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The Hidden Auditorium
Nic Manton is down on his luck with love and money
A stunning historical find can turn his life around
Or it might bring danger and death.
When Richard Wagner died in Venice in 1883, it was the end of a brilliant musical life. His family grieved, and the world lost the brilliant composer of The Flying Dutchman.
Almost 130 years later, antiques dealer Nic Manton finds a valuable pendant and ends up in Venice seeking what it might lead to; a solution to his financial mess. He does not bargain for the fact secrets, scandals, indignities and riddles surround its message from the past.
The dead composer's skull could be hidden in a Venetian palace, and several ruthless individuals are more than just interested. A chase builds up and some will stop at nothing.
A pretty but erratic woman drives Nic crazy. Another surrounds herself with grief. Which one will hurt him more? Brilliant but vague professor Bryn Awbrey can help Manton with the mystery. But death and betrayal foil their plans.
"... beautifully written." Boyd Lemon
An exhilarating story of romance and historical intrigue, and part of the Bryn Awbrey series, The Hidden Auditorium is a breathless atmospheric thriller for devotees of classical music, lovers of old jewellery, and fans of traditional mysteries. What will you love best; the music? The locations? You'll never forget the love affair that changes Nic's life.
A stunning historical find can turn his life around
Or it might bring danger and death.
When Richard Wagner died in Venice in 1883, it was the end of a brilliant musical life. His family grieved, and the world lost the brilliant composer of The Flying Dutchman.
Almost 130 years later, antiques dealer Nic Manton finds a valuable pendant and ends up in Venice seeking what it might lead to; a solution to his financial mess. He does not bargain for the fact secrets, scandals, indignities and riddles surround its message from the past.
The dead composer's skull could be hidden in a Venetian palace, and several ruthless individuals are more than just interested. A chase builds up and some will stop at nothing.
A pretty but erratic woman drives Nic crazy. Another surrounds herself with grief. Which one will hurt him more? Brilliant but vague professor Bryn Awbrey can help Manton with the mystery. But death and betrayal foil their plans.
"... beautifully written." Boyd Lemon
An exhilarating story of romance and historical intrigue, and part of the Bryn Awbrey series, The Hidden Auditorium is a breathless atmospheric thriller for devotees of classical music, lovers of old jewellery, and fans of traditional mysteries. What will you love best; the music? The locations? You'll never forget the love affair that changes Nic's life.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2013
2 people are currently reading
635 people want to read
About the author
Rosanne Dingli
53 books84 followersThis author's latest release is Pledges of Loyalty, the latest in the Denisthorn Hall series.
Rosanne Dingli has authored fifteen novels, six story collections, five novellas, and her collected poems. She has had numerous articles, stories, reviews, columns and poems published Australia-wide and on the internet since 1986. She has worked as teacher, lecturer, workshop coordinator, magazine and corporate editor, travel consultant, cook, manuscript assessor, heraldic artist and business partner. Originally from Malta, she has travelled widely in Italy, the UK, Turkey, Greece, South East Asia, Holland, Belgium, and France as well as most Australian states. She lives in Western Australia with her partner Hugo Bouckaert, Belgian GIS expert, biologist and philosopher.
Books:
According to Luke
Death in Malta
Fascinating Trickster
The Hidden Auditorium
The White Lady of Marsaxlokk
Counting Churches - The Malta Stories
All the Wrong Places (poetry)
The Astronomer's Pig
The Day of the Bird
How to Disappear
A Funeral in Fiesole
The Frozen Sea
The Cartographer of Venice
A Place in Society
A Suitable Husband
Maids and Mistresses
Pledges of Loyalty
Petals & Pages
Vertical Hold
Two
The Geography of Solitude
Chance and Necessity: A novel of Narrogin and Williams
Rosanne Dingli has authored fifteen novels, six story collections, five novellas, and her collected poems. She has had numerous articles, stories, reviews, columns and poems published Australia-wide and on the internet since 1986. She has worked as teacher, lecturer, workshop coordinator, magazine and corporate editor, travel consultant, cook, manuscript assessor, heraldic artist and business partner. Originally from Malta, she has travelled widely in Italy, the UK, Turkey, Greece, South East Asia, Holland, Belgium, and France as well as most Australian states. She lives in Western Australia with her partner Hugo Bouckaert, Belgian GIS expert, biologist and philosopher.
