Book review : The Assassin of Venice by Alyssa Palombo

The Assassin of Venice
by Alyssa Palombo
GENRE: #Historical-mystery-romance

My rating: ★★★★★
A resounding 5 stars!

This historical novel is a real page-turner, blending mystery, secrets, murder, romance, passion, political games, and friendship against the rich backdrop of 16th-century Venice. Absolutely captivating!


___THE PLOT IN A NUTSHELL:

Venice, 1538.

Valentina Riccardi is a woman of beauty, intellect, and deadly skill. As a celebrated courtesan in Venice, she's in the perfect position to charm, dominate, and eliminate influential men. Spies? Traitors? It doesn't matter. All that matters to her is that these men are enemies of the Council of Ten, the shadowy and all-powerful group that governs the Republic, and therefore potentially dangerous to the people of Venice.

Venice is her beloved home, and having once lost everything to an invading army, she's willing to do anything to protect it, because nothing is more precious to her.

Valentina enjoys her profession and is happy to spend her evenings and nights with several attractive and handsome lovers. However, Bastiano Bragadin, the third son of a noble family (one of Venice's wealthy families), is the one who has truly captured her heart, and he loves her back with genuine passion. Unfortunately, their different social standings make marriage impossible.

Bastiano also works for the Council of Ten, but this is not the only secret between them; a far more significant connection unites them.

One day, Valentina receives the order to kill an enemy of the Ten: Bastiano. If she refuses, those she cares about will pay the price...

Could Bastiano be a traitor? Or is there a conspiracy brewing, where the lines between good and evil are blurred, and where the interests of the Venetian people are not the priority, but rather the ambition of men hungry for power?

How can Valentina possibly choose between love and duty?

_____________ ********** _____________

MY TAKE:

As I mentioned earlier, this novel is a complex tapestry, where fiction is expertly woven into the historical fabric of Renaissance Venice, a powerful commercial republic and a vital hub for trade between Europe and the East.

On one side, Venice gleamed with its riches, its magnificent palaces, its silks, its spices, its glasswork, its art, its festivals, its culture... on the other, it was a breeding ground for spies and political schemes, where even the walls had ears and trust was a rare commodity.

When you add a passionate love story and compelling characters, skillfully brought to life by the author, you'll understand why I was completely enthralled from the very first page.


___ THE CHARACTERS ____

_____ VALENTINA is a strong, bright, and spirited heroine, skilled in both the arts of seduction and assassination.
She is prepared to do anything to protect her freedom, her wealth, and the ones she loves.
The story is narrated by Valentina herself, in the first person and present tense, as the events unfold.
From time to time, we get glimpses into our courtesan's past, when she was still a young girl from a wealthy family in another city. We learn about her past and her wounds, and what led her to make certain choices in her life.

I didn't exactly *like* her being a killer, but considering the limited options for women back then, I can understand why many chose the life of a courtesan; it was often the only way for women to have some control over their own lives.

---> Throughout the narrative, I wasn't able to fully get behind her character as some other readers did.
This wasn't because she was a killer (which the book justifies by saying she was eliminating traitors who would bring only war and ruin to the Venetian people), but because her painful past had made her so cynical that she almost always put herself first.

More than that, despite her feelings for Bastiano, she not only did her job by sleeping with other men, but she clearly relished it. I mean, for her, it wasn't just a job, it was also a pleasure.
She enjoyed the physical intimacy and and emotional complicity with some of her clients immensely, from the dinners and private conversations to the parties and, ultimately, every single moment of the sexual act. It seemed to me that she was at least a little infatuated with others as well, and I perceived this as a sort of emotional betrayal of Bastiano.

I can accept the physical infidelity in this situation because it was part of her job, but the emotional betrayal is unacceptable if we're talking about true love for Bastiano.

What's more, I didn't feel particularly moved by the chapters detailing her painful past.
I was more bothered by the pity she felt for herself than the pain she experienced due to the horrific deaths of others. Ambition and self-centeredness have been part of her character from the start.

