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Tito Amato #1
Interrupted Aria
The dazzling city on the lagoon is sailing toward the ruin of her maritime empire, determined to go down in a maelstrom of pleasure, music, and masquerade.
Venice, 1731. Opera is the popular entertainment of the day and the castrati are its reigning divas. Tito Amato, mutilated as a boy to preserve his enchanting soprano voice, returns to the city of his birth with his friend Felice, a castrato whose voice has failed.
Disaster strikes Tito's opera premier when the singer loses one beloved friend to poison and another to unjust accusation and arrest. Alarmed that the merchant-aristocrat who owns the theater is pressing the authorities to close the case, Tito races the executioner to find the real killer. The possible suspects could people the cast of one of his a libertine nobleman and his spurned wife, a jealous soprano, an ambitious composer, and a patrician family bent on the theater's ruin.
With carnival gaiety swirling around him and rousing Venetian passions to an ominous crescendo, Tito finds that the most astonishing secrets lurk behind the masks of his own family and friends.
Venice, 1731. Opera is the popular entertainment of the day and the castrati are its reigning divas. Tito Amato, mutilated as a boy to preserve his enchanting soprano voice, returns to the city of his birth with his friend Felice, a castrato whose voice has failed.
Disaster strikes Tito's opera premier when the singer loses one beloved friend to poison and another to unjust accusation and arrest. Alarmed that the merchant-aristocrat who owns the theater is pressing the authorities to close the case, Tito races the executioner to find the real killer. The possible suspects could people the cast of one of his a libertine nobleman and his spurned wife, a jealous soprano, an ambitious composer, and a patrician family bent on the theater's ruin.
With carnival gaiety swirling around him and rousing Venetian passions to an ominous crescendo, Tito finds that the most astonishing secrets lurk behind the masks of his own family and friends.
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
9 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Beverle Graves Myers
9 books24 followersBeverle Graves Myers made a mid-life career switch from practicing psychiatry to full-time writing. She's happy to report that her personal mental health is the better for it. A love for Italy, opera, and traditionally written mysteries combine in her Tito Amato novels featuring an 18th-century singer/sleuth. The latest title is WHISPERS OF VIVALDI.
Bev also writes stories that often stray from mystery to creepy. These have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Woman's World, Spinetingler, and Crime City Central (audio). She's earned nominations for the Macavity Award, Kentucky Literary Award, and Derringer Award. Bev, husband Lawrence, and Carlo, the world's laziest beagle-basset hound, have recently relocated to south Florida.
Series:
* Tito Amato
Bev also writes stories that often stray from mystery to creepy. These have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Woman's World, Spinetingler, and Crime City Central (audio). She's earned nominations for the Macavity Award, Kentucky Literary Award, and Derringer Award. Bev, husband Lawrence, and Carlo, the world's laziest beagle-basset hound, have recently relocated to south Florida.
Series:
* Tito Amato
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 30, 2012
The writing in this historical genre mystery is competent but unexceptional. However, its plot was well structured, the characters were well portrayed and three-dimensional and the plot was good.
Want to read
March 30, 2019Synopsis: Venice in 1731. The opera reigns. Tito, a castrato, makes his premier but disaster strikes. One friend is poisoned and another accused.
September 19, 2012
Tito Amata and his friend, Felice, are returning to Venice for the first time in 8 years. Tito is destined for a brilliant careeer as a castrato singer in the opera houses of Venice. Felice is not quite so fortunate. His vocal chords have hardened, ruining the purity of his voice.
Opera is queen amongst Venetian entertainment seekers, even in a city offering diverse respectable and not quite so decorous diversions. Underneath her glitter, 18th Century Venice has dangerous undercurrents. A city-state, the Doge and officials have little control in Venice. Power belongs belongs to the noble family with the greatest financial influence and who retains conscienceless men with huge muscles. When Tito and Felice arrive in Venice, the Vivani and Albrimani familes are top contenders.
Tito comes home with mixed feelings. This was not his career choice but one forced upon him by father at a young age, although Tito cannot recall the reasons his father chose to have his son undergo the knife. He'd preferred to be known for his singing capabilities rather than his altered physiological state. Introductions as "castrati" make him cringe.
