A Time of Mourning

Sandro Cellini #1

by Christobel Kent

When a young English girl goes missing from among Florence's hard-drinking, high-living community of foreign art students, ex-policeman, good husband and newly-minted private detective Sandro Cellini is at first unwilling to see any connection with his investigation of the suicide of an elderly Jewish architect. But as he investigates the circumstances of Claudio Gentileschi's death more closely, the connections between the cases multiply, and Sandro's first case turns out to be darker and more complex than he could have imagined...

Genres: Mystery, Italy, Crime, Fiction, Detective, Audiobook, Ebooks

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Christobel Kent was born in London in 1962 and now lives in Cambridge with her husband and four children; in between she lived in Florence. She worked in publishing for several years, most recently as Publicity Director at Andre Deutsch. Her debut novel A Party in San Niccolo, was published in 2003.

Series:
* Sandro Cellini

Reviews

[Natalie Tyler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book because a series set in beautiful Florence, Italy, seems enticing. Moreover, the book has been very well-reviewed.

BUT I could not get past page 9 because of the writing. I realize that serious readers can disagree about style and aesthetics. Stylistically, the lengthy sentence fragment annoys me. A sentence such as "However, although when I first visited the Kaffeehaus in the Boboli gardens, it was open for customers and entirely possible to sit on its terrace overlooking the city, it has been in restoration for six years and is at present not operation as a café." Can you parse that sentence? The "however, although" construction pained me.

What about this one? Sandro ponders about the day of Oggissanti, All Saints' Day: "Religion, duty to the dead, not to mention that it might be obscurely inauspicious to start halfway through a week."
A paragraph on page 8 begins:

"That and the builder's yard below the window, currently full of orange plastic tubing, maybe."

Perhaps I am just too elderly--I don't like "This" or "That" being the subject of a sentence.

The first 9 pages annoyed me too many times so I decided to abandon the book. It may have a great plot. Sandro Cellini may be a fantastic detective. I typically forgive all kinds of infelicities in writing but in this case I just wanted to take a red pen to the margins and screech. OK--I'll open the book at random and see if it gets better. P. 199: "Italian bells were different, always more of a funeral toll than a peal".

Please, please please find Kent a good editor and perhaps this series could have wider appeal. I do, by the way, enjoy James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and William Faulkner, so I am not at all averse to the well-crafted long stream-of-consciousness type of sentence.

I highly recommend Donna Leon and Grace Brophy for those who like mysteries set in Italy.

[Jennifer Trent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this could be a great book, it's just the translation to English was very hard to read.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I vacillated between two and three stars for this review. I'm reading this for a book club - and to be honest, I probably wouldn't have got through the first few chapters if I hadn't been obliged to read it for the club.

The problem, really, is Commisario Brunetti. Every other Italian detective novel has to live up to his standard. Unfortunately the hero in this novel isn't a smartly dressed, well educated detective with a charming family. He's the stereotypical down-at-heel, hard-done-by, forcibly retired cop. I fancy Brunetti and that's one of the reasons I read about him - Sandro doesn't float my boat at all.

Anyhow, the obligation to read got me through the first few chapters even though I didn't connect with the hero - and then the story got interesting. I enjoyed the rest of the book, except for the conclusion, which drove me round the bend. Instead of continuing with the story chronologically, it jumps forward in time, then tells us what happened between in a series of flashbacks.

I felt like I had followed the characters all through the story, and been suddenly shut out - and then someone came in and said, I haven't got much time but I'll just bring you up to speed with what happened to everyone in the end. Much, much too rushed and told in past perfect, which is distancing. Shame.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, The Drowning River, by Christobel Kent, is about a man, named Andro Cellini,who has recently quit from being a policeman in the city Lorrence. As this women comes to him for help. She asks to take a look at his suicide to see if it was set up and not actually a suicide. After some time of thinking about it Andro takes the case to work on and open a new business for himself. My favorite part of this book is when he starts to investigate in the case and sets up for shop to figure out this conspiracy. The part that I didn't like was that when he got close to solving this conspiracy he just misses by a little, the suspense just gets me. I enjoyed this book because it made me remember of all the series I've seen that were similar to this and it just caught my eye when I began reading it, a very mysterious book with a good plot to it. I highly recommend to read this book if your looking for something new to read.