Looking at it objectively, it's clear that the protagonist had to be tough and ruthless; she couldn't have survived in her profession otherwise. However, this made me follow the story with curiosity and complete fascination, rooting for Bastiano instead of her.

_____ BASTIANO is a charming, intelligent and handsome young man. He enjoys playing the part of the carefree charmer who seduces women with just his knowing smile, but deep down, he's a good soul, kind, devoted, and protective.
While he could have many lovers, he doesn't. He is jealous of the other men, and it hurts him to see them with Valentina and to know that she'll share a bed with them, but he never becomes possessive. He expresses his jealousy in a healthy way and wants to share his life with her, even though the customs of the time only allowed firstborn sons to marry and produce heirs.

You might think that a man who accepts this kind of relationship is weak, but that's not true. It is his strength of character that allows him to stay by her side even when things get difficult and everything seems dark and uncertain.

He's willing to sacrifice his life to save the woman he loves.

I was worried about him right up until the end, because the story takes so many unexpected turns, and it's hard to guess what the author will do with this character, who became the one I cared about most in the whole book.

As the story unfolds, we also meet some of Valentina's clients, other courtesans (including a very close friend), and, naturally, the "villain" of the moment.

Each character has well-defined personality traits, which made them either likable (making me fear for their safety) or loathsome, and which skillfully added depth to the picture of Valentina's life, thus lending meaning to her choices and her mistakes.


__ THE MYSTERY PART ___

The mystery is compelling and kept me guessing until the very end, though I have to admit there were a couple of somewhat predictable moments.

The most fascinating parts of the book are the characters and the way they navigate blackmail and try to expose a dangerous plot. The intriguing setting of Venice is equally important, acting as a third main character: glittering, powerful, decadent, and perilous.

Moreover, the author's writing style is perfectly balanced, never too wordy, never too brief, always managing to intrigue and engage you, making you feel like you're right there with the characters.


_____ HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ____

While the story of Valentina and Bastiano is fictional, the author presents the real world of courtesans, the "honest courtesans," with considerable skill. These women distinguished themselves from ordinary prostitutes through their extensive education, refinement, and comfortable way of life.
Since women of "patrician families" weren't allowed to read or study, wealthy and noble men turned to courtesans not only for sexual gratification but also for companionship at events and parties, and to have someone they could converse with as equals. The politics of the era and the system of government in the Republic of Venice, the famous Serenissima, are also explained clearly and concisely, which greatly helps the reader understand the roles of certain characters and the kind of power they possessed or sought.

You can find additional information in the author's fascinating HISTORICAL NOTES at the end of the book.


___ WHO SHOULD READ THIS? ___

Although it touches on themes of sex and murder, this is actually a "clean" read, with CLEAN LANGUAGE and NO GRUESOME DESCRIPTIONS.
The intimate scenes are always depicted elegantly and never descend into vulgarity.

If you enjoy historical settings that are true to life and want something different from the usual stories set in England or America, if you want a romance that's not just about romance but also filled with intrigue and dark secrets... then this book is for you.

----> I found the ending satisfying, although I would have preferred a more traditional happily-ever-after. However, I realize that would have felt unrealistic and improbable. Don't worry, it's still a positive ending.

This is the first book I've read by this author, but it definitely won't be the last. I'm eager to explore her other novels!!

Thank you my friends for reding my opinion, I hope this helps you choose your next read!


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Book review : The Four Horsemen by Gregory Dowling

The Four Horsemen
The Alvise Marangon Mysteries book #2
by Gregory Dowling
GENRE: #Historical-mystery
My rating: ★★★★★
full 5-star rating !!!!!!!

A gripping Venetian mystery with surprises at every turn.

