Having read this book after a recent visit to Venice, the narration and description really brings the city and its people to life. The story is twisting, and the mystery one that I didn't see coming. I loved the characters – Arnold Glover is brilliant, and his Venitian colleague is hilarious. Hewson has made even insufferable 'bad guys' feel rounded and real. Looking forward to Book 2!

David Hewson has a really good writing style and the flow of the novel worked well. I enjoyed the audio narration and felt that this would be one of those titles that feel the same in any format it is consumed. There is a lot of history around Venice which, added to the context of the story and was immersive in a way I didn't expect. If you like a good mystery and enjoy a slow burn of a novel then this is one to try. If you love history then this is a small gem as he did a remarkable job of creating such context of place that it was effortless to visualize.

To my regret, I failed to finish this wonderful audiobook in time but that which I did listen to was very rewarding. The combinations of Italy, the Medici, David Hewson and Richard Armitage create a brilliant 'meal' which leaves one well sated.
This is a classic time slip story bouncing ably from past to present and I dare anyone not to enjoy the narrative. Such colourful character as the Medici surely guarantees enjoyment. I highly recommend and thank Netgalley and the publishers of this excellent production of The Medici Murders.
#TheMediciMurders #NetGalley

What Hewson does brilliantly, is completely immerse you in the setting with such detail of the surroundings. The historical elements added to the fictional plot and Richard Armitage does an incredible job at telling this story.

I love anything involving the Medici family and this book was no exception. Not only was it informative, it kept me on my toes!

The Medici Murders by David Hewson is a Venetian mystery, sort of like the Da Vinci Code but not quite. Still it was quite an enjoyable listen.
The narration by Richard Armitage was also very good, keeping you hooked. I was lost in the lanes of Venice and the characters.
Lorenzino de Medici, himself a murderer is assassinated by two hired killers in 1548.
Present day, Marmaduke Godolphin, British TV historian and an obnoxious man, is stabbed by a stiletto blade on the exact same spot, his body dropping into the canal.
A retired archivist Arnold Clover is brought in to solve the mystery by the Venetian Police.
A wonderful combination of history and mystery.
I would definitely recommend it.

I liked the premise of this book - a TV historian invites his former students to Venice, all set to reveal who actually committed the murder of a famous Medici several centuries earlier, only to himself be murdered. The use of the historian's former contemporary at university, now an archivist, to reveal the events leading up to the historian's death was a clever device which ultimately worked well. The twist at the end was, I thought, quite clever. What I found though, and this seems often to be the problem I find with audio books, is that it took a very long time to get to the final denouement and at times some of the chapters seemed to provide a very long-winded explanation of the different relationships between the key protagonists and you really did have to devote attention to listening to be able to keep track of the story.

This is an adequately done mystery thriller, though despite the title it has very little to do with the Medici or anything of much historical significance.

The premise for this was a good one, and it’s an interesting parallel to draw between the murder of Lorenzino de Medici and a modern Medici scholar murdered in the same place.

Unfortunately the historical piece of this isn’t much of a factor, and even the modern victim’s relationship to it has nothing to do with what happened to him. That he was a nasty piece of work who no one would miss also detracted from the investigation into who did it, because this was a guy whose murderer should probably be given a medal for public service rather than jail time.

Still, the way the modern story is woven is good, and the relationship between the protagonist and both the victim and the investigating detective is an interesting one that has interesting consequences in the end.

I would have preferred that the historical component of this were more important to the story, or at least more prevalent in terms of how much real estate it takes up in the book, but it’s an entertaining enough story and the author does a good job of using the city of Venice to create a strong sense of place.

The Medici Murders by David Hewson Narrated by: Richard Armitage was a fascinating story and set in Venice it was described in much detail throughout, I felt I was back in Venice but in a different time. This was an audiobook that bought back memories of my wonderful holiday.
So, when a well-known British TV historian, Marmaduke Godolphin, was found murdered in the canals of Venice during a main carnival. He was stabbed by a stiletto blade. The Venetian Police are eager to have the case solved and cleared up within a day especially as a murder is bad for tourism! and Venice needs tourists.

The Police recruit the help of retired archivist, called Arnold Clover. Godolphin he was hired for his services on arriving in Venice, only to help sort through some historical papers of note.
These dusty documents may contain previously unknown information about the assassination of the murderer, Lorenzino de' Medici, 500 years previously.

