Review: The Last Days by Lindsay Jacob

Synopsis: It is the year 833, and in the land of the East Angles, the rains have failed. The poor pray and starve. Then foreign hermits enter the north of the kingdom. They preach that God’s wrath has fallen upon the people because the king and the head of the Church are heralds of the Antichrist and have allowed sin to flourish. In the fevered atmosphere, lives are taken.

In the kingdom’s south, a boy with royal connections commits an inexplicable crime. The situation spirals out of control, and murder follows. The body of one of the victims is rumoured to have caused a miracle, drawing starving folk to surround the abbey where the body lies. In desperation, the ealdorman calls on Father Eadred—a simple priest with an ability to solve murders— to investigate the crimes.

Eadred throws himself into the task, risking his sanity and life to discover the truth. He uncovers a vile plot, where Christians and pagans are entangled in a volatile web. Eadred rushes from one end of the kingdom to the other, in an attempt to prevent the final crime.

But has someone beaten him?

~ ~ ~

I have read the first in the series but missed the second - this one is the third mystery.

One of the key themes in this mystery is the concept of "the last days". The concept of the "last days" varies across religions, but generally refers to a final period before an end-time event, often involving a final judgment. In Christianity, this period includes signs like moral decline, false prophets, and a coming tribulation before a final judgment and Christ's return.

"... it is a time of false prophets and deceivers ..."

All of these elements are present - church corruption, religious turmoil, vice, crop failure, drought, war, famine. As a sign of religious favour, the people and the church look to miracles as a sign that all will be well. It also means that the site of the miracle may become a place of pilgrimage, drawing in more income (and prestige) for the religious establishment.

However, murder has been committed against a royal personage and Eadred is sent forth to investigate. He comes up against a community shrouded in superstition and a regression to pagan ways, itinerant heretics preaching the end of the world, and suddenly - a miracle amid the bloodshed.

Once Eadred looks like he may have a firm grasp on events, things take a turn as egos vie for dominance, and church and state vie for the power of the people. Will Eadred solve the mysteries at hand or become one of the victims himself .... only time will tell.

This is a well constructed mystery that often takes one step forward and two steps back as the various cases Eadred must solve overlap, and his thoroughness in investigating often has him going hither and thither. The 9th century is depicted well with the ongoing battle of church and state for the souls of those under its protection and as detailed within, when all else fails, the people resort to the "old" religion of the ancestors. Despite Christianity's spread, there were still pockets resistance and a resurgence was on the horizon!

Jacob engages and immerses his readers without appearing to be providing a history lesson. A good little mystery series.

Review: The Signare of Goree by Laura Rahme

Synopsis: 1846. In the heat of West Africa, the French navy uncovers the corpses of two French soldiers. Inspector Maurice Leroux arrives at the island of Gorée. It seems death has come to this small colonial outpost off the Senegal coast, home to the prosperous mixed-blood women known as the signares.

The navy suspects that the Bambara people, emboldened by approaching emancipation, may be out for blood. While confronted by the locals’ strange magical beliefs, Maurice remains skeptical. Does malevolence play a part, or are these deaths accidental, brought upon by the brutality of nature in an island known as the white man's grave?

But when murder strikes, it becomes clear that a killer is stalking Gorée.

Swept by a mystery unlike any he has known, Maurice meets Signare Angélique Aussenac. The proud métis, deserted by her wealthy Bordeaux lover, casts her spell upon Maurice.

But beyond the throbbing sounds of the tam-tams and the glittering signare soirées, danger lurks. Someone is watching. And the deaths go on.

Could the killer be one of the rich Bordeaux merchants? Or are they hiding among the powerful signares?

~ ~ ~

I finally started this a couple of days ago and finished it today (20 Sept 2024). I would have completed it in one sitting but was rudely interrupted by life.

In the 18th and 19th century, Gorée was home to a Franco-African Creole, or Métis, community of merchants. Métis women, called signares, were descendants of African women and European traders, were especially important to the city's business life. The signares owned ships and property and commanded male clerks. They were also famous for cultivating fashion and entertainment. As the trade in slaves declined in the late eighteenth century, Gorée converted to legitimate commerce. In 1872, Goree became a French commune with an elected mayor and a municipal council.  However, our story is set in the 1840s.

