Cruel Music : The Third Baroque Mystery

Finally a book with a plot that gives the hero a huge challenge and has him work his way out of it through his own wits. I've read too many so-called mysteries lately that are solved by luck and coincidence. Tito Amato is a fascinating detective, and the background of baroque Italy is recreated in lush detail. Now, I'll go back and read the first two books in the series.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (8/06) "Cruel Music" is the third mystery in a series written by this author. Castrati, Tito Amato, is planning on relaxing at home with his family upon his return from an operatic tour. His plans are cut short when his brother is arrested on false charges. Tito is blackmailed into going to Rome to sing for a cardinal who has great influence on the next election for the pope. Tito is supposed to spy on the cardinal and find out where his interests lean. Along the way there is a murder of a young woman who is assigned to care for the cardinal's insane mother. Tito is implicated in her death. In addition to needing to save his brother, he now has to find out who the real killer is to save himself. This is an excellent mystery written in the Baroque era. Graves easily portrays the richness of the culture of the era to the reader. I really felt like I was back in this time. In addition to enjoying the mystery and the suspense that goes with Tito's experiences, I also enjoyed the way she writes about the corruption of the church. The plot is excellent and the characters are well developed. It was really interesting to see how paganism and the study of science were both not accepted by the church, yet still practiced by some of the people. Paganism was pretty much on its way out and science was working its way in. This book stood well on its own, but because I enjoyed it so much, I plan to go back and read the first two in the series. It would be a great book for a reader's group to discuss and also for fans of music of the Baroque era.

Pope Clement XII is slowly dying. The behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing at the Vatican is intense. State Inquisitor of Venice Senator Montorio wants someone he can trust on the scene, spying for him and actively promoting the candidacy of his choice. To get this trusted spy, he hauls Alessandro Amato in on false charges of salt smuggling. If convicted, Alessandro will be killed. This is enough to convince his brother, castrato Tito Amato, to make the trip. Not willingly, mind you. When Tito gets to Rome, there is one pleasant surprise. His love from INTERRUPTED ARIA, Liya, is in Rome. They renew their friendship, which Tito would like to see become far more than that. While doing the bidding of Senator Montorio, Tito becomes an unwilling (again) accomplice to the murder of Gemma, a maidservant. In order to keep from being arrested for that murder, Tito is coerced by the head of another faction to spy and promote a different candidate. Life is very complicated for Tito, who just wants to make lovely music and have a lovely wife. CRUEL MUSIC, while set in the baroque period in Rome, deals with emotions that know no time. Greed, power, lust . . . the Vatican has never had a monopoly on those things. While this is definitely a historical mystery, the issues addressed are as current as any election, the politicking just as intense then as now. CRUEL MUSIC is a testament to Graves' talent as a writer; she makes "then" interesting, educational, and entertaining.

Early in 1740 following an exhausting tour of the continent, famous castrato Tito Amato returns to Venice to relax with his family. However his respite is short as Chief of Constabulary Messer Grande arrests Tito. Soon afterward Senator Antonio Montorio explains that with Pope Clement XII near death, the Cardinals will select a replacement between his brother Cardinal Stefano and Cardinal Di Noce. Whomever Cardinal Lorenzo Fabiani supports will become the next pope. Tito is to sing for the music loving Fabiani and learn who he backs or his family will suffer. Tito heads to Rome where he provides performances while staying at the home of Cardinal Fabiani. The singer quickly learns that the only topic amidst the residents and servants of the house is the next pope. However, someone strangles to death a beautiful maid. While Fabiani assumes a family member is the killer and decides to cover up the homicide, houseguest Tito and his two person entourage fear that they will be left singing confessions to the murder. They investigate which leads them to some underground Roman groups. The third Baroque mystery contains an interesting whodunit, but that takes a back seat to the insightful look at Papal politics in the middle of the eighteenth century. What is fascinating is the senator's explanation that a Venetian needs to sit on the throne so that patronage can be earmarked for his city. Also appealing are the underground cultures that thrive within walking distance of the Vatican as sects of ancient pagan worshipping is prevalent and biologists, physicists and chemists abound. Though the plot takes its time to set the stage, it is worth the wait as the audience will gain a grasp on the political patronage swapping and once in Rome Tito does not do what the Romans do as he investigates. Harriet Klausner