What do you think?
Rate this book
Commissario Cenni Investigation #1
The Last Enemy
Rita grew up in Brooklyn, the only child of a narcissistic Italian mother and the GI she married at the end of World War II. After her mother’s death, she quits her teaching job and descends upon her poor but aristocratic relatives, the Count and Countess Casati, in Assisi. It takes a while before they realize, to their chagrin, that Rita has come to stay. When the family assembles to watch the penitentes procession in the town square during Easter Week, a Casati tradition, Rita does not join them as planned. Her corpse is later found in the family mausoleum.
Alessandro Cenni, a commissario in the State Police of Umbria, and a handsome bachelor whose twin brother is about to become a bishop, must penetrate the secrets of the Casati family and their circle if he is to discover who killed Rita and why. But he is blocked by their powerful right-wing connections, and by a superior who prefers to arrest a scapegoat rather than risk political suicide. Aided by a loyal staff in his quest for that rarity—justice—he still must acknowledge that no one can defeat the last enemy, death itself.
Grace Brophy grew up in Queens, New York. She now divides her time between New York and Terni, a village in Umbria, where she lives with her husband, a Uruguayan artist. This is the first in the Commissario Cenni series of investigations set in Italy.
Alessandro Cenni, a commissario in the State Police of Umbria, and a handsome bachelor whose twin brother is about to become a bishop, must penetrate the secrets of the Casati family and their circle if he is to discover who killed Rita and why. But he is blocked by their powerful right-wing connections, and by a superior who prefers to arrest a scapegoat rather than risk political suicide. Aided by a loyal staff in his quest for that rarity—justice—he still must acknowledge that no one can defeat the last enemy, death itself.
Grace Brophy grew up in Queens, New York. She now divides her time between New York and Terni, a village in Umbria, where she lives with her husband, a Uruguayan artist. This is the first in the Commissario Cenni series of investigations set in Italy.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
21 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Grace Brophy
16 books11 followersGRACE BROPHY grew up in New Jersey. She now divides her time between New York and Umbria, where she lives with her husbancd, a Uruguayan artist. This is the first in the Commissario Cenni series of investigations set in Italy.
Series:
* Commissario Cenni Investigation
Series:
* Commissario Cenni Investigation
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 12, 2022
Rita, born and raised in Brooklyn by her Italian immigrant parents, finishes burying her mother, her father having died already and decides to travel to Assisi and live with her mother's brother and family.
Poor and friendless, Rita has a lot of money for the first time in her life and she decides to break out of her devout Catholic spinster persona and become a modern Italian Donna.
Unfortunately, her uncle, the Count Casati and his family do not welcome her with open arms. If it weren't for her sizable inheritance, they probably wouldn't tolerate her presence at all. But they do and she moves into their mansion.
It's Good Friday and the Casati family are waiting with the rest of town for the Religious procession to the church. Rita doesn't show up. It would be nice to say that their irritation turns to shock and grief when Rita's body is found in the Casati Mausoleum in the local cemetery, but it doesn't. what the proud Casati family does not want is scandal marring their reputation.
Inspector Cenni and his crew embark on an investigation that leads them to many suspects with motives and opportunities, but which, if any, was it?
I am not normally a fan of fiction written after 1970, but this was a surprisingly good read. Aside from the occasional F word, the story and dialogue were intriguing and enjoyable.
I felt Brophy's character development was superb. All of her characters were believable and multi-dimensional. I especially liked Cenni and his fellow detectives. They were written in a sympathetic, yet very human way. It made me a loyal fan of Cenni and I hope to read Brophy's next novel.
Poor and friendless, Rita has a lot of money for the first time in her life and she decides to break out of her devout Catholic spinster persona and become a modern Italian Donna.
Unfortunately, her uncle, the Count Casati and his family do not welcome her with open arms. If it weren't for her sizable inheritance, they probably wouldn't tolerate her presence at all. But they do and she moves into their mansion.
It's Good Friday and the Casati family are waiting with the rest of town for the Religious procession to the church. Rita doesn't show up. It would be nice to say that their irritation turns to shock and grief when Rita's body is found in the Casati Mausoleum in the local cemetery, but it doesn't. what the proud Casati family does not want is scandal marring their reputation.
Inspector Cenni and his crew embark on an investigation that leads them to many suspects with motives and opportunities, but which, if any, was it?
I am not normally a fan of fiction written after 1970, but this was a surprisingly good read. Aside from the occasional F word, the story and dialogue were intriguing and enjoyable.
I felt Brophy's character development was superb. All of her characters were believable and multi-dimensional. I especially liked Cenni and his fellow detectives. They were written in a sympathetic, yet very human way. It made me a loyal fan of Cenni and I hope to read Brophy's next novel.
