Dirge for a Doge

Sigismondo #6

by Elizabeth Eyre

Venice: land of picturesque canals, Titian-haired beauties, and the whisper of secrets as deep and murky as the famous Grand Canal. When aristocrat Niccolo Ermolin is stabbed to death in the study of his own resplendent palazzo, even the resourceful Sigismondo wonders if Venice will sink beneath the weight of its Machiavellian backstabbing before he can solve the dastardly crime and escape with his life and purse intact. The list of suspects is, unfortunately, not short; Ermolin was connected to the notorious Council of Ten and widely rumored in court circles to keep a secret book of his transactions - shady and otherwise. Our detective, along with his more-faithful-than-clever sidekick, Benno, finds his life may just depend on his finding the right answers in a city with enough disguises to rival even Sigismondo himself.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical, Medieval

344 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

AKA Susannah Stacey, Elizabeth Eyre is the pseudonym of the couple of writers Jill Staynes and Margaret Storey.
Jill Staynes writes her own novels as well as writing under the name of Elizabeth Eyre and Susannah Stacey with Margaret Storey. They were pupils at the same school where they invented bizarre characters and exchanged serial episodes about them. Their first book together. at the age of fifteen, was called 'Bungho, or why we went to Aleppo'. It was not offered for publication. They have both written stories for children, and together created the highly praised Superintendent Bone modern detective novels as well as this series of Italian Renaissance whodunnits.

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last Sigismondo mystery features the very likable trio of mercenary Sigismondo, his stupid-appearing servant Benno, and their dog Biondello. In Venice to visit a sick friend, they get caught up in a web of murders and treachery and politics that nearly puts an end to them. Without several powerful friends, Sigismondo would have disappeared into the dungeons of the ruling committee of Ten, never to be seen again.

The Venice of Sigismondo's world is a quagmire of betrayal, the reason that it took me so long to reread DIRGE FOR A DOGE. Thank goodness for the nice people in the book - without them I might not have finished it at all.

So far as I have been able to learn, the authors specifically avoided all historical characters throughout the series. The political situations, and the types of feuds and wars, beautifully fit with what was actually going on in Renaissance Italy but are not a match with any particular situation.

Read 3 times

[Katherynne Boham · Rating 4 out of 5]

How sorry I am to have come to the end of the Sigismondo mysteries! This one was just as enjoyable as the previous installments. There are plot twists, assassinations, and Sigismondo finds himself in prison. An excellent read.
I'll put this series on my shelves for a time and then read them again.

[Diana Sandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is a good period murder mystery. The period this time is the Italian Renaissance; this one takes place in Venice, but there are five previous ones, which I shall have to track down. Now I feel well established in the period. Some of the narrative looks through the eyes of the “detective”’s servant, Benno, a fellow suitably superstitious and ignorant, who sees things quite differently than from a modern aspect. In fact, I only now realize, thinking back, that when the master is the viewpoint, we are mostly looking at the elements of the mystery, and when Benno is the viewpoint, we are seeing Venice and the Renaissance world. Interesting. This book is much less soppy than the Brother Cadfael lot (though I like the soppiness of those - in moderation). There is certainly a wry drama in the investigator’s character: a smooth, dangerous, enormously capable mercenary, large, all in black and with a shaven head. Still, it was hardly an age of understatement…

The “author” is two writers working together - another mystery to me. I wonder how they divide the labour.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get into this book, but I still wanted to find out what was going on! It's a very complex mystery that I never knew all the pieces to, but the setting was intriguing and wonderful. I'm so ignorant about Italian culture, especially during the Renaissance, and Venice in particular, that every page had something new. It was really interesting and a great back drop for a murder mystery. The characters were well-written; some are endearing, others command respect, and still others are despicable and enigmatic. A good mystery for those looking for something a little different.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite of the series. It takes place in Venice during the Renaissance. It was glorious when I went to Venice and actually saw the places that were described in the book. It really brought the place alive to me. The mysteries are clever, fun and interesting.

[Makoto Neuer · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wish i could read the whole series, Segismundo and Benno are still in my mind, i want to read more about their adventures.