Synopsis: Venice, 1752. On a cold December night, a man is found strangled in a dark alley. High magistrate Marco Pisani is tasked with investigating the grisly murder. When two more bodies are discovered, it is clear there is a serial killer on the loose. Helped in his investigation by lawyer Zen, daring gondolier Nani and the cunning Chiara Renier, Pisani is determined to uncover the truth before the murderer strikes again. But to find answers, he must move among the city’s criminal underworld of spies, shady taverns and gambling halls.
So a little bit of history which serves as a backdrop of events in the book.....
Venetian Nobles were wealthy merchants with voting rights and political roles, not feudal landowners with local jurisdiction and military responsibilities. From 1297, certain wealthy and politically-active families separated themselves and made membership to the Council a hereditary right, thus fashioning an aristocratic order. Later, in 1315, the Libro d'Oro (Golden Book) was created to record the names of those who were eligible nobles, further codifying the aristocratic social structure of the Republic. However, by the time of this story, to become part of the Venetian nobility one could aid the state during times of trouble, trace the family lineage back to a member of the government from 1293 or prior, or be willing to pay 100,000 ducats to the Republic in exchange for the right to join the nobility.
Families conducted business as a unit. This custom was known as fraterna, which meant that while one brother may pursue politics as a profession, other brothers would pursue other complementary professions to help grow familial wealth. The family unit would share the inherited patrimony and use it to reinvest in business ventures. Whilst the idea of shared familial wealth is great in theory, in reality, if one brother made a poor business decision, it led the entire family into abject poverty and dependence upon other rich nobles.
By 1790 almost 1,200 nobles were receiving a pension from the Venetian state, totaling 130,179 ducats annually, at a time when there were only 1090 noblemen in the Great Council.
In Venetian Socitey of the 17th and 18th centuries, the combination of the mask with the black cape and tricorn hat symbolized the Carnival season. Venetians did not wear masks solely for celebration. In fact, for almost half of the year masks were worn to social gatherings, to attend the theater, for evening outings, and for visiting the the ridotto (gambling hall). The wearing of the mask provided a release from strict moral codes and sumptuary laws implemented by the city’s conservative Great Council. Creating an appearance of equality, the mask eased the interaction of social classes, permitted women to go out unescorted, and allowed beggars to conceal their shame. And, of course, as profusely and notoriously demonstrated by Casanova’s exploits, the mask’s secrecy enabled a certain sexual freedom.
By middle of the 18th century, with Venice is visible decline, city officials had every reason to fear unrest might result in violence, and it has been suggested that the remarkable frequency of festivals and community-based events in the city’s squares —occurring at least two times each month — was part of a strategy on the part of the Venetian authorities to regulate and placate the population and diffuse discontent.
Venetian Government was an oligarchy and all noble / aristocratic men over the age of twenty-five were eligible to work in the administration of the Republic. There were hundreds of offices to be filled and the only eligible candidates were wealthy aristocrats. All aspects of the Venetian foreign services were tied to extremely wealthy members of the Great Council, because while the government did provide a stipend for holding these posts, the cost of upkeep, entertaining visiting politicians, and staffing the posts were left up to the office holder. Men of the middleclass also worked in the government as notaries and secretaries, as they were not eligible to hold political office by virtue of their birth.
Another interesting aspect about the Venetian government is that the division of power was not strictly vertical, but rather many areas of authority and governance were shared linearly among several offices. This structure created problems in law making because several bodies had the authority to pass laws, yet there was no complete code used to record these laws, so they were often unenforceable. Even laws governing nobles were blatantly ignored.
Venice in Decline: the Venetian state became dependent on the patriciate, economically, politically, and militarily; and as the patriciate failed, the economy, government, and military also failed.
Leading up to the sixteenth century the Venetian aristocracy dominated international trade and funded a booming shipping industry that fostered a very powerful navy. Since the Venetian shipping industry and its navy were completely intertwined, the decline of the former caused the deterioration of the latter. By the eighteenth century the Arsenal had not been updated in centuries and was still using outdated shipping; and rather than maintaining a separate military, the state relied on immigrants to fill the ranks of its military.
Venice was steadily losing its monopoly on trade in the Medieterranean and beyond; the loss of territories and colonies (to the invading Turks), and trade routes (to competitors), heavily impacted economic and mercantile prosperity. The government was on the verge of bankruptcy; forced loans, taxation, poor-aid, in conjunction with a cultural shift away from commerce and industry, towards luxurious living, government dependency, and feudalism, disaster became imminent. Internal political reform was proposed at various times, but the vocal faction of the Barnabotti (destitute patricians who by virtue of their family name had a right to sit in the great council) vehemently opposed them. As a result of his political impotence, Loredan effectively sealed the fate of the dying Republic.
So, we now return to our murder mystery (also titled Venetian Scarlet) which is set in the reign of Doge Francesco Loredan of Venice. As the story opens, Loredan had only assumed the ducal throne in April, despite being elected in March. He was a man of little political experience and one of the biggest issues he faced in domestic politics was the clash between the conservatives and the reformers (as mentioned above).
To use a quote from Mariana Starke, Letters from Italy, between the years 1792 and 1798
All was not well in the city where “every sensation is wound up to love,” as the wicked were often able to disguise themselves among churchgoers, singing psalms and receiving pious donations, and the judicial system often ruled murder cases in favor of the murderer.
We follow magistrate Marco Pisani as he investigates a series of brutal murders among the nobility - what is the link between the victims, and will he solve the mystery before the death toll rises.
I enjoyed this cosy mystery set in Venice in the 1750s - its great to read mysteries set in places far from the picturesque English countryside or mean streets of America. What I could take or leave was the "abilities" of Chiara Renier, the main female character and the relationship between Chiara and Marco - it felt a bit out of character for Marco. As this is the first in a series of four books, Ithis relationship could have been explored over the course of the series. However, others may feel differently - and it doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of the book.
Murder in Venice was an enjoyable afternoon's escapism and I am looking forward to reading the rest in the series!
more in the series:
Venetian Gold : it is one of the last days of Carnival when Sister Maria Angelica, a cloistered nun on Murano, is found barbarously killed in her secret apartment in Venice. While the city is celebrating, including masquerade balls in the palaces and in the fields, shows in theaters and night parades, avogadore Marco Pisani does not take long to discover that the nun had a double life. Assisted by his friend lawyer Daniele Zen, secretary Jacopo Tiralli and doctor and pathologist Guido Valentini, Pisani thinks he has identified the culprit. However, instead of the solution, he will have to deal with two other heinous crimes. Nothing seems to bring the three crimes together except for the disappearance of money and jewels and the presence of a gold medallion marked by strange symbols.
Venetian Curtain : the city is is full celebration of the Sensa, including lavish stages and costumes, self-styled magicians and alchemists, women of the underworld, sopranos, sopranists and musicians. Marco Pisani finds himself involved in a complex investigation, with a seemingly solutionless puzzle, which with take him from his beautiful and decadent city to Bologna, for an unexpected solution that will turn into an act of justice.
Venetian Crusade : Rome is plunged into madness: the sacred images are burned, nuns are snatched from their convents, ghosts roam the streets from which blood springs. Have the forces of evil seized the city or is it all the product of a human conspiracy? Pope Lambertini asks for help from his old friend Guido Valentini and avocadore Marco Pisani, who has moved from Venice to the Eternal City.
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