November 29, 2020
I tend to like mysteries that have more to them than simply solving a crime. If the detective is a three-dimensional character, if he has more to his life than his work, chances are that I will like the book. This book is a case in point. Commissario Alessandro (Alex) Cenni is an insightful detective whose personality plays an important part in the story. He professes to be an unbeliever, but the mask slips every now and again. His twin brother is a priest who becomes Bishop of Urbino. Now the head of the Anti-Terrorism Squad, his life has been touched by terrorism. His fiance was kidnapped during their time in law school (during the Red Brigades era)and never found. As Grace Brophy tells the story, we are able to enter into Alex's thoughts about Italian politics and the corruption within, the politics of the police forces (and the corruption within), the Church and the aristocracy.
The body of an American woman, Rita Minelli, is found in a mausoleum in the Assisi cemetery. She is the niece of Count Umberto Casati and a teacher in the language school he owns. It would appear, from the state of the body when found, that she had been raped. This is quickly disproven, but the woman was pregnant. Interviewing the Casati family, Alex discovers that Rita was not very well-liked. She moved in with them after bringing her mother's body to Assisi for burial in the family vault. Rita is very well off, especially when compared to her Italian relatives, who have a title, a mansion, but little else. Rita inherited from her mother who had amassed a tidy sum by investing in the stock market. After selling the house, Rita had about two million dollars in the bank. Alex turns his attention to each of the family members in turn, as well as the Croatian woman who took care of the flowers at the tomb and found the body. Who is the father of Rita's unborn child? It seems that the key to the murder lies there.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read. One thing that bothered me, though, is something that seems to happen more and more often these days. It is a somewhat slipshod approach to editing (or maybe proof-reading). There were a few times that words that were in or should have been in Italian were either misspelled or spelled in English (Francisco rather than Francesco). Other times the Italian word was spelled differently (soure rather than suore). With the investment that goes into publishing a book, one would expect better.
The title comes from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (the last enemy to be destroyed is death). I cannot figure out the significance of the title. Death is not destroyed at the end; if anything, one is left with the impression that death is just around the corner...waiting.
The body of an American woman, Rita Minelli, is found in a mausoleum in the Assisi cemetery. She is the niece of Count Umberto Casati and a teacher in the language school he owns. It would appear, from the state of the body when found, that she had been raped. This is quickly disproven, but the woman was pregnant. Interviewing the Casati family, Alex discovers that Rita was not very well-liked. She moved in with them after bringing her mother's body to Assisi for burial in the family vault. Rita is very well off, especially when compared to her Italian relatives, who have a title, a mansion, but little else. Rita inherited from her mother who had amassed a tidy sum by investing in the stock market. After selling the house, Rita had about two million dollars in the bank. Alex turns his attention to each of the family members in turn, as well as the Croatian woman who took care of the flowers at the tomb and found the body. Who is the father of Rita's unborn child? It seems that the key to the murder lies there.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read. One thing that bothered me, though, is something that seems to happen more and more often these days. It is a somewhat slipshod approach to editing (or maybe proof-reading). There were a few times that words that were in or should have been in Italian were either misspelled or spelled in English (Francisco rather than Francesco). Other times the Italian word was spelled differently (soure rather than suore). With the investment that goes into publishing a book, one would expect better.
The title comes from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (the last enemy to be destroyed is death). I cannot figure out the significance of the title. Death is not destroyed at the end; if anything, one is left with the impression that death is just around the corner...waiting.
August 12, 2018
Super fun read for mystery fans particularly Donna Leon fans. Inspector Cenni is our detective and the story takeslace in Umbria, a fun and different locale. Sadly, author Brophy only weote two Cenni novels. Her plot, cast of characters and tidbits about aristocratic italian life are a treat to read. The Italian justice system is shown as corrupt with the rich and connected treated very differently than tye average citizen. In Italy it is all about who you know! Cenni is that rare cop fighting for justice in a rigged system. A delight to read.
June 21, 2019
A New Favorite
I have a new favorite among authors of Italian mysteries. Grace Brophy's Allesandro Cenni series has captured my heart and critical mind. Her books are not rehashings of tried and true tropes of the genre but rather thoughtful, complex and detailed stories, filled with deep characters and fulsome descriptions of time and place. I have now read the first and second entries in this series and I am eagerly awaiting her third. " La nuova dottorra di misterio", Grace Brophy!
I have a new favorite among authors of Italian mysteries. Grace Brophy's Allesandro Cenni series has captured my heart and critical mind. Her books are not rehashings of tried and true tropes of the genre but rather thoughtful, complex and detailed stories, filled with deep characters and fulsome descriptions of time and place. I have now read the first and second entries in this series and I am eagerly awaiting her third. " La nuova dottorra di misterio", Grace Brophy!