[Kelsey Burnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally enjoyable book! Set in Florence, so that's fun right off the bat. Former police officer turned private investigator Sandro Cellini is great. And a bunch of great female characters. Iris, an English art student whose roommate disappears, helps Sandro solve the mystery, and at the same time learns some valuable life lessons. Sandro's wife, Luisa, and their friend, Lucia, are also terrific. The city of Florence becomes a character too. Would make a good movie!

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

En esta novela no solo se investiga un suicidio y una desaparición, sino que la autora también nos traslada hasta las calles de Florencia. Precisamente, las numerosas descripciones de la ciudad han sido lo que me han llevado a no darle una puntuación superior.

Tal y como se revela en la sinopsis, la trama principal es la desaparición de una joven y su posible relación con el suicidio de un superviviente del Holocausto. Además, la autora también nos acerca a la vida del detective Sandro Cellini y de su mujer. Los dos acontecimientos principales parecen estar perfectamente conectados, pero los hechos se van sucediendo y el final resulta impredecible (o al menos para mí lo ha sido).

En cuanto a los personajes, no he conseguido empatizar con ninguno de ellos. Quizá con quien más lo he hecho ha sido con Iris (amiga de la desaparecida Verónica). Si tengo que destacar a un personaje sobre los demás ese es Tomi. Tomi es un niño autista que casualmente es testigo de ciertos hechos que tienen una importancia vital para la resolución de los casos. Me ha gustado mucho cómo la autora le ha hecho partícipe en la trama y, por lo tanto, el carácter inclusivo de la novela.

En lo relativo al estilo. La novela se articula en 31 capítulos, a mi parecer, un poco largos. No es que los capítulos o la novela en sí sean muy largos, pero la forma de escribir de la autora ha hecho que no me resulte muy ágil la lectura; pues, como dije al principio, considero que incorpora detalles de los que se podría haber prescindido fácilmente.

En definitiva, la novela tiene una trama interesante y un contexto y una ambientación totalmente diferentes al de las frecuentes novelas negras nórdicas, pero la prosa de la autora ha hecho que no me haya enganchado tanto como otras novelas del mismo género.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is listed in Goodreads as "Sandro Cellini #1," it is actually a sequel to "A Florentine Revenge," in which most of the characters in this book are introduced. Sandro and Luisa Cellini and Giulietta Sarto all play major roles in the earlier book.

I really enjoyed the first half of "The Drowning River," but to some extent lost patience with it after that. Many things I liked about the first book continue in this one -- some nice writing, a sense of actually being in Florence, and at least the first half of the plot.

What went downhill? I had difficulty seeing enough intensity in the relationships between the young art student Iris March and her classmates, Veronica ("Ronnie") and Jackson to justify the choices Iris makes which are central to the story line. And while Luisa stays in the character developed for her in the first book, Sandro seemed to me less deftly drawn. He begins to talk as the book progresses more like the protagonist in a L.A.-based hard-boiled police procedural. I also felt that the ending was pretty visible about halfway through the book, at least how things turn out, though the "whoodunit" aspect took longer to determine. Finally, much of the plot hinges on Alitalia calling a family to assign seats on a flight, and while I suppose it's possible that European airlines do that, it seemed very unlikely to me.

I continue to see this series as having a lot of potential and will read at least one of the sequels. Christobel Kent seems to me a mystery writer of exceptional promise, and I just hope for a bit more in the next installment.

[Joe Zeppetello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book partly because it was set in Florence, and I have had the luck to spend a lot of time in that city, so I have to admit to a vicarious thrill when Kent mentions places I know and have been to. She also makes up places. I've read a few of her books so far, and have liked them all. Her writing is lush and convoluted, and sometimes you have to read them a little more slowly that a typical mystery/crime novel.

