Every Last Cent

This entry in Jonathan Gash's long-running Lovejoy series finds its roguish antiques dealer facing trouble of his own making. A young local man called Mortimer has a knack for telling real antiques from forgeries that rivals Lovejoy's, and rumour holds that he is Lovejoy's son. The difference is that Mortimer will not bend the truth, and his honesty is damaging the local trade. The dealers, unsurprisingly, hold Lovejoy responsible.

Hoping to talk his way out of the mess, Lovejoy decides to gather a large stock of antiques using his own skill. He enlists Bernicka, a sculptor and one of the women he is fond of, to help him, but the plan goes badly wrong. With deaths piling up around him, Lovejoy has good reason to be frightened.