How coincidental that Godolphin met his death in the same place as the Medici murderer, Lorenzino, on a cold, dark, night!!!

Can Arnold use his powers of perception to establish a link and then solve the murder of Godolphin?

This book was good and the narrated by Richard Armitage. was brilliant. I am looking forward to the next book within this promising series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this book.
A word about Richard Armitage. I have been a fan ever since he played the bad John on a TV series of Robin Hood. I can't remember much else about the show. But Richard Armitage, both his presence and his voice, made a huge impact. I think I could listen to him read the dictionary, he is that good. Getting him as the narrator was absolutely brilliant.

This Book is advertised as the first in a new series called the Venetian Mysteries. Inspector Brunetti, it is not! There is so much fascinating history in this book that if I got distracted at all, I would have to go back and re-listen.
The book opens with a murder of a much despised British TV historian on the exact same spot as a Medici was murdered in 1548. Are the two murders connected? The Italian Carabinieri is brought in and led by a woman and a visiting retired professor, Arnold Clover, is asked to assist. For much of the first half of the book, the story goes back and forth between the Medicis and present day. There are many people who would have loved to see Godolphin dead so there is no end to suspects. The second half of the book was much more interesting to me as a mystery and who dunit. We see it all through Clover's eyes. Clover has just lost his wife to cancer and is still thrown by that. He is a complex man and we are privy to muc of his thinking.

I really enjoyed the book. As I said in the beginning, much of that is due to Armitage's reading. But once I got into the complexity of the story and the repartée between Clover and the lead detective, I loved it.

"The successful tend to stick together even when they come to hate one another."

The Medici Murders is book 1 of the Venetian Mystery series by renowned author David Hewson. It's filled with fascinating history about Venice and a real murder 500 years ago.

When a British historian is found dead in the canals of Venice by a stiletto blade the police call upon the historian's archivist Arnold to understand what the historian was working on and the group called the "gilded circle" who were helping him.

This very intricately woven mystery is narrated by the phenomenal actor with a golden voice Richard Armitage. It seems the historian had a theory about a famous murderer's murder. He has papers to back it up. How he came to this conclusion, how he got these documents and the fact that he was despised by everyone adds to the remarkable conclusion to this clever tale.

Also absolutely loved the female inspector who gave me Columbo vibes. She was smarter than all the academics.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Midici Murders is a tale of suspicion, suspense, and art history for even the lay-historian can understand. Pulling in facts and historical markers from the height of the Medici reign and bringing them to the forefront today under the guise of another "history channel" special, author David Hewson draws you inside of the investigation. Though we aren't investigating the original murder, but a fresh one.

Overall I appreciated the historical aspect of this work and the premise is one I find very entertaining. I felt the ending was a bit lacking and hallow. The effort to make the detective a multidimensional character fell a bit short with the use of seemingly irrelevant quirks and facts.

A police procedural/ murder mystery set in Venice, Italy, with a historical backstory and in depth descriptions of the locale and cuisine to really transport you.



Recently widowed and retired archivist Arnold Clover is commandeered by his old, highly revered Cambridge professor Marmaduke Godolphin, to look into some recently discovered artefacts regarding the House of Medici. Using a dual timeline it is revealed that Godolphin is murdered in a nearly identical fashion to the subject of his research - Lorenzino de' Medici. Clover is brought in by the local Police to help give insight and assist in solving the case.

It is clear this is incredibly well researched material, but personally I found it a bit overwritten, which lead to it being drawn out in places as well as some unnecessary repetition. Just not my preferred style of writing as I found it heavy going.



Richard Armitage is an excellent narrator as expected, expressive with perfect prose. He is a great choice for this book.

I picked up this audiobook purely because of Richard’s work being as brilliant as it is as a performer and it is as a pleasure to have him in my ears for the hours that I did. I have to say that I didn’t have any particular interest in Venice and as such, I didn’t revel in the way some might in all the detail - but I appreciated that it was there all the same. I appreciated the attention to detail with regards to the culture around food (I love food porn in any book). The mystery had me guessing until the end which is what you want in a book like this. I did find some of the unpleasant characteristics of one of the main characters difficult to listen to (as they should be). At times they took their toll on me as a reader (as they should). The upper class and elite was also a little draining but incredibly on point. Can’t blame the author for perfectly capturing people the type of people who drive me insane in real life. Ultimately a perfect read for its genre (it’s just not my favourite genre - don’t let my star rating put you off - that’s as high as I go for the genre).