Why I LOVED IT in few words :
- gripping mystery from the first to the last chapter
- nice, witty and smart main character
- interesting and nice and quick-witted recurring side characters
- evil villains you can't wait to see punished
- chucklesome and lively dialogues that manage to make the reader enter the souls of the characters
- fascinating backdrop of ancient Venice with engaging but never too long descriptions (as sometimes happens to those who write historical fiction)
- lots of true history cleverly interwoven with fiction
- happy ending without leaving annoyingly unresolved issues, but still fueling the hope of reading not just one, but many sequels !!!
- useful italian and Venetian words glossary available

__ THE PLOT IN A NUTSHELL ___ __ Mid-18th-century Venice.
Alvise Marangon, a young man born in Venice and raised in England by his actress mother, lives in his hometown earning a living as a cicerone (tour guide) together with his friend Bepi the gondolier. He also has a second secret job: he is a secret agent for the Missier Grande, one of the powerful figures who control justice in the Venetian Republic.
Summoned by his superior to investigate the suspicious death of another agent and a possible secret society whose political and subversive objectives are unclear, he finds himself entangled in a deadly game of nocturnal meetings, murders, disappearances of works of art, bewitching and dangerous noblewomen and sadistic spoiled offspring.

The very life of the Republic is in danger and the risk of new wars with the Greeks and Turks is one step away from the hard-won peace.

Fortunately he can count on his shrewdness and skill to improvise, as well as on his laconic, but intuitive ,acute and faithful friend Bepi, on the lovely and also smart girl he loves (but who he has not yet managed to conquer) Lucia and on the erudite and good father of Luicia, the bookseller Fabrizio.


___________**********_____________

---> Fluid WRITING STYLE that makes reading easy and smooth, but at the same time knows how to keep the reader's interest alive not only regarding the investigations and the mystery but also the personal life of the main character, who often finds himself living in dangerous and tangled situations even on an emotional level.

--> While this mystery is perfectly READABLE as a STANDALONE, it would be a shame not to start with book #1.
In fact, if you read this novel after the other, you will have a greater understanding of Alvise and his friends, not only in terms of character, but above all regarding their lives and the world of Venice at that time.
Reading book #1 ( Ascension ) first, will give you a greater enjoyment of the story of book #2.

This second episode in "Alvise Marangon mysteries" is a FULL 5 STARS to me, I have no complaints about it, not even the smallest.

The character of Alvise is captivating, the recurring characters are pleasant and always useful to the investigations (including the lively and clever children who play in the mud and that he often uses to send messages or ask for information... they remind me a little of Sherlock Holmes' "Irregulars").
The adventures are always exciting and fast-paced.

I won't dwelt on the description of the CHARACTERS and how they are portrayed in an excellent way so much so that it seems like you really know them, I will not even dwell on the fact that Gregory Dowling, a writer and professor of Anglo-American literature who has lived in Venice for many years, is able to literally transport the reader to that time and place as if we were in a time machine, but as a reader who loves historical thrillers I assure you that it is worth reading the two books in the Alvise Marangon series.

---> The LENGTH OF THE BOOKS is also PERFECT: not too short (where we often do not have enough details and insights) and not too long (where the writers often divert the discussion into a thousand other preambles and superfluous descriptions, boring and making you lose the thread of the main story).


Reading SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES from 14 years and up:
- Clean language
- 1 sex scene, but not described in detail.
- 1 brutal killing, but not described in gruesome detail (trust me, this is coming from someone who hates horror and bloody details)

I sincerely hope that Mr. Dowling is writing book #3 for this wonderful series.
The premises for writing other exciting episodes are all there and I hope that the series can soon be translated into Italian too.
I am Italian, I like reading in the original language, but I am sure that Alvise Marangon and his mysteries would also be very popular with Italians who do not know English.

Thank you for reading my opinion.
Even though English is not my language, I hope I was able to explain myself well and to have been helpful in choosing the book.

READ ALSO MY REVIEW about the engaging prequel:
ASCENSION, book #1 in Alvise Marangon mysteries by Gregory Dowling.

