Rating: 
Summary: They sound like Oxford
Review: Pardon me for disagreeing with the other reviewers. The plot actually was interestesting with promising but not fully developed complexities. The correlation of modern and ancient events is pleasing. On the negative side, there are some odd inconsistencies such as Flavia getting seasick on the Grand Canal one minute and having a strong stomach a few pages later. I found the characters a bit shallow. And most disappointing, all the characters, whether Italian, Dutch, American or English all spoke the same unmistakeably English idiom even though the description of the characters tries to give them varied language abilities. Even though the setting is Venice this is a thoroughly English cozy.
Rating:
Summary: They sound like Oxford
Review: Pardon me for disagreeing with the other reviewers. The plot actually was interestesting with promising but not fully developed complexities. The correlation of modern and ancient events is pleasing. On the negative side, there are some odd inconsistencies such as Flavia getting seasick on the Grand Canal one minute and having a strong stomach a few pages later. I found the characters a bit shallow. And most disappointing, all the characters, whether Italian, Dutch, American or English all spoke the same unmistakeably English idiom even though the description of the characters tries to give them varied language abilities. Even though the setting is Venice this is a thoroughly English cozy.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, but difficult to follow at times
Review: The characters developed in this series, Flavia, Argyll and Bonnano, make this and other art history mysteries easy to read and enjoyable. But the plot twists and pages of description seem more designed to fill pages and don't really add to the character development. That said, these are good short reads -- ideal for plane flights and even insomnia. This one won't keep you awake.
Rating:
Summary: Fluff mystery with good characters, nothing plot
Review: The characters developed in this series, Flavia, Argyll and Bonnano, make this and other art history mysteries easy to read and enjoyable. But the plot twists and pages of description seem more designed to fill pages and don't really add to the character development. That said, these are good short reads -- ideal for plane flights and even insomnia. This one won't keep you awake.
Rating: 
Summary: Great main characters but substandard plot
Review: This is the second book I've read by Pears, the first being "Death and Restoration," which was quite good by the way. This book wasn't as good. The suspects are too numerous and too similiar for the reader to distinguish from each other, the investigation seemed to take far too long with very little direction until the end, and the historical sub-plot was a bit far-fetched for my own art historical background.The two stars are for the great main characters: Flavia, Jonathon, and Bottando. Well rounded, fully developed, quirky, and able to play off each other quite well, they carry the book along. The plot, unfortunately, doesn't. I'd only reccommend this book to diehard Pears fans.
Rating:
Summary: Another Good Entry in the Series
Review: This is the second book in this series of art mysteries (Raphael Affair was first). The series need not be read in order as I found when I read this one out of order. Pears' ironic humor is abundant and his main characters all so human. The cultural aspects always add to the plot and Pears' writing style also adds. The plot of Titian Committee is good. The author presents the reader with members of a research committee who are all - at some time or other - suspects, prime suspects or murder victims. Like some of Pears' other books, there is a moral decision/question that throws an extra twist. Are the good guys always good? Or is it good to be a good guy and not so good? Somehow the reader gets the warm feeling throughout this book that Mr. Pears writes with a constant grin on his face. This is an enjoyable light read.
Rating:
Summary: Another Good Entry in the Series
Review: This is the second book in this series of art mysteries (Raphael Affair was first). The series need not be read in order as I found when I read this one out of order. Pears' ironic humor is abundant and his main characters all so human. The cultural aspects always add to the plot and Pears' writing style also adds. The plot of Titian Committee is good. The author presents the reader with members of a research committee who are all - at some time or other - suspects, prime suspects or murder victims. Like some of Pears' other books, there is a moral decision/question that throws an extra twist. Are the good guys always good? Or is it good to be a good guy and not so good? Somehow the reader gets the warm feeling throughout this book that Mr. Pears writes with a constant grin on his face. This is an enjoyable light read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but difficult to follow at times
Review: This is the third book I've read by Iain Pears. It is entertaining and fun to read, but of the three art history mysteries I've read so far, this one was the most difficult to follow. There were a number of characters that seemed to meld together after awhile, and the subplot involving the portrait in the Marchesa's home makes the read a bit slower. But, as always, Jonathan and Flavia are fun characters, and the references to art history are plentiful.
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