Sandro Cellini is a complex character who manages to blow up his career as a police officer by having a little too much compassion and a taste for justice. However, this book takes place after that event when he become by default a private investigator, and the book works well as several threads of the plot are woven carefully together, complete with a fast-paced finish. Sandro is a contemplative detective who misses nothing, including his own faults, as he observes, ironically, the faults of others. Unlike some other fictional detectives he has a humbleness about him even as he circumvents procedures and pushes boundaries. This is worth a read, especially if you have ever had the opportunity to visit the city of the Renaissance,

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not quite sure what to make of this novel. I don't know how it came to be on my list of books to read but my guess is that it had something to do with its Florentine setting. And that may well be the reason I don't feel quite right describing it as merely OK. A fleeting phrase described somewhere important to me. I feel faintly ashamed of being so easily handcuffed to a story by nostalgia.

That said, I did also keep reading to find out whether Ronnie, the missing girl was dead, alive or on the lam after all but I didn't find the writing itself enhanced the journey there and I am not sure the central characters were compelling enough to make me want to move on with the series. I felt that ends were tied up in the final chapter which would have been much better left loose.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I eagerly anticipated a mystery talking place in Florence , Italy involving what appeared to be interesting characters. I got off on the wrong foot because I kept getting the women confused. Two important female characters were called Lucia and Luisa, only one consonant of difference, and two other major females were Anna and Antonella, somewhat better, but with all the same why not vary the names a little?

Then poor Sandro, our hero so unhappy, so worried, so insecure, so wishy washy, how could I know it would take half the book for him to find his feet? Our heroine Iris got a grip much quicker that he did but she floundered a bit in the beginning, excusable because she was young.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

..if this is the 'first' of a series it lacks something for me...maybe its just Florence, not one of my favorite Italian cities but I did not like the back and forth and sideways local changes that the author put us through. Especially if atmosphere and character is what one is going for here - too many distractions and bad weather! (oh wait. Those are my own prejudices I brought to the read!).

This was a friend's recommendation and I'm always up for something she suggests - but as she admits, she also wanted someone else to share her thoughts on this 'potentially' good series. Soo sorry, Suzanne.

[Gidgmon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know if Kent is trying to make stylistic choices or if she really doesn't know how to structure a sentence well, but, wow, does it make for clunky reading.

The real problem is lack of anything remotely interesting in this novel. The mystery is dull and written completely without any tension. It's obvious to the reader who did it way before it becomes clear to the main character.

Speaking of the characters. They are as bland, lifeless and have little to no personality.

I can't think of any reason to read this book. It wasn't even a throwaway easy read that was somewhat entertaining but forgettable; it's just a bunch of nothing.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Florence, this novel introduces a new sleuth on the scene, a worthy successor to Aurelio Zen, Guido Brunetti and Gabriel Allon. Very well written and crafted (except for one slip where the word "hummus" is used where "humus" was obviously meant, unless it is a British variant of "humus") it is a great start to what I hope will be a series of "Sandro Cellini" novels.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I do six stars? How about seven? Excellent writing. I find myself pulled in so many directions (or is the word distractions?) lately. Luckily, I occasionally stumble across authors who can grab me and hold me practically from page one. Christobel Kent is such an author and The Drowning River is the book that grabbed my attention away from all the other distractions. Read this book.

[Thean Yen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit slow moving. Attempts to create atmosphere, but I found parts of the book a little tedious. The characterisation was slightly weak - I never really bonded with the protagonist, nor his contacts.

[Irena Horvat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moody & unforgettable story. Loved the atmosphere the author created around Florence. The characters were wonderful & believable as was the mystery. This book kept me enthralled, absolutely glad I read it. The book affected me emotionally in a nice way!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to the series. I liked the locale (Florence, Italy) and the characters. I did think some of the descriptions got a little long and could have been better edited to illustrate the same item or location.