January 10, 2020
Really 2.5. I liked the character, but the book started to drag on and on after a certain point, and while some of the misdirection near the end is fun, it became a slog, which is not an endearing quality for a mystery/procedural. The Italian details are great, though.
July 24, 2020
ok read
November 24, 2025
good,very italian
April 9, 2012
Grace Brophy’s novel The Last Enemy also takes place at this time of year, but in the location of beautiful Assisi in northern Italy. The evening of Good Friday is traditionally spent observing the procession of many local men and some women carrying a cross through the winding ancient streets of the city as they do penance to shorten their way to heaven after death and as a reminder of a momentous Friday 2000 ago.
1 Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
While Count Casati and his family watch the procession in a piazza near their home, they wait for a traditional fish dinner and for a little beloved niece, Rita, who has been residing with them since she brought her mother’s body to be buried in Assisi. They wait in vain, because Rita has met her death in the family mausoleum. She is found the following morning resting on a stone altar step and posed in a fashion that suggests she was raped.
Because of the prominence of the family involved, Commissario Alessandro Cenni, the head of the special task force that deals with terrorism and politically sensitive domestic crimes, is assigned to bring about a fast resolution to the case. While he finds that the local police and the powers that be want the blame to settle on either a foreigner or a vagrant, Alex is confident that the killer had to have known the victim well––and that puts the powerful Casati family in the spotlight. But this is Italy, where connections are more powerful than the facts. The story moves at a lively pace and ends with an Italian twist.
Brophy transports the reader to a lovely part of Italy that I hope to be able to see one day. Alex Cenni is an intriguing, complex character who is believable, likeable and a bit of a romantic. I am happy to report that there is more to this series, the latest of which is being released this year.
1 Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
While Count Casati and his family watch the procession in a piazza near their home, they wait for a traditional fish dinner and for a little beloved niece, Rita, who has been residing with them since she brought her mother’s body to be buried in Assisi. They wait in vain, because Rita has met her death in the family mausoleum. She is found the following morning resting on a stone altar step and posed in a fashion that suggests she was raped.
Because of the prominence of the family involved, Commissario Alessandro Cenni, the head of the special task force that deals with terrorism and politically sensitive domestic crimes, is assigned to bring about a fast resolution to the case. While he finds that the local police and the powers that be want the blame to settle on either a foreigner or a vagrant, Alex is confident that the killer had to have known the victim well––and that puts the powerful Casati family in the spotlight. But this is Italy, where connections are more powerful than the facts. The story moves at a lively pace and ends with an Italian twist.
Brophy transports the reader to a lovely part of Italy that I hope to be able to see one day. Alex Cenni is an intriguing, complex character who is believable, likeable and a bit of a romantic. I am happy to report that there is more to this series, the latest of which is being released this year.
April 28, 2009
Book reviews feel incomplete without the reading context - I think Nick Hornby had the right idea to batch up a month's worth of reading in a review. My newborn started sleeping better as I was reading this book, which means I read it in fractured chunks, which certainly didn't help me enjoy it.
The writing in this book is distracting. Brophy throws in Italian phrases for no good reason, and has the next line of dialog translate the Italian. For example:
"Fatti gli affari tuoi."
"Mind your own business? Why would you say that?"
I find that distracting - I know the characters are speaking in Italian.
Also, there's an extended excerpt from a diary, but it's written like no diary I've ever read. It involves detailed flashbacks to events that happened years ago. Wouldn't there be diary entries for those events when they happened? Would the writer really remember them? I dunno.
I also had Elmore Leonard's ten rules rattling around in my head as I read this book. Leonard embodies the "show, don't tell" advice. Brophy does the opposite. When a character turns on the charm, you know it because Brophy tells you, not because the character's language becomes more charming.
This might've been better for me if I'd read it in bigger chunks and given it a chance to immerse me in the environment. As it is, though, gotta give it a resounding "meh".
The writing in this book is distracting. Brophy throws in Italian phrases for no good reason, and has the next line of dialog translate the Italian. For example:
"Fatti gli affari tuoi."
"Mind your own business? Why would you say that?"
I find that distracting - I know the characters are speaking in Italian.
Also, there's an extended excerpt from a diary, but it's written like no diary I've ever read. It involves detailed flashbacks to events that happened years ago. Wouldn't there be diary entries for those events when they happened? Would the writer really remember them? I dunno.
I also had Elmore Leonard's ten rules rattling around in my head as I read this book. Leonard embodies the "show, don't tell" advice. Brophy does the opposite. When a character turns on the charm, you know it because Brophy tells you, not because the character's language becomes more charming.
This might've been better for me if I'd read it in bigger chunks and given it a chance to immerse me in the environment. As it is, though, gotta give it a resounding "meh".
