Faces in the Pool

December 7, 2009
In Gash's jaunty 24th Lovejoy mystery to feature the crooked East Anglian antiques expert with a weakness for women (after 2004's "The Ten Word Game"), Lovejoy accepts an offer of early release from prison on condition he work for a speed-dating service run by Laura Moon, a wealthy divorcée. Part of the deal, he soon learns, is to wed Laura in a ploy to bring her ex-husband, a confidence trickster, out of hiding. Lovejoy agrees, but before the ink is dry on the marriage register, a couple of his friends suffer fatal accidents. The rambling plot involves white tribes, people who control fortunes in old jewels and curios that could potentially flood the antiques market. While Gash makes the British slang easy to follow for American readers and throws in plenty of authentic antiques lore, this dated tale with its often grating protagonist is unlikely to win the author many new fans. "(Dec.)" .