[Janey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreary setting, dreary start and I struggled for about a third of it. Then it got into its stride and became better but still quite dark.
I was also annoyed by the frequent use of Italian words which I didn't understand.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters were interesting and compelling and the plot line was well conceived, but the pace was off. even so, i have started the next book in the series and I am happy to say it is a page turner!
this series is a keeper, i think

[Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really enjoyed this!!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Now hooked on the series.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandro Cellini stands at the window of his new office. He has sharpened the pencils, prepared some file folders, and sat wondering why he had an office at all. Sandro had been a well-respected and successful investigator in the police department that served and protected the people of Florence. After nearly thirty years on the police force, Sandro had allowed emotion to rule his decisions rather than the rules of the department. All he wanted to do was offer some comfort to a father whose child had been assaulted. Everyone knew the suspect was guilty and everyone knew that the police would never have enough evidence to arrest him or bring him to trial. Sandro explained this to the child’s father; he even identified the man everyone knew was guilty. When the father took matters into his own hands, Sandro was told to resign or face charges

Sandro’s wife encouraged him to become a private investigator, to use the skills he had developed as a police officer. She found him the office and she bought the furniture. She had placed the ad describing his services into the free paper. She hadn’t convinced Sandro that it was a good idea.

On the second day, Sandro arrives at the door of the building, inserts the key, and quickly withdraws it. Why go in so early? He remembers from detective fiction and TV shows that no one every goes to a private investigator’s office before mid-afternoon. Why not go for coffee and get acquainted with the neighborhood? As he turns, he discovers a woman standing behind him, holding the ad in the free newspaper. She wants to hire him. She introduces herself as Lucia Gentileschi and she wants to hire Sandro to prove that her husband did not kill himself.

Claudio Gentileschi was eighty-one years old when he walked into the Arno River. He was Jewish and a survivor of the camps and the police are telling her that the experiences of his youth likely have caught up with him. But Lucia refuses to believe it. They were married fifty years and she knows that Claudio would not leave her to face the future alone. He is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease but the losses of memory and personality have not yet appeared. Claudio would not have killed himself.

Iris March and Veronica Hutton are in Florence to take art classes. Iris and Ronnie, nineteen, knew each other from school although they weren’t close friends. Ronnie’s family has money; Iris’ does not. Ronnie’s mother rented an apartment for the girls and, in exchange for her share of the rent, Iris was expected to keep an eye on Ronnie and to dissuade her from following through on some of her least least well considered plans. Iris is not surprised when Ronnie doesn’t show up for class the day after their Halloween party. Ronnie’s attendance at the Studio Massi is spotty at best and she left it to Iris to invent excuses for her absence. This time, Iris is able to tell Paulo Massi, truthfully she believes, that Ronnie is in the hills in the north, visiting wealthy friends of her parents who are renting a castle. Ronnie plans to be gone until the end of the week so Iris is free of the burden that requires her to invent stories as cover for her roommate.

The art students are working diligently throughout the afternoon when two men arrive to speak privately with Massi. Iris is taken by surprise when Massi asks her to come into his office. The two men are police officers and they have Ronnie’s leather bag. Does Iris recognize it and does she know where Ronnie is ? Iris gives them the name of the couple Ronnie is visiting; a call to the castle elicits the information that the family are in England and won’t be back until the spring. Iris and the police have reached a dead-end.

Sandro is surprised when he receives a call from Serena Hutton, Ronnie’s mother, who is in Dubai selling a horse. Serena had learned of Sandro’s new business from his landlady and she hires him to find her daughter. She tells him to contact Iris who will give him the information he needs to locate her daughter, who is no doubt off having a good time. Iris senses that something terrible has happened to Ronnie and soon she and Sandro become partners in the project to find Ronnie.

As the story progresses, Sandro finds himself dealing with the art community, the ever-changing groups of serious artists and the less serious who want to have the Florence experience. Iris is becoming increasingly convinced that Ronnie is in serious trouble. At the same time, Sandro is reliving the last day of Claudio’s life. Did something happen that day to push this man into taking an irrevocable step that his wife insists is out of character?

November in Florence is not the Florence of the guide books. The terra-cotta buildings are not glowing in the sun light. This first week in November is cold and it rains steadily and heavily. The residents of the city are beginning to fear that there may be a repeat of the disastrous flooding of 1966. The tourists are never completely gone from the city that includes the Uffizi as one of its landmarks. The sale of masterpieces and the sale of copies of those masterpieces swirl around the city. Art and life are joined in all aspects of Florentine life. As Sandro becomes aware of the ties that bind the residents of the city to each other, he realizes that someone, somewhere, in the city is the link, that ties his cases together.

