When Angels Fall:A Benedetti Renaissance Mystery: When Angels Fall:A Benedetti Renaissance Mystery - Revised Edition

by H.A. Corby

When Angels Fall A Benedetti Renaissance Mystery REVISED EDITION “A straightforward and high-concept story with strong thriller and suspense elements; as a mystery, it delivers what it promises.” When Emiliano Benedetti the secular physician at the Benedictine Abby discovers a noble woman murdered by the river, her lofty connections which reach all the way to the Vatican threaten the city of Florence with revenge and more blood-drenched streets. Emiliano is drawn into a web of love, treachery, betrayal and murder as his passion for autopsy lead him to uncover the deaths of other women and a previously unknown evil. Included in the revised edition is the short story that won a Harper Collins contest, Murder in the Morning. There are a few tasteful scenes of heterosexual intimacy. Not recommended for under 16.

Genres: Mystery

236 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2012

About the author

I live in Italy with my 2 rescued pups. I have enjoyed a bumpy but thrilling ride all the way from Palermo, Sicily to Bordighera near the French border. I had the pleasure of walking along the sandy cove that shelters the homes that Lord Byron and D.H. Lawrence stayed in. I can tell you, that was thrill.

I'm some kind of crazy woman that thinks she is even remotely fascinating - well my dogs told me so and how could they be wrong?

Born in the UK, I am half Jamaican - and no - I do not smoke the weed - mind you I might be able to come up with some better stuff - who knows eh? Live in Nigeria, Jamaica, the United States, England, Span and now Italy. Next stop? Who knows?

My next book, Wall of Silence The Succession is due out later this year.

Reviews

[Dorottya · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

It was a really fascinating and well-structured read, a perfect mystery/crime story for my taste. It had a pretty good investigation part, both the investigation plot and the murders, the game between investigator and sinner were nicely executed.
One thing I really liked is no matter how crooked and evil the killer was, there was a deeper "reason" for them to do so. What I mean by this, is that Mariangela was truly used and abused by the men she loved. And that makes me pity her and understand why she became this fixated on making Stefano's and Emiliano's life miserable. Because it's understandable that because of how mean they were to her and how they made her feel useless, her heart was really broken.
I also liked how the main "hero"/investigator wasn't without flaws and how he disappointed some people and did some not-too-great things like everyone else. And I also liked that he did not seem to have too much remorse about what he did, because there ARE people like this, who hurt people following their own interests. And his profile kind of echoed, I guess, the overall view of men and women and of poor and rich people in that period (although, I have to be completely honest, I have no great knowledge about that).

And now for the minus 0,5 points:
-it is not the book's fault, but mine, just it was a bit hard for me to get into it, due to the interesting syntax and English being my 2nd language
-editing mistakes
- I would have left the religion fanatism/lunatism/Santa Rosalia part out, it was redundant and a page-filler for me, it would have been perfect without it... I mean, Mariangela had perfect motivation for the crimes without Santa Rosalia telling her what to do
-the random Italian words and terms in the dialogues (it was weird to see a Ciao, papá in the beginning of a sentence in English... I mean, I get it that they are presumably talking in Italian :D)

[Ann Philipp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step back into the Renaissance era and immerse yourself in Florence, Italy when art, culture and medicine took its first tentative steps forward. Ms Corby has created a rich set of complex characters, with an expert knowledge of the art, food, and culture of the era. A mystery wrapped around a love story with a surprise ending that will make your head spin.

"When passion is ungoverned it can lead to lies, deceit, and destruction.” ~ Signore Benivieni from When Angels Fall.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to receive this book for free through Goodreads First Reads! I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and found H.A. Corby’s book to be that calibre of a mystery novel. It kept me entertained from the first page to the last. Mystery, romance, twists and turns: and an unpredictable ending!

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fiorenzia, 1479

Wealth and poverty . . . superstition and new medical learning . . . betrayal, deceit, and murder.
Interesting well-written characters.

One very short sex scene
Several murders (non graphic)