarmed at the main characters attitude to women. A indicator of the attitudes at the time of writing maybe--007 etc.,-- were popular then.Once I was acclimatised to the style of the book the story was good and quite intriguing. Involving a murder carried out with a set of duelling pistols that should not have existed, our hero follows clues that send him on chases around East Anglia. It all ends with a cleaver twist.All in all an enjoyable read and one that has inspired me to continue to read more of the series.
—Edronuk