Books:
According to Luke
Death in Malta
Fascinating Trickster
The Hidden Auditorium
The White Lady of Marsaxlokk
Counting Churches - The Malta Stories
All the Wrong Places (poetry)
The Astronomer's Pig
The Day of the Bird
How to Disappear
A Funeral in Fiesole
The Frozen Sea
The Cartographer of Venice
A Place in Society
A Suitable Husband
Maids and Mistresses
Pledges of Loyalty
Petals & Pages
Vertical Hold
Two
The Geography of Solitude
Chance and Necessity: A novel of Narrogin and Williams
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 7, 2014
I think I have read all of the books by Rosanne Dingli and each time a new one emerges I salivate until I can start reading it. The quality of research, language and narrative craft that she devotes to a book is outstanding, and The Hidden Auditorium is no exception.
As usual in this author’s novels, the setting is preponderantly European along with references to the lead character’s country of origin, Australia. Once again, too, the sensual experience and peculiar history and culture of Malta, where the author grew up, resonate with particular power. It makes me long to visit that place.
This novel begins with what is in effect a short prologue, with the heading “Venice: February 15, 1883”. The grisly events it unfolds may lead the reader to assume the novel is in the horror genre, but not so. Historical, thriller, mystery, a good dash of romance--it boldly crosses several genre boundaries. The narration is masterly, instantly pulling us into the ghastly events that give rise to the rest of the story.
While most of the action occurs in our contemporary world, the origin of the mystery and a major impetus for the plot stem from the nineteenth century. Historical and technological facts are researched in depth and woven into the story with enough subtlety to make them fascinating rather than intrusive. The narrative switches between the two time-settings smoothly at nicely calculated moments; it maintains the suspense while revealing new historical information that raises as many questions as it answers. The insistence of the past in the present, for better or for worse, and the need for characters of the present to deal with it discriminatingly: it’s a recurring theme in this author’s books.
Another hallmark of the Dingli novels is the relationship between a person in the bright summer of life and another offering wisdom and affectionate guidance from the late autumn. The older characters are often endearingly drawn and the relationship—at least to me—very affecting. The Welsh eccentric, Bryn Aubrey, is one of the autumnal delights in The Hidden Auditorium; he has already appeared in an earlier novel and I look forward to spending time with him in future Dingli stories.
The language of the novel is modern but sophisticated. Fluent and succinct, it rings well in the contemporary ear, yet is not afraid to employ a rich vocabulary and varied syntax. In this cosmopolitan narrative, languages other than English often crop up, mainly in dialogue, in contexts clear enough to enable readers to infer the meaning.
This is first-class fiction by a master of the craft, engaging both the intellect and the feelings of the reader. It deserves a wide readership.
As usual in this author’s novels, the setting is preponderantly European along with references to the lead character’s country of origin, Australia. Once again, too, the sensual experience and peculiar history and culture of Malta, where the author grew up, resonate with particular power. It makes me long to visit that place.
This novel begins with what is in effect a short prologue, with the heading “Venice: February 15, 1883”. The grisly events it unfolds may lead the reader to assume the novel is in the horror genre, but not so. Historical, thriller, mystery, a good dash of romance--it boldly crosses several genre boundaries. The narration is masterly, instantly pulling us into the ghastly events that give rise to the rest of the story.
While most of the action occurs in our contemporary world, the origin of the mystery and a major impetus for the plot stem from the nineteenth century. Historical and technological facts are researched in depth and woven into the story with enough subtlety to make them fascinating rather than intrusive. The narrative switches between the two time-settings smoothly at nicely calculated moments; it maintains the suspense while revealing new historical information that raises as many questions as it answers. The insistence of the past in the present, for better or for worse, and the need for characters of the present to deal with it discriminatingly: it’s a recurring theme in this author’s books.
Another hallmark of the Dingli novels is the relationship between a person in the bright summer of life and another offering wisdom and affectionate guidance from the late autumn. The older characters are often endearingly drawn and the relationship—at least to me—very affecting. The Welsh eccentric, Bryn Aubrey, is one of the autumnal delights in The Hidden Auditorium; he has already appeared in an earlier novel and I look forward to spending time with him in future Dingli stories.
The language of the novel is modern but sophisticated. Fluent and succinct, it rings well in the contemporary ear, yet is not afraid to employ a rich vocabulary and varied syntax. In this cosmopolitan narrative, languages other than English often crop up, mainly in dialogue, in contexts clear enough to enable readers to infer the meaning.
This is first-class fiction by a master of the craft, engaging both the intellect and the feelings of the reader. It deserves a wide readership.