The Signare of Goree is a compelling mystery, dripping in ancient culture and superstitions, the land of Goree and its people sweep evocatively across the pages, as Laura Rahme demonstrates her mastery of story-telling. Without giving too much away, the reader, like Leroux, is beguiled and bewitched by Goree, succumbing to the rhythmic tam-tams and its ancient magic, a distraction from the task at hand - finding a killer that may not be human.

Highly recommended.

Review: Anatomy of a Heretic by David Mark

Synopsis: Two assassins go head-to-head on the open seas in this gripping new historical adventure from Sunday Times bestselling author David Mark.

London, 1628: Nicolaes de Pelgrom, assassin and devoted servant of George Villiers, will do whatever his master asks of him – even if that means enduring the perilous voyage to the Indies to exact a grieving widow's revenge.

Making that same journey is Jeronimus Cornelisz, a conniving apothecary determined to escape the backstreets of Amsterdam and become rich beyond imagination. Hired by a criminal mastermind to escort precious cargo to the Indies, he will kill anyone who stands in his way.

When these assassins clash, so too do their missions. One cannot succeed without killing the other. In this deadly game, who will triumph and who will die? And are they even the only players?

"London," observes George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, is "... a great midden filled with the shit and piss of liars, cowards and self-serving malcontents..."

And it is into this squalor and filth that we find Nicolaes de Pelgrom, sitting in a cell in the notorious Marshalsea Prison, lamenting the loss of one Dr Lambe, whom he had been unable to protect from being torn to pieces by an angry and violent mob. Although most Marshalsea prisoners were debtors, the prison was second in importance only to the Tower of London; and from the 14th century onwards, it housed a variety of prisoners, including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition .

However Nicolaes is no ordinary prisoner - he is not only a ward and servant of the Duke of Buckingham, but also his spy and assassin; an orphan raised up from humble beginnings in Holland and educated by the Duke, who took him into his household. Service to the Duke comes at a price - Nicolaes must don the disguise of a Dutch sailor - Wiebbe Hayes - and find a place aboard the Batavia, a ship bound for the East Indies. There he will perform the role of assassin for a grieving widow - Mariam Towerson - by hunting down those responsible for the execution of her husband, Gabriel, a merchant of the English East India Company, at Amboyna (1623).

But it is not all smooth sailing, for there is one among the crew and passengers that will create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust. This is the apothecary, Jeronimus Cornelisz, who is described as pinched face, with fishscale skin; he is willowy, pale and malignant. A religious fanatic with a god-complex and member of a secret brotherhood, Cornelisz too must flee, and he seeks a place on the Batavia, ostensibly to guard a treasure, but with the idea of providing for himself a new life with new found riches. With an almost pathological need to be revered, Cornelisz uses his subtle influence on members of the crew to aid in the fulfillment of his plans. Cornelisz is not a random character plucked from their air - he is a real person, who life is explored and brought to life again throughout the pages of this book.

Other, real-life historical characters that have found their way into the narrative include Commander Francisco Pelsaert, a veteran of the Dutch East India Company and who left us with a journal of his days aboard "The Batavia".  Then there was the Skipper and Second-in-Command, Ariaen Jaconbz, whom it was speculated knew Pelsaert previously and that there was some animosity between the two men. Then there is our additional narrator, Lucretia Jansdochter, who was a passenger aboard the ship, and whose letters to her husband, provide additional context and supplement the alternating narrative of the main protagonists.

Author David Mark makes ample use of the "good versus evil" scenario between the main characters of Nicolaes and Jeronimus, which only serves to amplify the ever increasing tension that exists on the already claustrophobic environment that is "The Batavia". 

