Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic philosophical murder mystery
Review: The beauty of this book lies not within the intricate plot (which is formidable at first glance, a tightly woven fabric of inordinate weaves and wefts which each thread is examined) but within the successful use of four quite independent voices. The parallels are many: to the classic film, "Rashomon", to "In the Name of the Rose", and "The Moonstone," even to novels like "The Sound and the Fury." Yet his style is his own and not easily dismissed with parallels. One of the best books I have read in several years. A mystery where the mystery plays but a small role in the thoroughly engrossing plot of intrigue, deception, high and low religion, messianic voices and scurrilous evil louts, medical inventiveness and the need for recognition at all costs. Who would have guessed that all these and Oxford too could be pressed into such a small space?
Rating: 
Summary: Well done
Review: Quite satisfying. A good story well told, with lots of background. The comparison with Eco is misplaced. Pears wears his learning with less ponderousness than does Eco. After you read "An Instance of the Fingerpost" try Palliser's "The Quincunx," a more apt comparison with this fine new novel.
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting and Evocative
Review: Not a thrilling page turner, but a slow thoughtful dissertation on perspective. A murder is the hook on which the story turns, slowly revolving, allowing the reader to savor their ever-increasing understanding of the people and events involved in happenings. Who-dunnit becomes secondary to the why of the matter-the why obscured by the reader's own perspective. Be prepared to be surprised and delighted.
Rating:
Summary: More glittering facets than the Hope Diamond!
Review: What began for me as a straightforward mystery novel soon became far more than that. The device of using four disparate narrators to tell a very complicated story is an ingenious one, and is in no small part responsible for the success of the book as a whole. The twists of the plot are more correctly layers of knowledge of the characters, and the reader becomes doubly involved in the action, alternately trying to guess the facts of the matter, and also sifting the wheat from the chaff as each narrator puts his story to the page, for they are not what they would seem. I believe it surpasses Name of the Rose, as not only is it as historically convincing, but the story of Sarah Blundy, when finally revealed, works as much on the heart as on the cerebral cortex. That said, the cortex gets a fair workout! The historical detail and authenticity is as vivid as The Alienist, but with more layers. As a cautionary tale, a philosophical examination of the roots of Western learning and Christian faith, as a thriller of highest intrigue, a historical novel of profound scholarship and as a wise and beautiful book, this is one of the most complex and satisfying books I have read, period.
Rating:
Summary: An Instance of the Fingerpost is an 800-page gem
Review: With uncanny detail and memerizing plots twists, Pears has written a book that is as intriguing as it is long. The length, however daunting, is nonetheless necessary to unravel the Oxfordian mystery. Also, the four narrators will leave readers asking themselves whether the truth is being told. To find this out, you must read this literary gem.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking and beautiful, utterly absorbing,
Review: This is the first of Pears' books I've read, and I have to say I was very impressed. I originally bought it for two reasons: the period and the location. On the latter element, I was rather disappointed: there is not a very strong sense of place. But the sense of period and the strength of characterisation - particularly in the four "authors" telling their version of events - is very impressive. Describing the same events and characters from four angles is done with tremendous panache and astonishing consistency across the four sections. And there is a real sense of pain and catharsis in the conclusion. Indeed, each of the narrators is presented with compassion and understanding, and is completely believable, even while we sense their failure to grasp the whole story. I wonder if this is really for mystery buffs - the basic whodunnit is hardly the point. Pears is it seems being compared to Umberto Eco, and that I think is a good comparison. Pears wears his learning lightly - most of the time! - and, while there is much here which is written for the sheer joy of the art of writing and reading, you wouldn't want to take any of it away to streamline the storytelling. Now, where can I find everything else Pears has written..?!
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful... Chilling
Review: I'm not a fan of long, winding books that seem to never end, but I couldn't think of a single page I would delete from this novel. It's clever, thought-provoking, and mysterious. A literary sensation!
Rating:
Summary: An Oxford murder in 1660 leads to unepected intrigue
Review: This story - four different accounts of the murder of an Oxford academic in 1660, just after the English Civil War - brilliantly combines several genres. It is a history of medicine, just as that field of knowledge entered its modern phase; it is Inspector Morse, solving another Oxford killing; it is the intricacies of the English Civil War, Roundheads v Cavaliers, with one's career - even one's life - depending on backing the right horse; and finally, above all, it is the story of England as it hovered between Protestantism and Catholicism. A marvellous read, which kept me glued to the page, and wanting more at the end. A re-read is essential!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: I picked up this book on a whim from a used book store. I decided to buy it because of the unique title. Now, this is one of my favorite books of all time. I love hearing the story from 4 different perspectives, and the ending is so unexpected. After each section, I was so sure I had determined the identity of the murderer, only to discover that I was wrong every time. The history is so interesting, and all of the characters well-developed. I have to concede that the book is LONG, but I do feel that the story benefits from all of the richly descriptive text. I have loaned the book to a friend, but I'm going to read it again when she returns it. I'm sure I will love it even more the second time.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but overlong and unpolished.
Review: An enjoyable book. It is compelling - I couldn't stop reading it - and provides and intellectual murder mystery without becoming stuffy.
It is not, though, brilliant. The several stories of which it is composed do not mesh quite well enough for my taste; the final, pseudo-religious conclusion is at the same time quite unsurprising and inadequately foreshadowed in the text.
An excellent read - but certainly not great literature.
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