January 3, 2014
It is not often that I can find one book that fulfills many of my requirements: well-written, educational, musical, artistic, strong plot, historical interludes, creepy stalker, surprise ending, likable characters and a dash of romance. The Hidden Auditorium makes me feel that Rosanne Dingli wrote it especially for me! It is a wonderful story with lots to ponder about the composer Wagner, mental illness, and marriage. Location is also somewhat important, so I enjoyed reading about Malta, a country encountered in the pages of Pynchon's “V” when young. Just the word "Malta" evokes a magically floating island in Avalon-like mists. I look forward to reading Dingli's other Maltese books.
September 3, 2018
The third book I have read by this author and it is the best yet. She has grown as an author, even though there are some holes in the story but the subject matter is good, and the plot and chase are very interesting. So what are we in search of? What that is a two-fold question. On the one hand we have an ailing Richard Wagner whose last days are in Venice and he is on a quest to write a grand opera on a very new and controversial topic for him. And at the same time he has clues as to where this new opera may have been hidden etched upon some beautiful and precious jewelry made by the best Maltese jewelers. OK, now we fast forward to one of those pieces of jewelry being found in the Vatican hidden inside the carved out portion of a book. The book and jewel are secreted out of the Vatican library and now the chase is on. We have deaths, a love story, a mentally deranged individual, a Catholic clergyman, Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun, a search for the decapitated head of Wagner and on and on we go. It actually makes a lot of mysterious sense and I enjoyed this book a lot. We end up finding a "hidden auditorium" where Wagner has hidden his final masterwork opera for over 125 years and which will dispel many of the myths that associated his works with Nazism. A good story, an improving author and I will be reading more works by this Maltese/Australian writer in the future.
August 17, 2013
In the Hidden Auditorium Rosanne Dingli offers another master class in mystery writing. It takes a vibrant imagination and special skill to run two stories in parallel and keep the reader’s attention, but she manages it again with this brilliant book. Some of her characters we have met before in According to Luke, but this doesn’t detract for they wrap themselves around you like a comfort blanket as she creates a world full of uncertainty and menace.
One thread is set in late nineteenth century Venice, where a famous composer is struggling to complete a special work and keep it secret from the intrusions of a controlling and jealous spouse. The other starts in present day Rome, where spontaneous intrigue winds complex coils around mysteries emanating from the darkest years of the Catholic Church’s recent history. Into this mix add a pair of world renowned Maltese jewelers, a man at a crossroads in his life, an elusive woman with an obsessive streak, a beautiful widow faced with an uncertain future and a secret she’s longing to share, and you have a heady mix for a volatile story. All it needs is a mysterious Monsignor, a group of neo-fascist bikers and an eccentric Welsh Professor with a penchant for fruit cake and tea drunk out of yellow cups to serve as catalysts and you have all the ingredients for a top class thriller that spans the centuries, laden with art, music, drama, spite and more than a little suspense.
Rosanne Dingli’s skill at weaving complex stories makes very satisfying reading. Her use of language offers delight and subtlety. Following her plots has its own imperative although it is sometimes like turning a corner to discover something important only to reveal a mirror in which you see but a fleeting glimpse of your goal behind your own shoulder. Turn round and the scene vanishes, leaving nothing but a seared image on your mental retina, a faint aroma on the musty air, and a scrap or clue on the floor to be decoded and lead you on to the next discovery.
Her knowledge and detailed research of the locations and history bring each stage of the stories to life in vivid colour. Her descriptive power lets you feel you know the locations as you hear the sounds of the streets, smell the fetid stench of the canals, and feel the damp seeping through crumbling old stone walls in palazzos long past their glory. At the same time her style generates an urgency to find out what happens next, which will keep you reading to the end.
Dingli’s denouement amounts to a thriller in itself, with already discounted events resurfacing and piling new discoveries one on another. There is always something new to find and she maintains the tension right to the end, leaving you with an intriguing twist in her last breath.
This book should win prizes and its author should be far better known than she appears to be.
One thread is set in late nineteenth century Venice, where a famous composer is struggling to complete a special work and keep it secret from the intrusions of a controlling and jealous spouse. The other starts in present day Rome, where spontaneous intrigue winds complex coils around mysteries emanating from the darkest years of the Catholic Church’s recent history. Into this mix add a pair of world renowned Maltese jewelers, a man at a crossroads in his life, an elusive woman with an obsessive streak, a beautiful widow faced with an uncertain future and a secret she’s longing to share, and you have a heady mix for a volatile story. All it needs is a mysterious Monsignor, a group of neo-fascist bikers and an eccentric Welsh Professor with a penchant for fruit cake and tea drunk out of yellow cups to serve as catalysts and you have all the ingredients for a top class thriller that spans the centuries, laden with art, music, drama, spite and more than a little suspense.
