Rating: 
Summary: Culture in transition
Review: I was particularly impressed by setting for this book. 1663 England was at the beginning of the scientific renaissance and a time of great political and religious turmoil. The author exploits this environment very skillfully to present a very plausible overview of the age. I was driven to consult a variety of historical references while reading this rather formidable book, all of which confirmed (and expanded on) the historical aspects. My only complaint is that I wish there were an index since it was necessary to go back to confirm some small point several times. This must have been a very hard book to write because there are so many little details that have to kept straight. Neither my wife nor I ever found an inconsistency. This alone sets the author apart.
Rating:
Summary: 4 and 1/2 Stars, but you will need your thinking cap.
Review: I will not weigh down my review with a recap of the story or characters. What I will say is that this is a clever mystery on many levels, and forces you think. If you do not like reading a book written as literature, then don't read this book. If you can stand, or understand stylishly writing such as this, and enjoy a book that will task you skills at following a plotline, then do read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, not great
Review: "An Instance of The Fingerpost" is one of those books that starts out wonderfully, then gets caught up in its own cleverness and thus becomes only sporadically interesting. Pears spends the most time and effort on the first narrator, the Venetian doctor Cola, but the other three narrators do not seem nearly as well-rounded as Cola, and that is to the book's detriment. Still, not a bad weekend read and a nice change of pace for the historical mystery enthusiast.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow read but worth it.
Review: I really liked this novel which I picked up not knowing anything about it. I also liked The Alienist (although not Angel of Death) so the historical fiction aspect pleased me. It also satisfies the Anglo-phile in me. I will admit that it took a while to read but that the breakdown into four narrative voices and the Roshamon treatment worked well. Given that there were such differing versions of the events, I wondered how it would be resolved to my satisfaction - but it was with a surprise added in there to boot.
Rating: 
Summary: This didn't work for me ...
Review: I am no stranger to historical fiction or mystery fiction, and I know this is controversial opinion, but this book just didn't do it for me. The different narrative voices sounded all the same to me. I found the pace ponderous, the style heavy and self-important, the welding of historical fact and fiction too deliberate, and the plot incredible.
Rating:
Summary: Slow starter grips you through its suprising end.
Review: I would rate this book quite highly. It starts a bit slowly and requires some effort to sort through the characters in the early part - but it grabs you and keeps you reading through a series of unexpected twists and turns, and a suprising and very clever (French Lieutenant's Woman?)ending. Like real life, the characters have many facets all of which are revealed eventually, although not simplistically.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of a Mystery
Review: I found An Instance of the Fingerpost to be one of the most engaging mysteries I have ever read. The book's basis is a murder-mystery focused upon the death of an Oxford professor and priest, Dr. Grove. The central premise is explored by four highly different narrators - an Italian visitor, a young student whose father was accused of treason, a cryptographer with the English government, and a historian. I found the use of the different narrators fascinating, as the reader is able to explore how different viewers of the same events can see things very differently, depending on their prior knowledge of and interest in the events.While the solution to the central mystery is a shock and a revelation, the interest of Pear's book does not stop with the who-dunit aspect of the book. Rather, the reader is drawn into a scholarly exposition on the history of science; an interesting study of the political scene in England at the time of the murder; and a close development of all the central characters. Having recently finished this book, I plan to read it again in a few weeks. I think that, knowing the ultimate result, rereading the stories leading up to it will be time well spent.
Rating:
Summary: Seven Hundred Pages Weren't Enough
Review: I'm not a mystery devotee, nor do I have the patience (or available personal time) to read very many 700 page novels. About every 3 or 4 years though, I find an exception and this (like Umberto Eco's best work) was one of the strongest. At the end of this very cleverly drawn book, I was longing for more, including more information beyond the dramatis personae entries on the main and secondary characters. Before reading Pears, I had some general familiarity with the unfortunate period of the Commonwealth and the fresh air of the Restoration, but his work put some very real flesh and blood to both periods. As such, I've been reading little else since I finished Fingerpost. For me, this ability to awaken, or even create, a new subject of intellectual curiosity is one of the rarest, and therefore most valuable, talents an author can hone. Pears does this masterfully through his movement from one narrator to the next, each of whom reveals truths about his predecessors which they concealed or ignored. I would recommend this to any thinking reader, perhaps with the caveat that some patience may be needed initially, as Pears doesn't insult the reader's intelligence by uncovering the plot catch (or catches) right away. I guarantee that such patience will be rewarded many times over.
Rating:
Summary: Rich in history
Review: This book is just so much richer and more comprehensive than anything that I have read recently that it is difficult for me to compare it to anything. There is a mystery (or should I say mysteries) that winds throughout the book, but it is much more than a simple whodunnit. The world of seventeenth century England is vividly portrayed both in setting and in the thought of each of the narrators. The story is divided into four separate narratives of the same basic story, with each building, changing and illuminating the previous accounts. It might seem that four accounts of the same storyline would get boring, but the author pulls it off wonderfully. I was hooked from start to finish. The characters are believable and engaging, and the plot is intricate, with lots of twists and turns. An Instance of the Fingerpost cannot be described accurately by the overused phrase, "page-turner", but it is certainly an enjoyable reading experience.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book... and one small note..
Review: i loved this book... excellent... one thing however.. In theDramatis Personae Mr Pears the entry for Anthony Wood stats: ...Chiefly know throught his diaries and papers, which were not publiced until this centry. does not seem to be true.. (not a big deal! :-)) this book: CLARK, Andrew The Life and Times of Anthony Wood, antiquary, of Oxford, 1632-1695, described by Himself. 5 Volumes was published in 1891 by The Oxford Historical Society... g
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