Tito is welcomed home by his motherly older sister, sea merchant brother and his strangely altered younger sister, now prone to severe fits. His father, as always, is aloof and largely absent. The older siblings are unified in support of each other and attempting to cure Grisella of her seizures.
Tito is hired by Vivani as second male soprano. He soons find all is not necessarily tranquil on the set. A prima dona soprano, a jealous second soprano, an aspiring composer with anger mangement issues....and Felice playing in the orchestra. Somehow all is ready for opening night, which becomes, ultimately, closing night for the prima dona soprano. She is poisoned and suspects abound.
Felice is arrested on the strength of a statement from a maid to the dead soprano that she saw him put a substance in the soprano's wine. Tito is horrified and knows his friend incapable of such an act. He is told by the authorities he has 5 days to prove Felice innocent or Felice faces executtion.
Tito with the help of his older siblings and few operatic friends commences a desperate search for the true murderer. While the suspects list is continually evolving, Tito learns revelations that shock him to his core as his investigation swirls around his friends and family.
Beverle Graves Myers smooth writing style keeps the pace of Interrupted Aria at an engaging level, while still leaving introspective time for Tito to adjust to his new life. This is not a mystery novel where you have to remember a thread from Page 3 that ends 600 pages later being the decisive clue. It is a light mystery novel, an enjoyable read without the need for cliff notes.
*DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of Interrupted Aria from the author in exchange for an unbiased, unpaid review.*
Opera is queen amongst Venetian entertainment seekers, even in a city offering diverse respectable and not quite so decorous diversions. Underneath her glitter, 18th Century Venice has dangerous undercurrents. A city-state, the Doge and officials have little control in Venice. Power belongs belongs to the noble family with the greatest financial influence and who retains conscienceless men with huge muscles. When Tito and Felice arrive in Venice, the Vivani and Albrimani familes are top contenders.
Tito comes home with mixed feelings. This was not his career choice but one forced upon him by father at a young age, although Tito cannot recall the reasons his father chose to have his son undergo the knife. He'd preferred to be known for his singing capabilities rather than his altered physiological state. Introductions as "castrati" make him cringe.
Tito is welcomed home by his motherly older sister, sea merchant brother and his strangely altered younger sister, now prone to severe fits. His father, as always, is aloof and largely absent. The older siblings are unified in support of each other and attempting to cure Grisella of her seizures.
Tito is hired by Vivani as second male soprano. He soons find all is not necessarily tranquil on the set. A prima dona soprano, a jealous second soprano, an aspiring composer with anger mangement issues....and Felice playing in the orchestra. Somehow all is ready for opening night, which becomes, ultimately, closing night for the prima dona soprano. She is poisoned and suspects abound.
Felice is arrested on the strength of a statement from a maid to the dead soprano that she saw him put a substance in the soprano's wine. Tito is horrified and knows his friend incapable of such an act. He is told by the authorities he has 5 days to prove Felice innocent or Felice faces executtion.
Tito with the help of his older siblings and few operatic friends commences a desperate search for the true murderer. While the suspects list is continually evolving, Tito learns revelations that shock him to his core as his investigation swirls around his friends and family.
Beverle Graves Myers smooth writing style keeps the pace of Interrupted Aria at an engaging level, while still leaving introspective time for Tito to adjust to his new life. This is not a mystery novel where you have to remember a thread from Page 3 that ends 600 pages later being the decisive clue. It is a light mystery novel, an enjoyable read without the need for cliff notes.
*DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of Interrupted Aria from the author in exchange for an unbiased, unpaid review.*
November 9, 2008
This is an historical mystery, set in Venice in the 1730s. The main character is a castrato, a young man who was deliberately castrated when he was young to insure his voice would stay high and pure.
I really wanted to like this book a lot. Venice is one of my favorite locations, and the castrati are interesting to read about. Unfortunately this book just lacked something. It was very easy to put down, not compelling enough for me to pick it back up. It took me 6 days to read 282 pages.
What did stand out for me was the shallow or immature tone of the writing. It struck me as a YA level book. Some YA books are complex and well written, others are not. This was one of the latter.
I just didn't find the characters all that interesting, they lacked depth, motivation, and shades of grey. Tito was too perfect, Annetta was the cliched goody, goody older sister. Alessandro just appeared and had no real shading at all. The father was cold and mysterious, but had no real personality other than a stern bullying man who was never satisfied. They thought back to the days when their mother was alive as 'better times'. But the father wouldn't have been different then, so he would have been the fly in the ointment, except he wasn't. It marred the reality the author was trying to create. The younger sister was too obviously the center of the mystery, except to the characters.
Characters outside the family are full of love one minute and then full of hate. They act extremely one way, and then extremely the opposite. Those that aren't moved by wild emotions are bland. The supposed bad guys are just as bland as the walk ons.
The story was rather pedestrian, until the end. The evil actions were all recounted as a tale from one character to the others, rather than events for which the reader is present. As a mystery it was mildly interesting, though full of miracles. The story of how Tito was castrated was another mystery, and it was just a straightforward throw-away, as was the conclusion to the father.
The glimpses we got of life behind the scenes at the opera, and dallying in high society, are all stock cliches, with nothing new to say or reveal.
Everything was wrapped up too neatly to be true to life or real people. Perhaps the story and the writing lacked grit? It was too smooth and never touched my emotions.
I thought she tried to do the setting justice but seemed to think all she needed were canals and gondoliers.
This is a first book, so I may give her second book a try, but I am not in any rush.
I really wanted to like this book a lot. Venice is one of my favorite locations, and the castrati are interesting to read about. Unfortunately this book just lacked something. It was very easy to put down, not compelling enough for me to pick it back up. It took me 6 days to read 282 pages.
What did stand out for me was the shallow or immature tone of the writing. It struck me as a YA level book. Some YA books are complex and well written, others are not. This was one of the latter.
I just didn't find the characters all that interesting, they lacked depth, motivation, and shades of grey. Tito was too perfect, Annetta was the cliched goody, goody older sister. Alessandro just appeared and had no real shading at all. The father was cold and mysterious, but had no real personality other than a stern bullying man who was never satisfied. They thought back to the days when their mother was alive as 'better times'. But the father wouldn't have been different then, so he would have been the fly in the ointment, except he wasn't. It marred the reality the author was trying to create. The younger sister was too obviously the center of the mystery, except to the characters.
Characters outside the family are full of love one minute and then full of hate. They act extremely one way, and then extremely the opposite. Those that aren't moved by wild emotions are bland. The supposed bad guys are just as bland as the walk ons.
The story was rather pedestrian, until the end. The evil actions were all recounted as a tale from one character to the others, rather than events for which the reader is present. As a mystery it was mildly interesting, though full of miracles. The story of how Tito was castrated was another mystery, and it was just a straightforward throw-away, as was the conclusion to the father.
The glimpses we got of life behind the scenes at the opera, and dallying in high society, are all stock cliches, with nothing new to say or reveal.
Everything was wrapped up too neatly to be true to life or real people. Perhaps the story and the writing lacked grit? It was too smooth and never touched my emotions.
I thought she tried to do the setting justice but seemed to think all she needed were canals and gondoliers.
This is a first book, so I may give her second book a try, but I am not in any rush.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2009
This was recommended by a friend who loves historical mysteries, and she has an attention to detail. I'm not crazy about the amoral time in 18th century venice that is presented here, but this was a truly fabulous mystery about a castrato who arrives back in Venice after his singing education and must sort out little mysteries at his home and the opera house where he has a job.
It reads like a delicious travelogue (as a matter of fact, a map might help) and answers 99% of the questions we've all asked ourselves about castratos.
First in a series.
It reads like a delicious travelogue (as a matter of fact, a map might help) and answers 99% of the questions we've all asked ourselves about castratos.
First in a series.
June 21, 2016
The first book in a really fun series. Myers's research is exhaustive and it shows without dragging down the plot. These are great to get into if you enjoyed Cry to Heaven and would like to see a less sensationalist, more historically informed treatment of the castrati and eighteenth-century Italy.
October 2, 2012
Couldn't hold my interest - well written, but very slow moving.
November 20, 2017
A wonderful introduction to the living in the world as a Castrati! I am hooked. Many things to say, but...
I am a mezzo-soprano opera singer being lured into the world of jazz standards/and the miracle of microphones. I sang much Baroque music and use embellishments shamelessly in every song, no matter what genre. So fun.