Rosanne Dingli’s skill at weaving complex stories makes very satisfying reading. Her use of language offers delight and subtlety. Following her plots has its own imperative although it is sometimes like turning a corner to discover something important only to reveal a mirror in which you see but a fleeting glimpse of your goal behind your own shoulder. Turn round and the scene vanishes, leaving nothing but a seared image on your mental retina, a faint aroma on the musty air, and a scrap or clue on the floor to be decoded and lead you on to the next discovery.
Her knowledge and detailed research of the locations and history bring each stage of the stories to life in vivid colour. Her descriptive power lets you feel you know the locations as you hear the sounds of the streets, smell the fetid stench of the canals, and feel the damp seeping through crumbling old stone walls in palazzos long past their glory. At the same time her style generates an urgency to find out what happens next, which will keep you reading to the end.
Dingli’s denouement amounts to a thriller in itself, with already discounted events resurfacing and piling new discoveries one on another. There is always something new to find and she maintains the tension right to the end, leaving you with an intriguing twist in her last breath.
This book should win prizes and its author should be far better known than she appears to be.
September 5, 2013
I loved, loved, loved this book. The subject matter was fascinating. It was a mystery, romance and historical fiction all in one. It was very well written and the suspense and mystery were exciting and unpredictable. I had to go 4 stars instead of 5 because I got a little confused. Several times I had to back track to figure out where I was. The modern time was very easy to follow. It was not a book where you could guess the outcome easily. The foreign phrases were a little disappointing as I did not understand them and felt like I was missing out. I would highly recommend this book it was a very enjoyable read.
June 23, 2014
I found this story confusing with too many characters and Italian phrases not always translated for the reader. Historical scenes were confusing not knowing who the people were or how they figured into the present day story. The romance aspect was minimal. The plot was intriguing but as far as believe-ability it is not something I think would actually happen. But then, what do I know about the world of antique jewelry? I liked the use of real historical characters.
November 12, 2013
A cross between Agatha Christie and Dan Brown, “The Hidden Auditorium” is a long and complicated mystery that successfully avoids the obvious, then delivers a surprising conclusion.
Read full review in the November 2013 issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Read full review in the November 2013 issue of InD’tale Magazine.
March 17, 2015
We are proud to announce that THE HIDDEN AUDITORIUM by Rosanne Dingli is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
November 27, 2013
Rosanne Dingli has once again confirmed why I am such a fan. The Hidden Auditorium is a mystery. That’s true. But it is so much more. Dingli has created a fresh new recipe for mystery that makes it hard to keep it neatly tucked into that box. There is the mandatory puzzle, some danger for spice, even a dash of fatal attraction. But what make this so special are the added ingredients of art history, travel to exotic places such as Venice, Rome and Malta, fabulous jewels, music and well researched connections to real history. Even the food is interesting and made my mouth water. These elements set it several cuts above other mysteries I have read. Her characters grow and change in real ways that lead us to become invested in what happens to them. The result is a delicious, rich escape into a world most of us can only dream of.
Find out what a jaded antiques dealer, a beautiful widow, an elderly art historian, a bitter, wealthy Jew, a deranged stalker, Hitler and Wagner have in common. Now there’s a mystery to grab you and hold you until you understand it all. It did me.
March 28, 2014
I have a mixed reaction to this one. It is very well written, the characters are fine and it started out well with a nice mystery and a blending of threads. It got increasingly improbable and the end I absolutely could not buy. Everything is explained away to provide the happiest possible ending for all characters concerned, and as far as the author's deus ex machina rehabilitation of Richard Wagner's life, the book goes completely into fantasy.
The only good thing I brought away is that the author writes well. Both of her Bryn Awbrey mysteries pleased me and disappointed me in the same ways but I'm willing to give her a third try.
The only good thing I brought away is that the author writes well. Both of her Bryn Awbrey mysteries pleased me and disappointed me in the same ways but I'm willing to give her a third try.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2014
**I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.**
I loved the interesting story line, with the unexpected ending. I wish I had known how to speak Italian, or at least been familiar with the cultures in the book, so that I could have understood better of the cultural aspects introduced, but other than that it kept me hooked. Thank you Goodreads for giving me this book! Thoroughly enjoyed.
I loved the interesting story line, with the unexpected ending. I wish I had known how to speak Italian, or at least been familiar with the cultures in the book, so that I could have understood better of the cultural aspects introduced, but other than that it kept me hooked. Thank you Goodreads for giving me this book! Thoroughly enjoyed.
April 8, 2015
A bit unusual - a mystery, love story and treasure hunt all rolled into one tale. Really enjoyed and will be looking into other novels by the same author
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews