
Description
Renowned art historian Dr. Edna Silvera is not your typical detective. In fact, she’s not a detective at all. But when she stumbles across an apparently impossible medieval painting in the suddenly-deceased Nando Folli’s junk shop, her curiosity lands her in trouble with the police and on the trail of a shadowy world no one wants to admit exists.
Valeria Corciolani, author of Pentimento Mori, is an Italian publishing phenomenon. Her books have over 62,000 reviews on Amazon.it and have been made into award winning films. Pentimento Mori (originally published as Con l’arte e con l’inganno) is the first of her works to be translated into English. Combining scrupulously correct art history with international intrigue, murder, and a solid dose of humor, this is Corciolani’s most ambitious work yet.
My Thoughts
If ever a translated work has made me want to learn the language of origin, it’s this one! I’ve been in a weird sort of reading slump since I retired from the library. I’m trying to catch up on my old Goodreads “Want To Read” list and trying to finish a few reviews, including this one. I’ve been a little off mysteries lately, finding them formulaic and not terribly inventive, but then I got to Pentimento Mori.
What an absolute TREAT to read a literate, clever, and humorous mystery featuring a “detective” I would really like to share a coffee with and hear about Hieronymos Bosch.
This is storytelling at its best. Colorful and unexpected characters, witty dialog, and beautifully descriptive narrative that transports you to Italy – all of this whirls together in a story that you will remember for a long time.
I am hopeful that more of this author’s work will be translated. If it’s not, I really will need to learn to read Italian.
Recommended.
Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Published By: Kazabo Publishing
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy