Murder in Mind by Amelia Pasch

Murder in Mind by Amelia Pasch

I really enjoyed reading this tale set in medieval Florence. It had plenty of tasty historical details which enlivened and enriched the setting. The cast of characters is vast and varied and some are, naturally, much more likeable than others. It is many years since I visited the city of Florence but as I read I tried to match up my memories with the vivid scenes as described by the author. There are also some surprising details of events which made me want to reach for the history books to read more about their earliest origins-but I won’t spoil the story by telling you what. It’s the era of Borgia and Medici rule and of Popes who were less than pious or truly saintly, so the tale is full of intrigue and deadly dealings are rife. Political back stabbing is a fact of life- literally and figuratively. Vittorio Venditore’s geniality is balanced by some of his family who are portrayed as a lot less so. Lady Isabella seems a lady out of her time and not just because of her mode of dress, but the character I liked best is Allesandro Gironi, though his job as a security chief with endless staff seems incredibly ‘modern’. The main plot has some nice twists and turns and although I worked out who the political spanner in the works was well before the end, there were still other aspects to the intrigue and sub-plots which kept me guessing till the end. Mostly a well written novel.