Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating historical mystery
Review: Pears has woven a complex but rewardingly clever tale of a series of interrelated events that occur at the time of the Restoration in England in the 17th century. It is fascinating to watch the plot unfold through the narratives of four separate participants, each of whom offers a completely different perspective. I thought the book was (almost) as good as "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco. It can be a difficult read---a knowledge of 17th century religious issues and English history helps---but very satisfying in the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Demanding, but good
Review: This is a very long book and each section is told by different people, retelling the same events, so you may have to reread a bit to make the side-by-side comparisons since by the time certain names and events are mentioned again, you're likely to have forgotten their first mention.
It's an interesting glimpse into that historical time period, but the end is real left-field doozy that I'm not sure the author entirely earned.
I have to say that, for sheer enjoyment's sake, I enjoy Iain Pears' Art History Mystery series better.
Rating:
Summary: Lust, betrayal, secrets, murder
Review: Iain Pears writes light mystery fiction based on art restorers or something and has also produced a couple of very heavy (ie wonderfully complex and demanding) history mysteries. I found out about him by looking at lists in Amazon by people who included Eco's 'The name of the rose' in their list, which I have also recently read and enjoyed. I have so far read only Pear's 'An Instance of the Fingerpost' and think it is by far the most interesting and satisfying mystery I have ever read. You do have to be patient with it. Some of its characters are not very likeable, and at first it seems a bit dry. As other people have pointed out, it is rather like Rashomon - an event seen though the eyes of 4 different participants, so really you end up with four complete, varying stories - each with mysteries and solutions of its own, based on that character's knowledge and understanding of the event, and on what he or she wishes to tell of it, the fourth one pulling the other three together and making a entire that satisfies all your questions, leaves you happy and sad, and does so with mostly very believable characters, all of whom do interesting things, and a couple of whom you really come to care about. And best of all, it appears to be historical fiction by an author who knows his period (Cromwell and Restoration England, Bacon and Boyle and Descartes and Fermat) and does it the honour of creating a story and characters who are believeable within it. Even if the ultimate solution is somewhat 'different', shall we say.It is my all-time favorite mystery novel so far, beating even the 'Name of the Rose' which is also excellent, but not as emotionally gripping.
Rating:
Summary: Great Start and Great Finish
Review: This is a historical mystery told by four characters, all of whom bring to the yarn their own prejudices and motives. Add to this that only one, the last, has access to most of the facts, and the tale told four times is wonderfully intriguing. Mr. Pears also captures well the narrators' personalities in the tone of their "manuscripts". The first portion I found spell-binding (I rushed to get more books by Pears while in the middle). Not only did the story grip me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the references to the medical practices of the 1660's. The next two portions almost drove me mad. The story got lost in long-winded philosophical and religious sermons. These two narrators lay out political plots, counterplots and espionage so complex that the story line became muddled. I actually wished at one point I had kept notes to keep it all straight. By that time, however, I was wondering if I would finish the book. The last portion was almost as great as the first and tied all four manuscripts together with a knot tied with a terrific twist. This novel was the equivalent of four books written about the same instance. Two were terrific, two were not. Some of the history was a welcome treat, other parts of the history supplied - especially all the political intrigue - needed more explanation unless you are well-familiar with this period of English history. I am sure a devoted Anglophile would love every bit of this book. All in all I am glad I suffered through the two middle narratives to reach the end. I was sorely disappointed those two did not reach the high standards of the first and fourth.
Rating:
Summary: Surprising conclusion,but such a ponderous path to get there
Review: I had read Pears' Dream of Scipio and loved it so I started Instance. I'll not comment on the plot; others have done that very well. A bit more than halfway through, I was ready to give up and go to other books on my list, because the writing seemed to be becoming increasingly ponderous and I have a life to live, filled with other activities. I sped through the third chapter and was rewarded by the final chapter with it's unexpected conclusion. My advice to prospective readers - read the first chapter, speed-read the second and third, and carefully read the finale, which cleverly wraps it up. Also, unless you can read this more or less continuously, don't bother. The characters are too numerous and details too complex to put it down for a while and then pick it up.
