Pentimento Mori by Valeria Corciolani

 

First Lines: Yellow. Everything is dry and yellow.

 

Art historian Dr. Edna Silvera becomes an amateur detective when she stumbles across a medieval painting in recently murdered Nando Folli's junk shop. She also turns into a thorn in Public Prosecutor Jacopo Bassi's side as she tries to learn more about the painting and why the junk dealer died.

 

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Valeria Corciolani's Pentimento Mori was irresistible to me because it's almost impossible for me to turn down a mystery that deals with any art history. In that respect, this first Edna Silvera mystery is brilliant. In fact, the fascinating nuggets of history and art often outshine the plot. I soaked up each one of Corciolani's factoids, including the significance of colors and pigments in medieval art as well as why Popes bless people with three fingers. 

Some of the similes used in Pentimento Mori are a bit clunky and make me think that they sound better in the original Italian, but that didn't stop me from trying to solve the mystery, and it certainly didn't stop me from liking the misanthropic Dr. Edna Silvera with her chickens named after movie stars. There is also quite a bit of humor to be found, and between the mystery, the characters, and the humor, I was reminded of my favorite Italian mystery writer, Andrea Camilleri.

Between the art history and the reminder of Camilleri, I am looking forward to seeing Edna Silvera again. She's the kind of quirky character that I love.

Pentimento Mori by Valeria Corciolani

Translated from the Italian by Unknown.

eISBN: 9781948104289

Kazabo Publishing © 2024

eBook, 299 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #1 Edna Silvera

Rating: B+

Source: the publisher

Loot by Aaron Elkins

 

First Line: Altaussee Salt Mine, Altaussee, Austria, April 19, 1945, 11:35 A.M.   Madness.

 

The Third Reich is crumbling to dust, and the Nazis are working frantically to hide the huge store of art treasures that they looted from Europe. With the Allies closing in, the vaunted efficiency of the Nazis has broken down, and in the confusion of endless convoys loaded with treasure, a single truck, its driver, and its priceless load of masterpieces vanish into an alpine snowstorm.

Fifty years later in a Boston pawnshop, art historian and ex-curator Ben Revere makes a stunning discovery-- a Velazquez painting from the legendary Lost Truck. Revere finds himself traveling to the grand cities of Europe to unravel the Lost Truck's history and its treasures-- and running for his life as a result.

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Sometimes I just need to read a fun little thriller about lost treasure set in exotic locales, and Aaron Elkins' Loot was perfect-- especially since I've read books about the incredible work done by the Monuments Men during World War II. I've often wondered just how many stolen treasures are still hiding deep in mines and other hideaways, but I digress.

This isn't the first book I've read written by Elkins. He seems to have a knack for choosing topics that I'm deeply interested in, but I can't say that I'm a fan of his writing. Loot suffers from an unnecessary love interest and a hero who's more than a little dense when it comes to the safety of himself and others, but the book's fast pace and interesting premise kept me reading happily until the end.

Loot by Aaron Elkins

eISBN: 9781497610095

Open Road Integrated Media © 2014

Originally published 1999.

eBook, 312 pages

 

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon.