A review by nonna7
The Jewels of Paradise by Donna Leon

4.0

Donna Leon is best known for her Inspector Brunetti series. However, she has apparently always been a serious student of music. In this novel we are treated to an interesting mystery about the inheritance left by an obscure Baroque musician. His papers are contained in two trunks which are being fought over by two cousins, both of whom are trying to lay claim to whatever "treasure" is in the trunks. They have employed an attorney who hires Caterina, a young Italian woman who is a professor of musicology at Manchester University. She misses being in her beloved Venice, and when she learns that a little known foundation is looking for a researcher, she jumps at the chance to return home. This is not a standard mystery with murder and some romance. It is a little on the dry side with lots of historical detail. The nerd in me really enjoyed this one even though it was challenging in spots. According to a book review by the UK Independent, the composer in the book referred to as Steffani, is based on a little known Italian composer Agostino Steffano whom Leon apparently has researched extensively. This is not light reading, but I enjoyed it a lot. The ending is especially delicious and ironic.