A Deadly Paradise
An
Alessandro Cenni Mystery
Grace
Brophy
Soho Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-491-5 (1569474915)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-491-4 (9781569474914)
Publication Date: May 2008
List Price: $24.00
Synopsis (from
the publisher): In the peaceful Umbrian village of Paradiso, the
shocking murder and mutilation of an elderly German woman is barely
credible. That is, until Inspector Alessandro Cenni of the State Police
discovers that this retired cultural attach was not just a difficult
tenant, but also a bisexual swinger with an African lover recently in
residence, as well as a blackmailer. The dead woman grew up in occupied
Venice, and some of her secrets may have been acquired that long ago,
during World War II. And the bucolic village is not that innocent: It
was the site of a famous, scandalous murder fifty years earlier.
Cenni's boss wants a scapegoat, and the young African lesbian is the
obvious target, but Cenni cannot bring himself to close a case without
solving the crime and bringing the actual perpetrator to justice.
Review:
Commissario Alessandro Cenni and his colleague Elena investigate the
brutal murder of a 70-year-old woman living an unrestrained and
unbounded life in the peaceful Umbrrian village of Paradiso in A Deadly Paradise, the second
mystery in this series by Grace Brophy.
The dead woman was Jarvinia Baudler, found in the basement of a home
she rented from Anita Tangasse in Paradiso. A neighbor, Lorenzo
Vinnicelli, found her. During the course of their investigation, Cenni
and Elena come across an unsolved murder from 1978. Two bodies, that of
a mother and child, were grimly mutilated and killed in the same house
where Baudler’s body was found. Was it just a coincidence that
Lorenzo Vinnicelli was their neighbor at the time? They go on to
discover that Baudler held secrets concerning the Italians and Germans
dating back to 1945. These secrets included a conspiracy of the two
governments to counterfeit billions of US dollars to weaken the United
States currency. Baudler was in possession of a Swedish letter
confirming this action. With that, and other indecorousness on her
part, Baudler was able to blackmail wealthy people to keep their
indiscretions from the eyes and ears of others. She even pitted a
brother against sister to gain their wealth. Baudler would use her
charm and beguiling ways on men as well as women to obtain any and all
information she needed to carry on her blackmailing activities. The
residents of Paradiso did not like her and for a very good reason.
After interrogating just about every one in the village, and traveling
to other cities both in Italy and Germany, Cenni and Elena are at a
stand still. Everyone seemed to have an alibi for the time of the evil
woman's murder. Or was someone giving another an alibi to secure his or
her own?
A Deadly Paradise is one
of those quiet mysteries that grows in depth and complexity as the
pages are turned. There are, however, a couple of side stories that
don't seem to quite fit into the overall plotline but are interesting
nonetheless. As a character, Commissario Cenni is a laid back and
charming investigator, but with deadly aplomb when need be. In the end
he ties together the loose ends but after all the effort in getting
there, it seems a bit weak. This is just a minor issue, though, in an
otherwise generally superior effort.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of A Deadly Paradise and to Soho Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read A Deadly Paradise? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
The Last Enemy
Soho Crime (Trade Paperback), May 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-496-6 (1569474966)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-496-9 (9781569474969)
A Deadly Paradise
Soho Crime (Hardcover), May 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-491-5 (1569474915)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-491-4 (9781569474914)
Omnimystery keywords for A Deadly Paradise ...
Location(s) referenced: Venice, Umbria,
Italy.
