I sometimes think of Lovejoy, Gash's antiques-cum-detective, as the larcenous equivalent of Angela Lansbury's Murder She Wrote character. Which is to say that were either of them real, I wouldn't want to be a friend or relative for fear of being murdered or suspected of being a murderer. The problem is symptomatic of any mystery series in which the detective is anything but that by trade, as the writer tries to consistently involve the character in skullduggery.

In this episode, an old war-buddy fellow dealer is bumped off only slightly before the book opens, and while Lovejoy witnesses the act, his tendency for self-preservation and the fact that he was currently involved in an adulterous tryst, prevents him from coming forward with what little information he could glean to the police. Of course, Lovejoy wouldn't trust the local constable to sneeze without some peppery remarks from his corner, and the rest of the book goes on like the usual, with Lovejoy achieving vengeance and satisfying his greed in roughly the same equal mixture.

It's not so much Gash's plots that keep me reading these, but the pleasure of reading his undeniable joy in describing antiques and their history. I like to think of these books as much of an education in a subject that I know nothing about as much as pure entertainment.

This is a disturbing book that should not be read by pregnant women or anyone with a soft heart or weak stomach. The author explores the sick mentalities and daily realities behind the NAZI atrocities of WWII.

For intance, just paging through, I came across a scene where two men are driving a vanload of Jewish people, who are slowly being asphyxiated. The men chitchat and drive, occasionally daring to check the progress of their work through window behind them. They have to drive for a period of time so that the carbon monoxide fills the van slowly, so that the people go to sleep before they die. If the people are asphyxiated rapidly, they tend to die in grotesque poses that disturb the soldiers who must unload the van afterwards.

Grisly, isn't? Perhaps this sort of story should be forgotten, not retold and refreshed for another generation of readers. This book is upsetting and you should consider wisely before opening it.

Also, it helps to be acquainted with the German language. The seven stories contained in this volume are in English, but are peppered with German names and phrases throughout.

Nicholas Gash is always entertaining but he isn't always informative. Despite best efforts to keep characters straight, track possible motives and alibis and follow a labyrinthine plot, it was still difficult to figure out what the hell was going on. The plot fairly gallops and Lovejoy is truly delightful, but I got a little weary always trying to figure out how things matched up. I will no doubt tackle another Lovejoy soon, but I will need a break before I do so.

I'm a huge Lovejoy fan, but Jonathan Gash should stay on his side of the pond! California Game is just not worth the effort and also not worthy to be called a Lovejoy mystery alongside all the other great Lovejoys.

David Dandy and Sonia Kreidenweis, my landlords from my last semester, turned me onto the Lovejoy series on A&E. Lovejoy, a rogue antiques dealer with a circle of friends who combine to help and hinder, is the type of character I'd like to create--witty and crass, full of interesting quirks, yet also a sense of morality. Now that I'm once again sans A&E, I turned to the novels of Jonathan Gash that provided the basis for the TV show.

While the dichotomy between TV and book isn't quite as drastic as one like Spenser: For Hire, there is a marked difference. For one, the book Lovejoy is much more a loner than his television counterpart. He's also much more chauvinistic, smart-alecky, and incredibly stupid, at least in things other than antiques. And, although the TV Lovejoy tries to match the first-person narrative of the books with his humorous asides to the camera, it just doesn't come close to the endless personal nature of the onrunning dialogue between character and reader in the book. Which is to say that both media have their pros and cons.

In this novel, Lovejoy finally visits America, and quickly gets involved in a very large scam--one that decides the crime takings for the whole country. I like to think of it as if Damon Runyon had been born British, with the first-person narrative flowing serenely over the dangerous mob happenings below.

Oh, I almost forgot my favorite line in the book. Lovejoy, trying to extradite himself from one of the situations is telling the reader his plan, with the ending, "Then exit, pursued by bear." Funny? Not alone, perhaps, but in context, this stage description from Shakespeare, incongruously applied, tickled me in the right places. I liked this book enough to pick up another, and I suspect that I'll probably end up reading them all if they can match the fun of this one.

Although the title sets the buyer's attention on California, the book largely takes place in New York where Lovejoy is stuck trying to earn money to get home. As with many of Gash's later Lovejoy books, the pace is often frantic, but he does not sacrifice character--both of Lovejoy and the folks he meets. Lovejoy's irreverence finds a home among Americans, but there's a lighter touch than usual--Gash is often more merciful towards Americans than to any other group. I've read all of the Lovejoys and found this one of the more memorable ones, though not necesarily one of the best for plot or for development of Lovejoy's philosophy of life. But it is a bit more surreal than usual in presenting Lovejoy's circumstances, and rather sentimental, while also introducing us to the usual wide array of shady characters.

THIS IS A BAD BOOK MATE. I WILL TAKE YOUR DRIVING TEST FOR 50 QUID

It's the same story isn't it. I came to this book expecting to lern more aboud John Schoon, beards, difs and other assorted disciple issues. New to this ever expanding world of Schoonism..brr nothing, I'm willing to learn more but this wasn't the book. I would direct the enthusiastic learner to 'Man on the Roof - Schoon and the fear of flying' or the much maligned 'Kirsten... Slag'. The Schoon royble however has to be 'Schoony Schoony Dif Dif'. Buy that, not this.

Each of these short stories is beautifully written and emotionally complex. I don't know what the hell the other reviewers on this page are talking about. Because they thought they were purchasing a nonfiction book about some guy named Schoon. Obviously they are not lovers of literature and have no business whatsoever judging Jonathan Wilson's writing. If you love literature and short stories I highly recommend this book.

After reading several of Gash's novels this was one I could definitely put down. It started strong but ran too convoluted until the last few chapters when everything came to a quick solution. Not one of his better works.

Gash's Lovejoy novels are at their best when the author sticks to the setting he knows best: East Anglia's antiques trade. There's nothing more enjoyable than tagging along with Lovejoy as he chases antiques,women,and murderers through the English countryside. When Lovejoy takes off, you need a plot that bolsters the loss of place. "Paid And Loving Eyes" is second to only "The Great California Game" as the Lovejoy excursion with the most confusing and ridiculous plot. Some passages, especially the maid's sex expoits, include details that Lovejoy hasn't included before or since. This book seems to be written by a lazy Gash or a different person! The latecomer Lovejoy fan will enjoy the antiques lore,but I would not recommend this book to the general mystery fan

Even though I was happy to find something about AI which wasn't written by AI, I would prefare to read something a little bit more dispassionate.

I really didn't get what I expected when I bought this book. I thought it was going to be the Gullivers Travels that I know of but it wasn't. Don't be fooled like I was!