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Book review : Ascension by Gregory Dowling

Ascension
The Alvise Marangon Mysteries book #1
by Gregory Dowling
GENRE: #Historical-mystery

My rating: ★★★★★
Wonderful and gripping mystery!

4.8 stars rounded up to 5, but only because the author was lazy enough to include only a few meager lines as historical notes, when he could have enlightened the reader in a better way.
As for the mystery itself, the main character, the side ones and the setting, my rating is 5 full stars, I really loved it !!!!

---> If you like historical settings and Italian city like Venice, I recommend it!

Readable as a standalone, since it leaves nothing hanging, but there is also a book #2 ( series : The Alvise Marangon Mysteries ), which I already own and will read as soon as possible.

____PLOT IN SHORT ___ Republic of Venice, 1749.
The city is under the Dogeship of Pietro Grimani ( 1741-1752 ).

Alvise Marangon is a young man born in Venice, but raised by his mother, a theater actress, in England.
Returning to Venice to try his hand at art, after a couple of years he decided to earn a living as a tour guide (cicerone, is the old Italian word), working in tandem with his faithful gondolier friend Bepi.

Thanks to Alvise's perfect bilingualism, they work exclusively with English tourists.
One day they take on a boy and his tutor as clients, both interested in esotericism and who will meet mysterious and suspicious people, dragging Alvise into a network of murders, criminals, blackmailers and spies.

In fact, one of the greatest authorities in Venice will demand that Alvise become an agent in his service, under penalty of prison on false charges.

Days of investigations, disguises, kidnappings, escapes and fortunately also desperate rescues will follow, until Alvise, with the help of his friends, will find the truth.

___****______ **** ______


__MAIN CHARACTER ___ The story is told in the first person by Alvise, who is a sunny, spontaneous, lively character with a subtle irony that makes reading fun, even in moments of great tension.

The humor is never forced or exaggerated to be annoying, on the contrary it is well-dosed by the writer with wit and fully conveys the way of being cheerful and so little inclined to worry about the consequences of words and actions, of the main character.
Alvise will not fail to make you become his fan.

In addition to his sympathy, he proves to be a witty and enterprising guy, full of affection towards his friends and generous to the point of wanting to help even when it would not be convenient for him.

His only flaw is perhaps his loose tongue, he cannot hold back his sarcasm even in front of the authorities and despite having taken a vow of secrecy, he cannot help but be sincere.
Well, I also liked him for this!

___ SIDE CHARACTERS___ They are divided into 4 groups:
- the small circle of people dear to Alvise
- the authorities with whom he is forced to collaborate
- the clients
- the evil ones

Each character has their own peculiarity and each of them (even those that in a film we would call the extras) is useful to make the story more fun, more intriguing, more mysterious, more exciting, more suspenseful ... depending on the case and the moment.

I find them all well described and vivid, so much so that I almost believe I really know them.

___ DIALOGUES__ The dialogues are well written and thanks to the description of the tones of voice we can perfectly imagine the characters while they recite their lines, something that helps to define the atmosphere of the moment, whether it is light or threatening and full of suspense.

___ SETTING ___ In this case the city becomes the co-protagonist of the story.

Its beauty is made of luxurious palaces with foundations in the water, significant monuments in the history of the ancient republic and still existing nowadays, lagoons and canals on which gondolas and boats of different types parade day and night, fabulous and large squares where the festive crowd pours in full of colors and masks, dark nights in which only few lanterns reveal the human figures hidden under tricorn hats and cloaks...

Dowling's descriptions take you directly to the first half of the 18th century of the Venetian Republic and you can enjoy its timeless charm to the full while reading the book.

___MYSTERY____ It seems more complicated than it is, but until the end the reader remains wrapped up in uncertainty and doubt.
Perhaps I was more fascinated by Alvise's way of operating and the constant trouble he finds himself in, rather than by the mystery of the murder.
---> I mean, I was so caught up in the whole adventure that I wasn't focused on wanting to know who killed who at all costs. I think that the strength of this thriller is precisely this and I think that a good film director could really make a great movie out of it!