Sea travel during the 1600s was long and often unpleasant, conditions aboard were cramped and seasickness was rife. The journey itself, from the Netherlands to Java, was expected to take some one hundred and seventy days - nearly half a year!. Whatever fresh food stock on board was eaten first as this would turn rancid if left for long. A sailor of the early 17th century could expect cramped conditions, disease, poor food and pay, and bad weather. The ship's officers kept strict discipline on board, flogging was the most common form of punishment.  Sailors slept wherever they could find a vacant place on decks or cargo.  Cabins and bunks were provided for officers, but sailors often slept on the deck in the bow, or below in bad weather.  Passengers too had to ensure the same conditions as the crew, with the lucky few possibly have a cabin, oft times shared with others - the expectation of privacy was non-existent.

The cramped and miserable conditions, and rigorous and brutal punishments metered out to the crew were a breeding ground for discontent, which often led to outright mutiny. Many noted captains - from Bligh to Magellan to Hudson to Pigot - faced a mutinous crew on their voyages of either discovery or warfare.

And thus it was that on 4th of June, 1629, a flagship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), the Batavia, was wrecked upon Morning Reef on its maiden voyage, near Beacon Island, a rocky outcrop in the northern part of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, around 37 miles (60 kilometers) off the coast of Western Australian.

State Library of NSW
Ongeluckige voyagie, 1645, by Francisco Pelsaert

What followed was a gruesome story of mass murder, torture, and rape. In all, some 115 people died following the shipwreck, many of whom were murdered violently. Beacon Island now bears the nickname “Batavia’s Graveyard” or “Murder Island.”

For those interested in reading more about the history of "The Batavia", see below:

State Library of New South Wales - Murder & Mutiny

Western Australian Museum - Batavia's History

The History Collection - The Shipwreck of The Batavia

National Museum Australia - The Wreck of The Batavia

Australian Maritime Museum - Barbarism & Brutality

ABC News (Australia) - Batavia Shipwreck

National Geographic - Batavia Graveyard

The Monthly - Bring Up The Bodies

SBS (Australia) - Batavia Revealed: Shipwreck Psycho

Australian Government (Heritage) - Batavia Shipwreck Site

Further reading:

Batavia - Peter FitzSimons

The Wreck of The Batavia - Simon Leyes

Batavia's Graveyard - Mike Dash

Alex Connor's Art Mystery Novels

Alex (Alexandra) Connor was born and educated in England. She has had a variety of careers including photographic model, personal assistant to a world famous heart surgeon, and working in a Bond Street art gallery.Having always had an intense interest in the history of art, Alex – who has previously written historical novels and non fiction – is now concentrating on writing conspiracy thrillers set in the art world.

The Rembrandt Secret (aka The Other Rembrandt)

History's biggest conspiracy is about to be revealed. But not if a brutal murderer has anything to do with it . . .

Marshall Ziegler's father runs a gallery in London, which Marshall has always ignored. But when his father is beaten to a pulp, disembowelled and left to die, Marshall suddenly needs to know every last detail of his life.

He discovers that his father knew a dark secret at the heart of Rembrandt's life, one that has the potential to bring down one of the worlds most lucrative industries. But a sadistic murderer is on the case, killing in increasingly brutal ways to keep it hidden.

Will Marshall beat the killer to the truth? Who can he trust? Will he stay alive long enough to reveal the greatest secret never told?

The Caravaggio Conspiracy

1608. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, the greatest Italian painter of his day, is expelled from the Order of the Knights of Malta. Subject to a clandestine hearing, his crime remains a closely guarded secret.

2014. Two bodies are found in a London art gallery – stripped naked, necks bound with wire and legs obscenely contorted. They are twin brothers – successful art dealers – their brutal murder linked to the mysterious disappearance of two paintings by the master Caravaggio.

Investigators are confounded, and it falls to art expert Gil Eckhart to identify the killer before he slays again. But as the search for clues takes him from the glamorous skyline of New York to the fetid catacombs of Palermo, Eckhart finds that in the high-stakes world of art, good and evil are often tarred with the same, blood-soaked, brush.

The Bosch Deception

A Truth Concealed: Brabant, 1473. 

A clandestine brotherhood hides a secret that could bring down the Catholic Church. Their chosen hiding place - the art of Hieronymus Bosch.