Absolutely amazing and a fabulous book to thoroughly absorb you. The historic aspects were enthralling bringing to life an intriguing and beguiling part of history. The descriptions of locations, characters and food(!!) were simply great and the final twist was great!

I always enjoy a dual timeline and this did not disappoint. So easy to love the main character Arnold and so easy to hate Marmaduke; you don't mind that he is the murder victim. I hope this series continues!

The recipe for 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙞 𝙈𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨: set in Venice, invite a group of former students, talk up the history and charm of Venice, the food, a mysterious revelation, and a dead body.

Arnold Clover, a retired archivist and British transplant in Venice, is invited to a gathering by Marmmaduke Godolphin, a celebrated historian with a reputation for misogyny, and sensationalism over historical accuracy. Clover and Godolphin crossed paths at university where the former was a student, and the latter a professor who presided over an exclusive clique of students known as The Gilded Circle. A group Clover was never a part of. Godolphin unveils to Clover and The Gilded Circle a great historical find that will reframe the history of one of Italy’s most famous artists, Michaelangelo and his connection to the Medicis. Later that night, Godolphin is found stabbed to death, and Clover with local Carabinieri Inspector, Valentina Fabbri set out to solve the crime.

The events are recalled through Clover’s eyes, and we get a guide through the history and culture of Venice. Each layer of the mystery is carefully peeled back. I liked the interplay between Fabbri and Clover - both deeply thoughtful and precise, good at details and analysis.

I enjoyed every moment listening to this. Armitage is a fabulous actor and narrator, and the main reason I requested this audiobook. Even once the whodunnit is solved there are a couple more surprises afoot.

I don’t know if this is a series but I’d be all for Clover and Fabbri teaming up again. I’d also like to get a physical copy of this novel so I can refer back to all the cool mentions of art and local Venetian history. Check it out!

Thanks to @netgalley & @wfhowes for my ALC. This is my honest review.
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I love an archive-based murder story almost as much as a library one, and I particularly like Hewson's retired archivist narrator.

There's a *lot* of background history the author has to explain, given the tangled web of the Medicis, and at times it felt like too much explanation for the plot.

However, in the main this is a great start to a new series and I can't wait to read / listen to Arthur's next adventure!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Three word review: Medici minutiae abounds

is the first book in a new series by David Hewson set in Venice. The lead character is Arnold Clover, a retired archivist, who has just moved to Venice. He was meant to move there with his wife but unfortunately she suddenly died just before the move, but he felt it was right to continue with their planned dream.

Whilst in Venice he is contacted by Capitano Valentina Fabbri of the Venetian Carabunieri to help out in the murder of a TV personality, who as it happened he was at University with and had contacted him in Venice to investigate some documents he had laid his hands on. The murdered man, Sir Marmaduke Godolphin, doesn’t come across as the nicest of men and as it happens was murdered at the same location as Lorenzino De Medici was murdered in 1548. As Arnold carries out his investigation it appears there may be some connections linking the two murders.

This is quite a complex book with plenty of history thrown in and is ideal for those of us that like a historical backdrop to our historical mysteries. This would also be ideal for those who want to find out more about the infamous De Medici family and Michelangelo, who figures prominently in the book and may be connected to events.

It is clear from the way Venice is conveyed and talked about by David Hewson that he loves Venice and this comes across very well. Overall the book makes you want to go to Venice, and savour its unique atmosphere, as well as find out more about the historical connections in the book.

This was a very enjoyable historical mystery, with plenty of history thrown in, but I personally feel, despite the excellent job the narrator did, that it would be better read as a book to give you time to re-read parts and make the most of the story. However I certainly will be reading other books in this series as they are published and will be reading more by David Hewson. Recommended to all that love historical fiction and historical mysteries.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a providing a review copy of this book for an open and honest review.

A wonderfully descriptive book with a clever and intriguing storyline. I will take it with me next time I visit the enchanting city of Venice and drink in the atmosphere. Excellent narration.