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding, convincing, and cerebral historical mystery
Review: First, a promise: you won't read any spoilers in this review. Pears has written a thoroughly convincing historical mystery that kept me guessing until the very satisfying climax; the equally perplexing mystery is why so many readers feel they must spoil the fun. (And, in spite of the small minority who thought otherwise, I found the book thrilling to read--I could hardly put it down.) Pears recreates England after the death of Oliver Cromwell, during the reign of Charles II: he faithfully reproduces its political intrigues, philosophical disputes, and social milieu. Most of the characters were actual celebrities at the time (John Locke, Robert Boyle, Christopher Wren), the few fictional creations are based on historical figures, and many of the events important both to the plot and to the atmosphere actually occurred. Most impressively, Pears manages to fit his mystery (or mysteries, since there are several unsolved-to-the-very-end threads) within the actual achievements or fiascos, the rise or decline of each of the historical figures he portrays. Like the four gospels they (purposefully) mirror, the novel is told in four parts, and Pears's style serves him well. Each section is narrated in turn by an Italian dilettante, a disenfranchised young man, a boorish xenophobe, and a reclusive bookworm--in other words, a representative cross-section of the inhabitants of Oxford--and the unique characters shine through the prose. True to the formula for this type of mystery, each character's story has important omissions and evasions about his own role but tells what he believes is the complete truth about everyone else. There are few false notes in this novel's rich, complicated plot, and even those can be explained by the narrow agendas of the four leading characters. Pears rewards attentive readers not only with a spellbinding yarn but also with a witty lesson in history and philosophy.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY ENTERTAINING BUT ......
Review: This is an excellent read if you are looking to wile away many hours in the midst of the sevententh century. It is easy to read and you can learn some history along the way. The story, told from the perspective of four different persons, can get a little confusing at times and, taking notes,as some reviewers have suggested, is not a bad idea.
While I was dissapointed with the ending in relation to Sarah Bundy and found Jack Prescott's story to be the least interesting I must compliment Pears on a very worthy effort.
If you have an interest in historical fiction you should love this book. If your interest lies more with mysteries you may be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and Fascinating
Review: I've read this book several times and have enjoyed it each time, difficult to find in mysteries. But, this book is much more than just a mystery novel, it's an intriging look at Regency England in Oxford and London. Extremely well-written, captivating and colourful characters, interesting historical details...I really can't say enough about how much I loved this book! Written in a unique style as well, but I don't want to ruin the surprise of it...
Don't rush through--savor this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Erudite, well-written, crummy ending
Review: This is a wonderful book up until the last half of the last chapter. Pears' research and historical knowledge are astonishing, and the writing both intelligent and easy-to-read. True, the narrators speak anachronistically, but if they didn't, we wouldn't understand them, so this is forgivable. True, the characters are somewhat flat and similar, but this is a book about ideas (or so I thought), so that's forgivable, too. The mystery is incredibly complex, and I found myself going back and re-reading parts of it to get it straight, which is fine. It is the ending that ... this book. With all the attention to science and logic and the narrators' attempts to navigate both, especially when they are being neither scientific nor logical,.... .... This book spends 99.9% of its time in the real, historical, non-fantastic world of 17th-century England.. Then, at the very last second, after the reader has slogged his/her way through this doorstop, buying it all hook, line, and sinker, he departs on an inane, deus ex machina (literally) flight of fancy with the character of Sarah, thereby rendering the entire book a total waste of time except as a history lesson.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: An Instance of the Fingerpost is a phenomenal book, a truly incredible work--if you have the time to devote to a novel of over 700 pages. It is not "quick" reading by any stretch of the imagination, so be prepared to spend some time with this one. And be alert--you might miss something. The novel is ostensibly about the murder of an Oxford don, and begins narrated by an Italian medical student visiting England, on a mission, he tells us, from his merchant father. The medical student becomes involved with many of the people involved in the murder and, at the end of his narrative, gives us the murderer. A few pages later we learn, while being beguiled by another narrator, that perhaps the medical student's vision of reality is not so true. The novel continues, with four different narrators, and as each one goes on, the facts get more complex, the lies of the narrators more intriguing. We ultimately find the "truth", but by the end of the novel, you will doubt much of what the narrators give you and that is half the fun of reading this novel. You must read this one critically to get to that tiny core of truth--which goes well beyond who murdered the poor dead don. Instance is enjoyable and impressive and if you have some time, and if you are a patient reader, I urge you to pick this one up.
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