The Florence of Christobel Kent is unlike the sunny Sicily of Andrea Camilleri. It is also not the various cities of Italy that visited by Michael Dibdin’s Aurelio Zen. And it is definitely not the Venice of the warm and loving Brunetti family created by Donna Leon. That is a good thing because it gives readers the wonderful opportunity to decide which of these authors they should read next.

[Andrés Felipe Arias :p · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro algo simplón, que entretiene mucho, pero que no da más. Desde antes de la mitad del libro sabes quién es el culpable, no me sorprendió, rescato mucho los personajes bien estructurados, por lo menos con Sandro, un policía retirado por comprometerse mucho con los implicados en sus investigaciones, y por eso se vuelve detective privado que además sigue sin dejar esta manía. Me encantó el personaje, aunque como detective no es de los mejores, no me parece algo lógico que Iris, una adolescente de 17 años haya descubierto al implicado antes que un detective privado. La obra me gustó mucho, ya que fue amena de leer, sé que es la primer historia de este detective h me convenció de seguir leyendo más.

[Brian Gowthorpe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Guardian reviews/mentions of this relatively new crime novelist have been generous and, having worked as a TEFL teacher in Florence she knows and writes about the city with a considerable depth of knowledge and love. Her ex-cop PI Sandro Cellini is sympathetic and believable and she knows the world of rich and not-so-rich middle-class girls especially those doing art or similar courses. There is more than an echo of Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito and Meredith Kirchner. Her writing is serviceable as much as anything and she keeps the interest going. She manages to create likeable and sympathetic characters including Hiroko, the sensible Japanese girl and Iris the solid and caring flatmate of promiscuous bad girl Veronica (Ronnie).

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first book in a detective series had some of the flaws often found in first books. I didn't know the characters so I had to meet them and figure out who would be in future books and who was only temporary. There had to be some explanation of why the private detective was no longer with the police and that sort of thing. But I loved the setting in Florence, Italy, and the case the detective was investigating wrapped up neatly. I enjoyed the relationship between the middle-aged detective and his wife and look forward to getting to know them better. I will definitely read book 2.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christobel Kent heeft een heel mooie schrijfstijl. Heel anders dan de thrillers die we gewend zijn.
Een oud-politieman gaat als privé-detective aan het werk. Een oude mevrouw vraagt hem de laatste uren van haar man in kaart te brengen voor hij zelfmoord pleegde. Hij behandelt de oude mensen met heel veel empathie en zo krijg je ook de indruk van hem als heel menselijk. Met hulp van zijn vrouw en studenten van de kunstacademie wordt het opgelost. Het speelt in Florence en je krijgt dus ook iets mee van het dagelijks leven daar.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I wasn't too sure about this. I read it because I wanted a replacement for Commisario Montalbano. The narration is great but some of the charcaters were a bit dull and also just stumbled into obvious errors.

The ending was excellent though and I think it really brought the whole story together. I will continue to read this series. Sandro doesn't replace Montalbano but he is still worth following just for his own style of investigating and because of Louisa who is an interesting supporting character.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a little while to get the flow of the writing style, but I sank into it and enjoyed it. The mystery was spun well and the mood of the setting filled with dark skies and rain filled my mind with darkness contrasted with visions of this city drenched in sun. I did have to pause every few pages to Google the locations because I really wanted to picture where they were. That was a bit distracting. But also an enjoyable way to get to know the city of Florence.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this book down. Florence, the writing, the characters and the storyline were great. Sandro becomes a PI after being a police officer for 30 years. His first two isolated cases converge: a missing 19-year old English art student and an 81-year old man. Sandro’s wife plays an important role as does friends of the missing girl. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Carina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidentally read “A Murder in Tuscany” before this book not realizing it was part of a series.
“The Drowning River” was in my opinion the better one of the two.
More complex with an intriguing plot as well as a potential natural disaster lurking in the background. The characters are well developed and I love how the author writes.
I will continue reading this book series.