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Published May 2009
608 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
In his most dazzling novel since the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller An Instance of the Fingerpost, Iain Pears tells the story of John Stone, financier and arms dealer, a man so wealthy that in the years before World War One he was able to manipulate markets, industries, and indeed entire countries and continents.
A panoramic novel with a riveting mystery at its heart, Stone’s Fall is a quest to discover how and why John Stone dies, falling out of a window at his London home.
Chronologically, it moves backwards–from London in 1909 to Paris in 1890, and finally to Venice in 1867 – and in the process the quest to uncover the truth plays out against the backdrop of the evolution of high-stakes international finance, Europe’s first great age of espionage, and the start of the twentieth century’s arms race.
Like Fingerpost, Stone’s Fall is an intricately plotted and richly satisfying puzzle–an erudite work of history and fiction that feels utterly true and oddly timely–and marks the triumphant return of one of the world’s great storytellers.
"British author Pears matches the brilliance of his bestselling An Instance of the Fingerpost with this intricate historical novel." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Classy crime fiction, delightfully written, with few straight lines in sight." - Kirkus Reviews
"Starred Review. [I]n the best sense of the word an old-fashioned novel, populated with vital characters and bursting at the seams with narrative vigor. Highly recommended." - Library Journal
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Marilynn K. Yee
Iain Pears was born in England in 1955 and was educated at Wadham College, Oxford. Pears has worked as an art historian, a TV consultant, and a journalist for many countries. Pears combined his knowledge of art and his mystery writing technique in An Instance of the Fingerpost and other novels. He also wrote Stone's Fall. Pears is the author of the Jonathan Argyll series of art history mystery novels. The series includes The Raphael Affair, The Titian Committee, Giotto's Hand and The Immaculate Deception.
Name Pronunciation
Iain Pears: Like Ian (ee-un)
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