She mentions the countertenor David Daniels. When he sings, the listener barely notices his vocal category as he is one of the finest singers I have ever heard. In the Glimmerglass and NYCO production of Partenope (the FIRST production with Francesco Negrin), he was my wayward lover. These things happen.. But his character eventually realized the true love (me...) he had perhaps lost forever. Although we don't see each other often, we remain friends.
If this link works, listen to him singing "Ch'io Parta"after my character angrily orders him to leave...
https://youtu.be/CNK3sYhcISM
I am a mezzo-soprano opera singer being lured into the world of jazz standards/and the miracle of microphones. I sang much Baroque music and use embellishments shamelessly in every song, no matter what genre. So fun.
She mentions the countertenor David Daniels. When he sings, the listener barely notices his vocal category as he is one of the finest singers I have ever heard. In the Glimmerglass and NYCO production of Partenope (the FIRST production with Francesco Negrin), he was my wayward lover. These things happen.. But his character eventually realized the true love (me...) he had perhaps lost forever. Although we don't see each other often, we remain friends.
If this link works, listen to him singing "Ch'io Parta"after my character angrily orders him to leave...
https://youtu.be/CNK3sYhcISM
January 8, 2020
A unique mystery that takes place in Venice in 1731.
The city of canals is an ideal location for a mystery. No one moves around town too fast as transportation is limited by foot or boat. The city is hidden behind it's masks of Carnival where anything seems to go. The love of opera creates a strange frenzy and the varying levels of social strata
makes it easy for some to take advantage of others.
Well written with lots of twists and turns.
The city of canals is an ideal location for a mystery. No one moves around town too fast as transportation is limited by foot or boat. The city is hidden behind it's masks of Carnival where anything seems to go. The love of opera creates a strange frenzy and the varying levels of social strata
makes it easy for some to take advantage of others.
Well written with lots of twists and turns.
November 3, 2021
Venice again, this time in 1731. I was finding this fairly predictable until well into the story. Although I knew right away that the culprit was involved somehow, the reason behind it was unclear and rather different in the end. I liked many of the secondary characters better than the rather blah central figure of Tito the star castrato, and I found his inferiority complex with regard to his, er, deformity, a bit of a bore. Still, not bad; I’d read another.
July 19, 2023
The pacing is off and there is a reliance on telling rather than showing. But this is readable and interesting, the setting is not just the same English countryside, and the resolution had some surprises.
September 26, 2017
This is an informed, exciting and vivid mystery set in Venice and the world of opera in the 18th Century. Well written and well researched.
June 28, 2018
An enjoyable read with an interesting protagonist and sympathetic supporting characters. I look forward to seeing if the author adds some depth to these characters in next book in the series.
June 7, 2020
Easy reading just loved it.
February 2, 2025
Stopped: eunuchs, homosexuality.
July 19, 2013
Tito Amato and his friend Felice are returning to his place of birth,the city of Venice after finishing his training as a singer and his feelings on seeing his old home are mixed. He is different from other young men his since he is a castrato singer after an "accident" in his youth
He is welcomed by his sister with joy but his father shows him the cold shoulder and his younger sister suffers from mysterious attacks.All is not well with his family.
In contrast his career is off to a splendid start and going very well until the reigning prima donna is murdered by poison The prime suspect is his friend Felice and now he has 5 Days to prove hes innocent or the penalty will prove very harsh. read:execution.
I Went into this hoping that it would be one of those books that are so awesome it just makes you remember it and also the 18th Century is a favorite era of mine so it was all set to be that.
I did find the idea of a castrato hero intriguing and the author showed delicacy while Writing about the feelings and plight of maincharacter.People either held him in awe or disgust or in some cases showed an unhealthy interest in him because of his affliction.
At times the Writing style reminded me of the Falco series by Lindsey Davis.But while those books also have their dark moments there its relieved by some light moments and dry wit. Interrupted aria was just too bleak and I felt the mystery as it was got sidestepped in favor of going into lenghty detail of the finer points of opera and singing techniques that dragged it down.
The ending was also a downer and had me depressed because of what happened to his sister. :(
He is welcomed by his sister with joy but his father shows him the cold shoulder and his younger sister suffers from mysterious attacks.All is not well with his family.
In contrast his career is off to a splendid start and going very well until the reigning prima donna is murdered by poison The prime suspect is his friend Felice and now he has 5 Days to prove hes innocent or the penalty will prove very harsh. read:execution.
