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A review by siria
The Devil in Music by Kate Ross
3.0
In the 1820s in northern Italy, the Marchese Lodovico Malvezzi—powerful, arrogant, music-obsessed—is found dead. That the Marchese was murdered is hushed up for some years, allowing the main suspect, a young singer known only as Orfeo, to disappear. When the authorities realise that a crime was committed, the famous English dandy and sleuth Julian Kestrel learns of it and travels to Italy to unravel the truth behind what happened, while also finding himself entranced by Lodovico's beautiful young widow, Beatrice.
The Devil in Music is stronger than the previous work of Kate Ross' that I've read, [b: Whom the Gods Love|351386|Whom the Gods Love (Julian Kestrel Mysteries, #3)|Kate Ross|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388532777l/351386._SY75_.jpg|1316308], and she was clearly improving as a writer before her untimely death not long after this final book of hers was published. Having a Regency-era country house murder mystery take place in Italy is a nice shake-up of the usual formula, since it lets Ross bring in elements of contemporary Austrian/Italian politics to add complicating factors. This wasn't a bad wintry holiday read. That said, parts of the plot/exposition/reveal are lumpier than needs be, and the core romantic relationships both fail to convince and feel like they belong to a book written much earlier than the '90s.
The Devil in Music is stronger than the previous work of Kate Ross' that I've read, [b: Whom the Gods Love|351386|Whom the Gods Love (Julian Kestrel Mysteries, #3)|Kate Ross|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388532777l/351386._SY75_.jpg|1316308], and she was clearly improving as a writer before her untimely death not long after this final book of hers was published. Having a Regency-era country house murder mystery take place in Italy is a nice shake-up of the usual formula, since it lets Ross bring in elements of contemporary Austrian/Italian politics to add complicating factors. This wasn't a bad wintry holiday read. That said, parts of the plot/exposition/reveal are lumpier than needs be, and the core romantic relationships both fail to convince and feel like they belong to a book written much earlier than the '90s.