Rating: 
Summary: Good Plot, Excellent Dialogue, Likeable Characters
Review: I'm love "armchair" travel - especially if the narrative involves Italy. I really love mysteries that convey a sense of place. I bought into this series because I thought it would have a strong Italian influence. So far, I have read 2 in the series, and the action seems to take place as much in England as Italy - a minor disappointment. However, Pears does convey the atmosphere of the UK well in his prose and his character development. Mr. Pears is a skilled writer. He has a flair for intricate plots and believable dialogue. This story has a more than a few sub-plots but he manages to tie them all up nicely in the end. I didn't guess every secret along the way and was surprised by the big plot twist at the very end. I especially liked the way he introduced the Italian political inter-office power struggle into the story. He writes about it with such conviction and style that I suspect that he has a mole in Roma! All in all, this was a fun way to spend a few hours. Quite entertaining and that's exactly what it's supposed to be. If you are looking for a more gritty take on Italian crime, read Dibdin's A.Zen series.
Rating:
Summary: I agree: mediocre, but don't write off the author or series!
Review: In general, Giotto's Hand is not the best in this series. But I urge the previous reviewer not to give up on this author. The other books in this series (I've read every one but the Bernini Bust because I can't find it!). Death and Restoration is GREAT and so are the others. D and R is a later installment; Pears is getting better with these characters as he goes on. So, try another and you won't be disappointed. This one is just not his best. Other good ones include the Titian Committee and the Last Judgment.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice little mystery with a cosmopolitan flavor.
Review: Not only is this book an outstandingly enjoyable read on its own, but also, in Giotto's Hand, Jonathan Argyll and his fiance Flavia meet up with a character who is pivotal to other books of this charming series. The struggling young art dealer Jonathan and Flavia the art cop live, of course, in Rome, the art capitol of the world. Pears not only gives the reader a beautiful feel for life in this culturally rich and layered city, but also gives a delightful study in contrasts when Jonathan is propelled by circumstances back into a small English village. As the story moves from one country to the other, the characters remain firmly and convincingly immured in the world of art dealers and art thieves - often one and the same. Unlike so many mysteries, this is not one with an open and shut conclusion. Morality must get gently re-defined as the circumstances of real life impact the black and white facts of the crime. Although this is a relatively simple tale, and doesn't pretend to the complexity of Pears' "An Instance of the Fingerpost", this is a subtle, heart-warming and sophisticated mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Not Pears' best, but still good
Review: This is the first book in the Art Mysteries series that I have read. I enjoyed the characters of Jonathan Argyll and his fiancee Flavia and found the English countryside setting to be a good setting for this mystery. The various characters in the book were interesting and well drawn but the main characters were only very quickly fleshed out (perhaps the series should be read in order to understand the main characters better). It took no more than 4-5 hours to read and the ending was good and not entirely forseeable. While other mysteries have stayed with me longer, I did enjoy the time spent reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good read on a cool winter's day
Review: This is the first book in the Art Mysteries series that I have read. I enjoyed the characters of Jonathan Argyll and his fiancee Flavia and found the English countryside setting to be a good setting for this mystery. The various characters in the book were interesting and well drawn but the main characters were only very quickly fleshed out (perhaps the series should be read in order to understand the main characters better). It took no more than 4-5 hours to read and the ending was good and not entirely forseeable. While other mysteries have stayed with me longer, I did enjoy the time spent reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Pears' best, but still good
Review: This is the second Pears book I have read, and I thought it was excellent, but not as good as "The Last Judgement." It certainly references artists and art history more that the latter, but it is not as thrilling. The references to the politics of a small country town in England are funny and entirely believable. The two main characters, Flavia and Jonathan, are entertaining as always, but they are not as well developed as they were in "The Last Judgement."
Rating: 
Summary: huge let down
Review: Yes, I am a Pears fan, strating with "An Instance Of The Fingerpost". I really like these art history mysteries of his. They always have some quirky characters, interesting settings, and very little bloodshed. So I get my armchair travel nicely wrapped in a whodoneit. But I especially like to learn something along the way. Each of these show me something of an art world I will never live in - so I get a double-dip of tourism. This story, set in both Italy and England also throws in a little of Miss Marple's small village life as well. An easy read, not too long - I strongly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Art History in an easy-to-swallow size
Review: Yes, I am a Pears fan, strating with "An Instance Of The Fingerpost". I really like these art history mysteries of his. They always have some quirky characters, interesting settings, and very little bloodshed. So I get my armchair travel nicely wrapped in a whodoneit. But I especially like to learn something along the way. Each of these show me something of an art world I will never live in - so I get a double-dip of tourism. This story, set in both Italy and England also throws in a little of Miss Marple's small village life as well. An easy read, not too long - I strongly recommend it.
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