I knew there was a difference in tone between the books and Ian McShane’s lovable chappie in the Lovejoy TV series, but this is the first of the original books that I’ve tackled. Lovejoy is not a nice character at all, especially in the way he treats his women. He’s quite happy to hit them if they’re annoying him. And the women forgive him and come back for more – idiots. This, the first Lovejoy book, was written in 1977 – maybe the author would think twice before letting his hero beat his women if he were writing now. Anyhow, that aside, the book is well plotted tense and exciting. Lovejoy is asked to source a unique pair of flintlock duelling pistols which were stolen when a collector was murdered. His enquiries take him ever closer to the unsolved murder, and into direct danger. Gash (pen name of John Grant, born 1933) does a good job on the character of Lovejoy, but the females in the story are pretty two dimensional. He obviously knows his stuff when it comes to the antiques world, especially the shadier side of it. This novel won the John Creasey Award in 1977. All I can say is that it was a different time then. Don’t read unless you are willing to ignore the misogyny. Well performed by Michael Fenton Stevens.