December 8, 2010
Set in contemporary Umbria, Commissario Alessandro Cenni delves into the lives of the members of the aristocratic Casati family in Assisi after their American niece is murdered. He finds no shortage of suspects since the murdered woman managed to make herself a threat to almost everyone she encountered. It seems that the underlying theme in most Italian murder mysteries is the inability of the justice system to prosecute the guilty who are rich or well-connected. In view of this, Cenni is satisfied with the goal of keeping the innocent from being arrested in their place. The setting in post-earthquake Assisi and the characters, especially the members of his police team, make it an engaging story.
November 23, 2013
PROTAGONIST: Commissario Alessandro Cenni
SETTING: Italy
SERIES: #1 of 2
RATING: 3.5
WHY: Rita Minelli emigrated from America to Rome when her mother died and moved in on with her aunt and uncle, Count and Countess Casati. Nobody in their home much likes Rita. When she is found murdered in the family's vault, suspicion immediately falls on the woman who found her. The investigation is led by commissario Alex Cenni. The plot was slow moving, but the characterization made up for that flaw. Cenni has a knack for getting people to trust him and is above most of the politics played by his superiors, and two of the members of his team are more capable than most in the department. An ambiguous conclusion serves the book well.
SETTING: Italy
SERIES: #1 of 2
RATING: 3.5
WHY: Rita Minelli emigrated from America to Rome when her mother died and moved in on with her aunt and uncle, Count and Countess Casati. Nobody in their home much likes Rita. When she is found murdered in the family's vault, suspicion immediately falls on the woman who found her. The investigation is led by commissario Alex Cenni. The plot was slow moving, but the characterization made up for that flaw. Cenni has a knack for getting people to trust him and is above most of the politics played by his superiors, and two of the members of his team are more capable than most in the department. An ambiguous conclusion serves the book well.
January 16, 2008
THE LAST ENEMY (Police Proc-Comm. Allessandro Cenni-Italy-Cont) - DNF
Brophy, Grace – 1st book
Soho Crime, 2007, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781569474594
*** An America woman moves to Assisi, Italy and takes up residence with her less-than-willing aristocratic relatives. When her body is found in the family’s mausoleum, it is up to Commisario Allessandro Cenni to find her killer.
*** Donna Leon has nothing to worry about. I did get about half-way through, then wondered why, particularly as I had identified the killer almost immediately. I didn't care for any of the characters and the Italian setting just wasn't enough to keep me going.
Brophy, Grace – 1st book
Soho Crime, 2007, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781569474594
*** An America woman moves to Assisi, Italy and takes up residence with her less-than-willing aristocratic relatives. When her body is found in the family’s mausoleum, it is up to Commisario Allessandro Cenni to find her killer.
*** Donna Leon has nothing to worry about. I did get about half-way through, then wondered why, particularly as I had identified the killer almost immediately. I didn't care for any of the characters and the Italian setting just wasn't enough to keep me going.
July 8, 2017
Mystery that takes place in Assisi! I actually remember being in a lot of the places she writes about in the book. Good mystery; like the characters; enjoyed reading about Umbria. For those that have been to Perugia -- takes place there as well. I almost didnt take the book due to the book cover as I thought it was about the KKK due to the picture; however, its not. Now that I read the book and know what she meant by the title, she should've picked another cover for the book.
July 1, 2009
This murder mystery takes place in Assisi, Italy. I read the book while vacationing in Assisi. I could visualize the streets, cemetery, and surrounding area. This made the book very pleasurable for me. I thought that the book was well written and I did not guess the murderer until the end of book. I believe that this was a first book for Grace Brophy. I will watch for her future books.
May 30, 2010
Police procedural set in Assissi, Italy. As is typical for the locale there is much more intrigue within the police depaartment than in the external plot. There are a lot of characters introduced that are not always easy to keep straight and the resolution felt tacked on.
December 30, 2015
Detective series set in Umbria. Has the usual political angel that lots of detective stories set in Italy have. That said, it is nowhere near as good as the Aurelio Zen series or the books of Christobel Kent set in Florence.
Nice to read about the beautiful cities of Perugia and Assisi though.
Nice to read about the beautiful cities of Perugia and Assisi though.
August 2, 2009
I enjoyed the fact that I hadn't already figured out the mystery before the last half of the book!
September 15, 2009
commissaro cenni's twin is a priest and he is a complicated and interesting investigator who is not always right. You see, smell and experience Perugia of now and days past.
May 1, 2011
I love mysteries set in Italy but only if the author writes well. Brophy doesn't.
October 3, 2011
Amazing writer! Does this naturally flow or does she rewrite and edit?
Want to read
October 6, 2018Synopsis: the Casati family thought Rita was just visiting Italy; now Cenni must find out why she died.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews