A Rag, Bone and Hank of Hair

That likable rogue, Lovejoy, puts his expert's knowledge of antiques to the supreme test in this 21st installment of his raffish adventures. Shady operator Dosh Callaghan hires Lovejoy to figure out who tricked him in the matter of some unusual green gemstones. Under his loupe, the antiques dealer sees that the stones are merely tsavorite, not valuable ""padpas."" While reluctantly playing sleuth in London's street markets, Lovejoy happens across another mystery, which could be connected to his current investigation. His old friends the Goldhorns have fallen on bad times. Arthur is dead, perhaps murdered, while Colette is out on the streets, a ""bag lady."" The agent of their misfortunes is one Dieter Gluck, a nasty piece of work, who wastes little time in intimidating Lovejoy. Determined to aid the widowed Colette, one of his many former paramours, and Colette's endangered teenage son, Mortimer, Lovejoy works to revive a scam that will put Gluck back in the gutter where he belongs. The pace is more than leisurely, with many a detour to natter about antiques, but in the end Lovejoy stumbles toward a sort of justice. Fans will chuckle all the way. Agent, Desmond Elliott. (Mar.)