I read and enjoyed another book by David Henson, also set in Venice, but during the Second World War. The Medici Murders is set in the present time and is a wonderfully complex murder mystery which stretches back over the centuries to the Medicis and the mid 1500s. A time of mistrust, murder and revenge as warring families sought to control their area.

I’ve never been to Venice and know very little about Italian history. David Henson clearly has a depth of knowledge about both and the wonderful thing about this book is the way in which Venice is described. As the characters move from place to place, the night mist or dark alleys are almost palpable and I really love the strong sense of place. I’ve also learned a great deal about the Medici family and I’m keen to know more because he’s depicted the struggles for power so well.

The actual story is a murder mystery; but it’s not straightforward. It mirrors the past and the plotting is incredibly complex but so plausible. A group of former university students come together with a former lecturer to investigate a mysterious link to Michelangelo. The characters are a mixed bunch and there’s a lot of animosity. It’s difficult to explain without giving too much away, but the lynch is an archivist; seemingly dull he has more insight than the rest and now lives in Venice. With his friend Luca, we visit what I’m sure are real places , sample local delicacies and travel the canals and embark on a journey to solve a complex revenge. I absolutely loved this tale and was sorry when it finished.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley

I was attracted to this audiobook mostly because R. Armitage was reading it. Major pull for me. I do love mysteries on audiobook in general and so this was a good choice for me.

Whilst I liked it overall, the big draw back for me was that the story was a bit convuluted and drawn out. Every single moment gets too much time, the same ground is gone over several times and that made the story often drag a bit.

It also did not help that I figured out two of the major plot points within the first chapter...

Venice is one of my favorite cities worldwide, so I jumped right into the story when I learned about the new Venetian mystery novel. The author, David Hewson, notes that in Italian, the word "storia" indicates both history and a story. Fittingly, the novel's main plot is a story of murder in Venice, but in the background, we learn about a historical murder committed in 1548. Are the two of them connected?

 Arnold Clover is a retired archivist who moved to Venice from England to fulfill his and her wife's dream. He's trying to start a new life alone because Eleanor suddenly died before they were able to move to a small place they bought near the Friari. He's inquisitive and intelligent but shy and always feels like an outsider. Fortunately, Arnold befriends enthusiastic Luca Volpetti – a fellow archivist at the Archivio di Stato of Venice.

Unexpectedly, Arnold is contacted by a British historian and TV personality, a former professor at Cambridge, where Arnold was a student. Marmaduke 'Duke' Godolphin arrives in Venice with his wife, son, and some of his ex-students. Quick fame, the womanizing lifestyle, and his nasty character transformed Godolphin into a man looking for one more chance to return with a new TV series with some sensational news. He wants to reveal that a famous artist was involved in the conspiracy, claiming he has documents supporting the revelation. But Godolphin is found dead, floating in the canal at the same place where Lorenzino was killed.

Arnold is summoned to the office of the Carabinieri Capitano Valentina Fabbri and spends many hours talking about the events leading to the murder. Valentina claims that there are no murders in Venice – it would be bad for tourism – only accidents. Was the death of "Duke" accidental? There is no shortage of suspects.

David Hewson describes Venice with love. We walk the streets of this beautiful city, hearing the noisy pigeons, and smelling water and fog. It's Venice Carnival time, and people are outside, despite the cold - tourists and locals, young and old. It's easy to get lost and find the best small restaurant (the descriptions of some Italian dishes are mouth-watering.) This is a novel for mystery readers, people captivated by Venice, and history buffs. After this book, a reader knows "whodunit" and learns a little about history. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next story with Arnold Clover discovering the Italian mysteries - both historical and fictional - for all of us to enjoy.

“Think, Arnold. Make connections. Let us pick apart this tale with logic. That’s your calling, or so Luca told me. Now I need your faculties more than ever…. Start at the beginning. Tell me everything you know. About Marmaduke Godolphin and his Gilded Circle.”

My thanks to W.F. Howes Ltd. for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Medici Murders’ by David Hewson. It was narrated by Richard Armitage.

I have been a long time reader of David Hewson’s novels, especially his Rome-based Nic Costa series and his novelisation of ‘The Killing’, the Danish television phenomenon. ‘The Medici Murders’ is the opening book in Hewson’s new series set in Venice.

Venice is a city of secrets that for hundreds of years has been the scene of scandal, intrigue and murderous rivalries. One such incident was the assassination in 1548 of Lorenzino de’ Medici, himself a murderer.

In the present day retired archivist, Arnold Clover, has moved to Venice following the recent death of his beloved wife. It had been their plan to relocate and he decided to follow through. He has befriended fellow archivist, Luca Volpetti.

Sir Marmaduke Godolphin, a British historian and flamboyant TV personality, hires Luca and Arnold to investigate a collection of documents that he has acquired. Godolphin believes that the papers may reveal new information about Lorenzino de’ Medici’s murder. Then during Carnival Godolphin is stabbed to death at the very spot where de’ Medici was assassinated.

Capitano Valentina Fabbri of the Venetian Carabinieri has summoned Arnold to assist her in identifying the murderer. The suspects are those who had accompanied Godolphin to Venice. Capitano Fabbri has had them locked up in the cells while she and Arnold make connections and uncover whodunnit.

Hewson always incorporates a great deal of history into his mysteries and in his Author’s Note, included in the audiobook, he provides details of nonfiction sources about the de’ Medici murders. In addition, his descriptions of Venice were vivid allowing for a sense of immersion in the narrative.

With respect to Richard Armitage’s narration, as always his rich, deep voice was a pleasure to listen to. Armitage is my favourite narrator and I have listened to audiobooks based solely on his involvement as narrator. (I often joke that I would happily listen to him reading a shopping list.)

Overall, ‘The Medici Murders’ was an intelligent and engaging mystery and a promising start to this new series that features the role of archivists in uncovering historical mysteries. I look forward to more sleuthing by Arnold and Luca, likely with the supervision of the indomitable Capitano Valentina Fabbri.

The Medici Murders by David Hewson
Narrated by Richard Armitage

There is a lot of history and a lot of location description involved in this story and I was afraid it might be too much for me. But once I got into the mood for Venice and the gossip of history, I wanted more. This seems like an old timey detective story in many ways, despite one of my favorite characters, Carabinieri Inspector, Valentina Fabbri, being glued to her phone. There is a lot of present day intertwined with the past, just a few days past, and that worked for me, too. Rather than be told what happened just a few days back, before well-known British TV historian Marmaduke Godolphin was murdered, we are actually there, seeing what happens as it's happening. It all seemed to flow very well for me.

Central to the story is retired archivist, Arnold Clover, who has recently lost his wife. He and his wife were going to move to Venice, everything was in place to make it happen, so when his wife died, he moved into the tiny place she had picked out for him. And now he has been asked to assist the police since he had been hired by Godolphin to sort through some papers to find information that could blow apart what had been known about some murders more than 500 years ago. Clover has enjoyed his archivist job, this is what he does and he wants to do it right. That is what made this search for information interesting to me, spending time with this man who loves what he does and where he lives.

There are a lot of people who have reason to not mourn the death of Godolphin, a cruel, selfish, vile man. Even though Clover is supposed to be assisting the police, he feels very uneasy with the manner that Fabbri leads him on with her questions, drops hints that she won't elaborate on, and the way she won't give him a moment alone, as she questions each person and goes over evidence with him. Just what does she really want from Clover?

The audiobook is narrated by Richard Armitage and, as always, he does a beautiful job.

Thank you to W.F. Howes Ltd and NetGalley for this ARC.