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
