Genre: Historical
Fiction/Mystery
Description:
This fits into a number of genres. It is a
history and mystery, also a police procedural murder mystery, also an art
historical mystery. One thing is for certain: it is a work of fiction in which
there is much mystery. And hens.
Author:
The author is an authority on history and
art history – and her knowledge certainly shines through in this book. And she
imparts that knowledge lightly: good! She is also an instructor in Fine Arts,
and an accomplished illustrator and animator.
Since 2010 she has published in Italian,
winning numerous awards. Her meat is crime. She has several series on the go. She
has 20 titles on Goodreads. Her books are huge in Italy (all in Italian). This
is the first one translated into English. We don’t usually get sent this sort
of work by authors already so well-established. I’m very glad I found it in our
listings. It has been an unusual read. I hope she succeeds in reaching the
wider audience she seeks.
She was born, and lives in, Chiavari on the
Italy Riviera (where Dr Silvera and her hens live in the book).
Appraisal:
This is an unusual and interesting book, for
several reasons. The first is that it gives insights into Italian police
procedures that one normally doesn’t find outside the Inspector Montalbano Mysteries
(books and TV series, in Italian), or Signora Volpe (original TV series,
in English, set in Italy).
The second reason is the joyous and flavourful
backdrop of Italy, its scenery, its wine, its way of life in general. Bellissima!
The third is that, after clopping along for
the first 25% of its length, it suddenly bursts into life and throws at the
reader explanations of multi-panel paintings and the hierarchy of subjects and
colours in fifteenth century art, Nazi art thefts, a reinterpretation of the treachery
of Judas, and the shadier parts of the international art market. Nice.
If you are into fifteenth century European
art, Christian conspiracy theories like The Da Vinci Code, alternative
gospels such as The Gospel of Judas, Gnosticism, Nazi skullduggery or
any combination of these, you will find much to enjoy this book.
I do have a few reservations. As I say, the
book begins slowly. The plot only really kicks in around Chapter 16, by which
time we have been shown a number of times how waspish and unreasonable Dottore
Edna Silvera usually is. I found Dr Silvera unsympathetic as a protagonist,
which was a pity as she was on stage for most of the book. The translator
wanders between present and past tenses (sometimes in the same sentence) which
tends to produce a headache in this reader. A fat bundle of coincidences
enabled the plot to function. The pleasant cover was (as far as I could see)
completely unrelated to the content of the book. (Checking back on the Italian
edition – Con l'arte e con
l'inganno – I see that cover also
appears unrelated to the story, except for a bird flying past. Lascia
perdere!)
However, the plot, the factual information,
the characters, not forgetting the super-abundant use of qualifiers, all impel
the book forward towards a most satisfying climax and made me forgive its infelicities.
Full disclosure: I have long been fascinated
by Judas Iscariot, and some time ago wrote a story which revisits his role in
the arrest of Jesus Christ. It’s in my book of short stories entitled Ice
Cold Passion, and is available in the US and the UK for small money on
Kindle, if you’re interested. (And no, I had no idea we would be meeting up
with Judas when I picked up this book for review.)
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
Format/Typo
Issues:
Some proofreading and translation issues.
Rating: ****
Four Stories
Reviewed
by: Judi Moore
Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words
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