Death and Restoration (Jonathan Argyll Mystery S.) - Hardcover

‘Iain Pears has a superior line in this kind of tale... A divertingly complex, often comic, story in which the art motif is ingeniously central to the solution’
Guardian (of The Titian Committee)

‘Delightfully pursued and narrated puzzle, with several prize sinuosities’
The Sunday Times (of The Bernini Bust)

‘An elegant and amusing book, perfect for those who love a clever puzzle’ Frances Hegarty, Mail on Sunday

The monastery of San Giovanni on Rome’s Aventine hill has few treasures – only a painting doubtfully attributed to Caravaggio. So Flavia di Stefano of Rome’s art police is surprised to receive a tip-off that a raid is being planned on the building.
The raid happens, but the thieves are disturbed and snatch the wrong painting, a curious icon of the Madonna, remarkable only for the affection in which it is held by the local population. Or is this what the thieves wanted all along? Does the legend of the icon’s miraculous powers hold any clue? And who murdered the French dealer found in the Tiber soon afterwards?
Flavia, with the help of English art dealaer Jonathan Argyll, immerses herself in the intricacies and intrigues of monastic and police politics in an attempt to solve the double mystery, but the solution that awaits her is murkier and more complex than anyone could have known...