The Medici Murders is the first book in the new A Venetian Mystery series by David Hewson and the prospect of more stories featuring Arnold Clover, Luca Volpetti and Capitano Valentina Fabbri of the Venetian Carabinieri is excellent news. Full of humour and packed with atmosphere, this introduction is an engaging, character-driven mystery with twists and turns as labyrinthine as Venice's canals and alleyways.
From the first line of The Medici Murders I predicted that it was likely to be a novel I fell in love with – I was proven right just a few hours later and my only regret is that I now have to wait a while before being able to read the second book in the series! The opening finds retired archivist Arnold Clover summoned to the Carabinieri headquarters following the murder of famed British historian, Marmaduke Godolphin. Valentina Fabbri almost takes the murder as a personal affront – as she is at pains to point out, murders don't happen in Venice. She informs Arnold that she has a number of suspects under arrest already; the victim's so-called Gilded Circle, his adult son, and a young American woman, there as his producer. She notes that none of them seem consumed by grief and instructs Arthur, who attended Cambridge when Godolphin was the feted Professor of Classics there, surrounded by his chosen few, Caroline Fitzroy, Bernard Hauptmann, George Bourne and Felicity, who would go on to marry her tutor and bear him a son, Jolyon,to help her. Valentina wants to understand why they are all in Venice and what the nuances of the relationships between her suspects are. She is a wonderful character, perhaps my favourite in the book and leaves Clover in no doubt that he has to assist her immediately, as she would like the matter resolved by that evening.
Despite her insistence that the murder is swiftly solved, this is not a fast-paced thriller and is instead a deftly plotted whodunnit with a number of possible culprits. Arnold recounts events to the capitano as the storyline switches between the present and the recent past but there's also a fascinating historical element to the story which adds a further layer of intrigue to the tale. It quickly becomes apparent that fame changed Godolphin and he became the sort of talking head more interested in spouting controversy rather than enlightening people. He's a character you're not supposed to like; he treats everybody appallingly and as the novel progresses, there are revelations which show a much darker side to a man who perhaps could have been excused as a rather bombastic individual still desperate for the adulation he once enjoyed. Nevertheless, there is something rather pitiable about him, particularly in contrast to Clover who spent his entire career as an anonymous archivist and yet is far more principled and likeable.
Venice's rich but violent history provides an atmospheric backdrop to the mystery, the murder of Lorenzino de Medici in 1548 isn't just chillingly echoed by the manner of Godolphin's demise centuries later, it's also the reason why the historian came to Venice. His belief that he has the proof to an incredible story which will reignite his failing career and guarantee him headlines and a top-rating television series leads to a second mystery which is equally as complex and intriguing. Has he uncovered a dramatic secret involving a well-known figure from history and who is behind the Wolff Bequest which brought him here?
With all the suspects having good cause for wanting Godolphin dead, The Medici Murders is awash with clues and red herrings and the obviously meticulous research behind the historical mystery renders it irresistibly enthralling. The characterisation is superb throughout, as I mentioned previously the artfully perceptive Valentina become a particular favourite of mine but as an Englishman abroad Arnold Clover is a wonderful creation too, and although Godolphin and those suspected of killing him are flawed to one extent or another, they are all completely believable. Meanwhile, Venice itself becomes almost another character and David Hewson brings it richly to life as he evokes all the senses as he vividly describes the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of this unique city.
Intelligent, witty and utterly compelling from start to finish, The Medici Murders is a hugely captivating treat for all crime fiction and history lovers. I thoroughly recommend it.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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