A Terrible Conspiracy: London, 2014. 

An excommunicated priest approaches both the Church and the art world, claiming to possess an artefact that will destroy their reputations.

A Ticking Clock: This man, Nicholas Laverne, is poised to end over 500 years of silence and injustice. Yet, unknown to Nicholas, he has just summoned a killer intent on silencing him.

I read the above three books over the course of a couple of weeks, interspersed with my other reading - its is amazing how quickly you can get through a physical book compared to an e-book.

I started with Caravaggio then Bosch and finished with Rembrandt. Of the three, only the enigmatic Caravaggio held any real interest for me - I just happened upon the other two at the same time as I came across the Caravaggio tome - and thought, why not?  All three had been sitting on the shelves of my own personal library for a number of years before I finally picked them off the shelf.  I had in the meantime read Connor's The Wolves of Venice, which I really didn't like, and figured - as I was in the midst of a book culling - to finally read a number of tomes that had been gathering dust, especially those that appeared to be a part of a series - or in this instance, similarly themed.  

Despite the different cast of characters, artist and mystery, the narrative formula is essentially the same. Past events surrounding a famous artist insinuate themselves into the 20th / 21st Century, requiring the solving / revealing of the said mystery with ensuing high body count.

Whilst I did enjoy these three for what they were - an not too dull adventure in the art world with a healthy dose of conspiracy theory - they really are not something I would go back to read again.  And so these three tomes will be donated / consigned to the little neighbourhood street library with a number of others.

More historical art mysteries:

> Reader's Digest: 13 Strangest Unsolved Mysteries of the Art World

> Culture Trip: 11 Biggest Unsolved Art Mysteries of All Time

Review: The Day of the Serpent by Cassandra Clark

Synopsis: The murder of a loyal king's man threatens the self-crowned King Henry's new regime in this second gripping medieval mystery featuring friar, sleuth and reluctant spy Brother Chandler. 

January, 1400. The bowman strikes at night, slaying one of King Henry's loyal garrison men before melting back into the darkness. Was the murder the result of a personal quarrel? Or is it, as Henry's stepbrother, Swynford, fears, the start of an uprising against England's self-crowned king? Swynford orders Brother Chandler to investigate, before the spark of rebellion can set the whole country alight. 

Friar, reluctant sleuth, and even more reluctant spy, Brother Chandler is a man with dark secrets and divided loyalties. To the murdered King Richard. To his paymaster, the usurper King Henry. And to beautiful, naive Mattie, a maid in the household of heretical poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who holds dangerous secrets of her own. Trusted by no one, Chandler must walk a tightrope of secrets and lies if he is to uncover the truth about the murder, while ensuring he - and the few people he cares about - stay alive. 

This historical mystery set at the start of the reign of Henry IV of England, and follows on from The Hour of the Fox - so it is advisable to read the series in order.

This second Brother Chandler book opens fairly close to where the first finished - Brother Chandler is en route to Pontefract castle, in the entourage of Thomas Swynford.  Richard II has been deposed by his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, who as assumed the throne as Henry IV. But "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown" - especially one that many feels is not rightfully his.  Whilst at Pontefract, Chandler finds himself in the company of the deposed Richard, who is somewhat resigned to his fate even more so in light of a number of rebellions that set out to restore the monarch. Richard alive is a thorn in Henry's side - but how does one dispose of a monarch, even a deposed one, without questions being asked.  

Finally, the deed is done, and the body of the dead monarch is being transported back to London for burial.  His funeral cortege makes off at a slow pace, giving the population ample opportunity to view the corpse.  But it is not an easy journey, as members of the escort are being targeted by a mysterious archer.  Chandler is detailed to investigate by Swynford who is eager to produce a suspect (any suspect) and appease the wary new king.

Against this backdrop of rebellion and sedition, the character of Chaucer makes another appearance, as he is suspected of being the author of a number of heretical texts making the rounds.  This part of the story is told in the first person narrative of Chaucer's maid, Mattie, who is given more of a role in this book than in the first.

