About the book
A national bestseller and one of the New York Public Library's Books to Remember, An Instance of the Fingerpost is a thrilling historical mystery from Iain Pears.
\"It is 1663, and England is wracked with intrigue and civil strife. When an Oxford don is murdered, it seems at first that the incident can have nothing to do with great matters of church and state....Yet, little is as it seems in this gripping novel, which dramatizes the ways in which witnesses can see the same events yet remember them falsely. Each of four narrators—a Venetian medical student, a young man intent on proving his late father innocent of treason, a cryptographer, and an archivist—fingers a different culprit...an erudite and entertaining tour de force.\" —People
Iain Pears's The Dream of Scipio and The Portrait are also available from Riverhead Books.
Editions of An Instance of the Fingerpost
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781573220828
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781573227957
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780425167724
- EBook
- ISBN 9781101640111
Read an Excerpt
A national bestseller and one of the New York Public Library's Books to Remember, An Instance of the Fingerpost is a thrilling historical mystery from Iain Pears.
\"It is 1663, and England is wracked with intrigue and civil strife. When an Oxford don is murdered, it seems at first that the incident can have nothing to do with great matters of church and state....Yet, little is as it seems in this gripping novel, which dramatizes the ways in which witnesses can see the same events yet remember them falsely. Each of four narrators—a Venetian medical student, a young man intent on proving his late father innocent of treason, a cryptographer, and an archivist—fingers a different culprit...an erudite and entertaining tour de force.\" —People
Iain Pears's The Dream of Scipio and The Portrait are also available from Riverhead Books.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is An Instance of the Fingerpost about?
A national bestseller and one of the New York Public Library's Books to Remember, An Instance of the Fingerpost is a thrilling historical mystery from Iain Pears.
\"It is 1663, and England is wracked with intrigue and civil strife. When an Oxford don is murdered, it seems at first that the incident can have nothing to do with great matters of church and state....Yet, little is as it seems in this gripping novel, which dramatizes the ways in which witnesses can see the same events yet remember them falsely. Each of four narrators—a Venetian medical student, a young man intent on proving his late father innocent of treason, a cryptographer, and an archivist—fingers a different culprit...an erudite and entertaining tour de force.\" —People
Iain Pears's The Dream of Scipio and The Portrait are also available from Riverhead Books.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in An Instance of the Fingerpost?
Fiction > Crime and / or mystery fiction > Historical crime and mysteries
Where can I read a sample of An Instance of the Fingerpost?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781573220828
Who is/are the Author/s of the book An Instance of the Fingerpost?
Iain Pears
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
An Instance of the Fingerpost is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781573220828) and paperback(ISBN 9781573227957) and paperback(ISBN 9780425167724) and ebook(ISBN 9781101640111)
Where can I buy An Instance of the Fingerpost online or support local independent bookshops?
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Where can I buy An Instance of the Fingerpost?