There are several characters who are not who they say they are so the twists and turns alternate with the theories that the reader is led to hypothesize, in this way you get to the end of the book without ever having a boring moment.


__ YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT ___ There are several words in the book that necessarily had to be written in Italian and Venetian, just to make the story more impressive and suggestive, but the author has provided a GLOSSARY, located AT THE END OF THE BOOK.
It is very useful even for me, because despite being Italian I do not know the Venetian words.

___ HISTORICAL NOTES: unfortunately disappointing, they are only a few lines and to know the basic history of the characters who really existed and the politics of Venice and some objects mentioned in the book by name (such as the "Marangona" and the "Bucintoro", but which are not explained during the story or in the glossary and you will have to search for them yourself on the web.)
In a novel in which fiction merges with true history, historical notes by the author are important to me.
I always feel disappointed when they are missing or almost that.

RECOMMENDED READ ?? Off course yes, to all mystery lovers, even to those who love "cozy mysteries" because:
- there are no bloody scenes
- the language is clean
- there are no sex scenes

Thanks for reading my opinion and sorry for my English, I'm from Italy.

READ ALSO MY REVIEW about the very well written and gripping sequel:
THE FOUR HORSEMEN , book #2 in Alvise Marangon mysteries by Gregory Dowling.

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Book review : Scherzo by Jim Williams

Scherzo
Murder and Mystery in 18th Century Venice
by Jim Williams
GENRE: #Historical-mystery

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,8 stars rounded up to 4.

HAPPY MARDI GRAS EVERYBODY !!!

A week ago I was looking for a Carnival-themed mystery or at least in which Venetian masks had an important role, given that in Italy we are celebrating Carnival ( started on January 28th and ending today February 13th, which is Mardi Gras).

I chose this book and perhaps it's the strangest mystery I've ever read and if there hadn't been some bad scenes and a couple of chapters, I could have given it 5 stars.

___THE PLOT ___
Ludovico the German, a young 21-year-old eunuch, actor and singer in 18th century Venice, is hired by a Venetian nobleman, Signor Morosini ( Mr. Morosini) as a singing teacher for his daughter and as an entertainer in evenings with guests.
One evening, after a dinner attended by several aristocratic people, he and Monsieur Arouet, a French philosopher, heading home, discover a corpse with a mask and cloak, hanged from a bridge.
It soon turns out that the dead man was a nobleman, a friend of Mr. Morosini and part of an important political body, the Council of Ten, which had an important role in the management of the Republic of Venice.
Among the alleys and canals of Venice, among the gambling houses and other vices and the political and religious intrigues, in pursuit of enemies or chased by enemies, the French philosopher and his new friend Ludovico will try to unravel the mystery and bring the truth to light.

The eighteenth-century setting fascinated me and I liked the fact that an actor-singer was narrating the story even more.
The inclusion of other historical characters increased my enthusiasm for reading as I proceeded with the story told. However, as I already mentioned, I would have shortened some chapters or even avoided them altogether and I would have avoided some crude scenes in the final part.

___ WHAT I LIKED __
__LUDOVICO, THE MAIN CHARACTER__ I really liked the main character, who tells firsthand most of the events that led to the discovery of the body, its investigation and the solution.
Ludovico is a boy of only 21 years old, with a lot of life experience on his shoulders.
The fact of being a eunuch ( in those days young singers were emasculated before puberty, in order to maintain a high-pitched voice in adulthood), having had a hard life and having suffered abuse and being despised by society as a person, because neither man nor woman, did not undermine his good heart and soul.
In a story where the Venetian society of the time is portrayed at its worst, Ludovico and his humor and self-irony always managed to put me in a good mood.

___HISTORICAL FIGURES ___ The nice surprise was the participation in the story of 3 very famous historical figures, but since the whole plot takes place in the balance between truth and illusion (as is also the function of the masks), the author does not reveal the 3 official names to us well known throughout the world, but the real names of the 3 men. So if it had not been for my passion to check everything on Wikipedia, I would not have known about these 3 historical figures until the end, when the author reveals it.