There are three narratives being used to tell this story - we have the first person narrative of Mattie for Chaucer and his activities; we have the third person narrative for the bulk of the story; and added to this is the first person chronicle of Brother Chandler, who has decided to document (a true account of) events for posterity.

As I said, it is better to have read the first in the series as a number of characters make a return as does the prophecy theme.  I would have preferred a bit more of an exploration of the roles of the spymasters, who I felt got the short end of the stick in this book. The ending, however, I found to be rather disappointing and has left me wondering what the author's intent is with the character of Brother Chandler.  After reading both, I found myself liking the first one more than this second.

For further background on this series, read my review of The Hour of the Fox.

Review: River of Sins by Sarah Hawkwood

Synopsis: July 1144. Ricolde, ‘the finest whore in Worcester’, is found butchered on an island a few miles up the River Severn. How did she get there, who killed her, and why? Uncovering details of her life and her past reveal a woman with hidden depths and hidden miseries which are fundamental to the answers, but time has cast a thick veil over the killer’s identity. The lord Sheriff’s men have a trail that went cold over two decades ago, and evidence that contradicts itself. In a place Catchpoll knows inside out, he finds things new even to him, and then the case becomes personal.

This is book seven of in the Bradecote and Catchpoll series; and funny thing is, I think I have read the first one, but GR says apparently not. The characters seem so familiar to me as does the storyline of book one.

I enjoyed it - I love a good historical "whodunnit" and the author takes us on the same meandering path as the Severn River. The time is set during what came to be known as "The Anarchy", when Empress Maud and King Stephen fought for the throne of England in the 12th Century.

In 1144, however, the drama had been playing our for over ten years - with one side then the other gaining the upper hand.  Stephen was still King of England, though Empress Maud's banner was now being taken up by both her husband, Geoffrey of Anjou, and her eldest son, Henry Plantagenet.  Things were reaching an impasse.  The city of Worcester itself had suffered a series of attacks, held by Count Waleran of Meulan for the king, the city lay dangerously close to the powerbase of Gloucester, held for Empress Maud by her half brother Robert.  From its position, the city also had command of the nearest bridge crossing from Oxford, where the King was based.  As such, the attack five years previous saw part of the city destroyed by fire and its citizens held for ransom.

This is the backdrop against which the author weaves her story.  There is plenty of investigating, clue following, suspect interviewing - for the methods of investigation were not as scientifically exacting as they are today. And public perception of a person's character held (and carried) more weight than whether a person was innocent or not.

If you like the Cadfael series, you will take to this one - I will most likely go back and read them from the start as there are references to previous events and characters.

Review: People of Abandoned Character by Claire Whitfield

Synopsis: Marry in haste . . . Murder at leisure?

London, 1888: Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon. After a passionate honeymoon, she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger. But then everything changes. Thomas's behavior becomes increasingly volatile and violent. He stays out all night, returning home bloodied and full of secrets. The gentle caresses she enjoyed on her wedding night are now just a honeyed memory. 

When the first woman is murdered in Whitechapel, Susannah's interest is piqued. But as she follows the reports of the ongoing hunt for the killer, her mind takes her down the darkest path imaginable. Every time Thomas stays out late, another victim is found dead. Is it coincidence? Or is her husband the man they call Jack the Ripper?

To think I nearly gave up on this. It wasn't quite holding my fascination at the beginning, but the premise promised so much that I continued on. And OMG! What a finish! About halfway through things start to move - think gothic fiction along the lines of "Gaslight" and "Rebecca" and you'll know what you are in for. 

Just as Alice was led down the the rabbit hole by the White Rabbit, so Whitfield leads the reader through the crime-ridden sordid streets of Victorian Whitechapel, an area of overcrowding and abject poverty. It was a city of doss houses, sweatshops, abattoirs, overcrowded slums, pubs, a few shops and warehouses. Although described as “terra incognito for respectable citizens", it was a place were the wealthy gentlemen "slummed it" and the well-heeled ladies got their daily crime fix by visiting the scenes of horror (from the deplorable living conditions to the crimes scenes of the Ripper).

Women within Victorian society were entirely at the mercy of the men who dominated their lives: first, their fathers and brothers would control them when they are still young and when they are married, their husbands. Marriage was considered very essential and significant for the sake of the stability of the society. Women were therefore expected to be very obedient and submissive in order to have a happy and stable marriage. Women were not supposed to divorce; they were expected to live with their husbands even if it meant to live in miserable marriage.

Women thus began to perform duties outside their homes. This meant that they would cook, nurse and educate young people for a pay. Nevertheless, a woman was only supposed to work as long as she was not married, but once married, she was expected to stop working and take up her role as a wife and mother.

It wasn't until the 1880s that educational opportunities and institutions opened up to women to continue with their learning. Whereas prior to this, an educated woman was not considered attractive nor marriageable material. At the same time, women attained more legal rights with the establishment of more movements and acts. The married women property act allowed married women authority over their own properties. Her property was hers and not her husband’s. 

When Nurse Susannah Chapman marries wealth doctor Thomas Lancaster, little did she know what she was getting in for - yes, marry in haste, repent in leisure is very apt. With no family of her own and isolated from her friends, Susannah finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage. Husband Thomas becomes this Jekyll and Hyde type character, and when the Ripper murders start, Susannah slowly connects the dots, coming to a horrifying conclusion that could end in her own death. 

For a first novel, this is gripping stuff - as I said, I nearly gave up on it early on in the piece, but the scene was just being set with a bit of retrospective narrative - it will make sense as you near then end. And I especially loved the narrative ascribed to the Ripper's victims. The ending .... you know its building up to something, however, the something that we get is far for expected! It is almost noirish by definition. 

This and Elizabeth Hill's "Killing The Girl" have to be two of my favourite crime reads for this year.

Review: The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo

Synopsis: In 1940s Japan, the wealthy head of the Inugami Clan dies, setting off a chain of bizarre, gruesome murders. Detective Kindaichi must unravel the clan’s terrible secrets of forbidden liaisons, monstrous cruelty, and disguised identities to find the murderer.

After reading the Honjin Murders back in March, I was excited to receive a review copy of another Kosuke Kindaichi mystery. However, this does not directly follow the first in fact it is number six in the series, but the second only to have been translated into English (nothing is lost in the translation!).

Events are set roughly around 1947 - after the second world war - and involve a prominent Nasu family. Following the death of the patriarch, the reading of his will (with its very special conditions) plunges the family into a "series of bloody murders". Kindaichi is on the spot and is involved in the investigation from the very beginning.

To say the family is disfunctional would be an understatement - petty jealousies, long concealed secrets, simmering hatreds, questionable motives, a gruesome deaths - all provide a deliciously deceptive narrative, with more red herrings than a Dr Seuss book.  Don't worry if you lose track, Kindaichi provides a brief summary of his discoveries about two thirds of the way through.

As I mentioned in my review of the Honjin Murders, I do hope that more of Yokomizo's Kindaichi series are translated and released.

Side note: another reviewer mentioned the movie version. I tracked it down (the 1976 version at least) on youtube - loved it!.

Review: A Murder in Venice by Maria Luisa Minarelli

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.

further reading online

Rebels of 18th Century Venice by Ozlem Eren

Venetian Studies Blog - The Venetian Patriciate

A Day in 18th Century VeniceThe Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

The House on Vesper Sands: a delicately and skilfully crafted Victorian thriller

From The Irish Times:

A young man comes to Victorian London in search of his guardian, a troubled woman disappears, a poor little seamstress strives to put a stop to a dreadful conspiracy and grey waves break on the sullen Kent shore where a house broods over Vesper Sands. That faint hum currently disturbing the seismographs of London comes from Westminster Abbey, where Charles Dickens is whirling enviously in his grave.

It takes a certain audacity to write a novel that tips its hat so mischievously to the most celebrated Victorian novelist, but Paraic O’Donnell has more than enough talent to get away with it. The House on Vesper Sands is his second novel after the critically acclaimed Maker of Swans, but there is no trace of difficult-second-novel nerves in this accomplished historical mystery.