- The first historical figure of the three I mentioned, leads the investigation and makes Ludovico his assistant.
I'm speaking of Monsieur Arouet, a French philosopher , better known to the world as VOLTAIRE. In this book you will be able to read some of his real letters.

- Many films have been made about this historical side character. In this novel he is a good friend of Ludovico and his adventures are intertwined with some characters indirectly and directly involved in the crime.
I'm speaking of Jaque De Seingalt, a great Italian seducer and libertine, very well known to the world as CASANOVA.
In his memoirs, written in French as was the fashion of the time, they report his full name: Jacques Casanova de Seingalt.
We find some extracts right here in the story

- The third historical figure I was referring to it's someone that seems to help the investigation with his knowledge, but actually he adds even more fog and illusion to a plot that is deliberately complicated and misleading for the reader.
He has a smaller role than the others, but I liked the inclusion because in real life, he was imprisoned and died in a stronghold which is located a few kilometers from where I live and I have visited it many times. So I know this character since I was child.
I'm speaking of Signor Giuseppe Balsamo, an Italian occultist, alchemist ( and many other things, including to be a charlatan), known in the world with the name of COUNT OF CAGLIOSTRO.

__ THE INTERTWINING OF THE MYSTERY __
Although at the beginning the book started with several chapters that seemed unrelated to each other and it took me at least 15% of the novel to be able to orient myself and fully get into the story, I must admit that the mystery plot was well thought out and the author managed to connect all the threads of the canvas in a skillful way.

I happened to read some whodunits with a complicated plot, where the author himself got lost, failing in the end to give a probable solution.
This is not the case: here everything adds up and the air of confusion that reigns is only a trick of false truths and illusions that the author wants to insert into his story.

___ WHAT I DIDN'T LIKED __
-- The main narrator of the whole story is the young Ludovico, but his narrations are alternated with letters from Mr. Arouet to his nephew, from Signor Feltrinelli to his sister, from an elderly countess to an old lover of hers and extracts from Monsieur Jacque De Seingalt's memoirs.
Letters and memoirs were a little too long and a bit boring to me.

-- I knew that this wasn't a cozy mystery and therefore I could expect something more raw... but there are some scenes in one of the final chapters of the book, which are truly disgusting ( they represented imaginary scenes from Hell... and that is not my cup of tea !!!).
I read them quickly, but if they hadn't been there at all I would have preferred it and also it wouldn't have damaged the intrigue and mystery.

-- The depravity of Venice at the time told in a non-vulgar but quite clear way, in long sex-scenes that I would have preferred to be shorter... it was boring

-- You will have noticed that in my review I use the words Signor and Monsieur... this is because the author himself, in his book written in English, inserts not only these two words in Italian and French, but really MANY Italian words, typical of the place and time, but also not typical (and which he could therefore translate into English), many references written in French and also in Latin.
---> I am from Italy and of course I had no problems with Italian words.I also speak French and had no problem with that either.
Luckily Latin had the translation in a note, BUT THERE WERE NO NOTES WITH TRANSLATION for the dozens and dozens of Italian words inserted... how can an English-speaking reader read a book with foreign words inserted almost on every page and of which he doesn't know the meaning?
I have read books with medieval and Victorian settings that contained a small vocabulary for the words used at that time, so that the reader could fully understand everything.
In my opinion the publisher and the writer were negligent in this case.

__ IN CONCLUSION __
If I had read a review like mine before choosing the book... I WOULDN'T HAVE READ IT, because of the things mentioned among those I didn't like... also I really hate long length books.
But I have to admit that now that I've read it, overall I liked it.
--> So before marking it on your WTR shelf or discarding it, think carefully.

NOTE : English is not my native language, I hope I was still able to explain everything in an understandable way.


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