I Went into this hoping that it would be one of those books that are so awesome it just makes you remember it and also the 18th Century is a favorite era of mine so it was all set to be that.
I did find the idea of a castrato hero intriguing and the author showed delicacy while Writing about the feelings and plight of maincharacter.People either held him in awe or disgust or in some cases showed an unhealthy interest in him because of his affliction.
At times the Writing style reminded me of the Falco series by Lindsey Davis.But while those books also have their dark moments there its relieved by some light moments and dry wit. Interrupted aria was just too bleak and I felt the mystery as it was got sidestepped in favor of going into lenghty detail of the finer points of opera and singing techniques that dragged it down.
The ending was also a downer and had me depressed because of what happened to his sister. :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2017
A cozy mystery set in 18th century Venice. Well written but since this is the first book in a mystery series, it spent most of the first half giving the background for the characters. The murder did not occur until about half way through it, which is a little late for most mysteries. Also, the book kept referring to Carnevale, even though it was set during the fall to winter months. Carnevale is typically the two weeks before Lent starts. Doing a little research, it does appear that for a while people were wearing masks almost year round, but I don't think that changed the fact that the celebration was just before Lent, so I don't think it was really Carnevale then.
Even so, the writing was polished, the characters thoughtfully described, and the motivations for each character were authentic. Not a bad start to the series.
Even so, the writing was polished, the characters thoughtfully described, and the motivations for each character were authentic. Not a bad start to the series.
November 9, 2016
I watched the film Farinelli on YouTube and that got me wondering about the castrati. My library offered very little for my sick little mind about these human geldings -- many gelded as small boys, some as teens.
Interrupted Aria is a disappointing mystery series debut. This is the only mystery series I know based on castrati but this book wasn't good enough for me to read the rest of the series. Tito is a lousy detective. His little sister's illness is unbelievable. Some language and vocabulary seems too modern for the times.
Skip this and read Anne Rice's Cry to Heaven instead if you want to read about the castrati. For historical murder mysteries, try Bruce Alexander's series on Sir John Fielding.
Or just say "screw it" and watch Farinelli again (but do not trust it's history.)
Interrupted Aria is a disappointing mystery series debut. This is the only mystery series I know based on castrati but this book wasn't good enough for me to read the rest of the series. Tito is a lousy detective. His little sister's illness is unbelievable. Some language and vocabulary seems too modern for the times.
Skip this and read Anne Rice's Cry to Heaven instead if you want to read about the castrati. For historical murder mysteries, try Bruce Alexander's series on Sir John Fielding.
Or just say "screw it" and watch Farinelli again (but do not trust it's history.)
December 5, 2014
I am enjoying this series. I started with the most recent, Whispers of Vivaldi and decided it was so fun that I would read the series. I enjoy that the main character is so unique and different than the normal cozy mystery genre. He is a castrano, in Venice, an opera singer in the 1740's. The author spends a lot of time building the characters, the setting, and the story. The murder in the Vivaldi one didn't come to after page 120. I also enjoy her phasing; many times there are run on sentences with multi syllable words and it just seems like the author is having fun too. Here is an example -- though not a run on sentence... "As he read through the note, his face was a study in extremes. Puzzled, astonished, incredulous, and finally furious." Too many of this genre would probably have said something like "An anger shot through him..."
This first story also had such an unexpected murderer. This is just a fun well written series!
This first story also had such an unexpected murderer. This is just a fun well written series!
September 6, 2007
INTERRUPTED ARIA (Historical Mystery) – VG
Beverle Graves Myers – 1st book
In late 1731, Tito Amato and fellow castrato Felice Ravello leave Naples for Tito's native Venice to sing with an opera company owned by a wealthy and powerful family. During one performance, the prima donna is poisoned, and Felice, is jailed as the chief suspect. Tito is determined to clear his friend and scours the Republic of Venice for evidence of his innocence.
***Filled with lush description of Venice during Carnivale, its political and social structure, the inner workings of the opera company and Tito’s relationships with his family, friends, colleagues and himself, this is a rich, wonderful book. I also found it a good mystery with a couple of twists and some good suspense. This is a series I shall definitely follow.
Beverle Graves Myers – 1st book
In late 1731, Tito Amato and fellow castrato Felice Ravello leave Naples for Tito's native Venice to sing with an opera company owned by a wealthy and powerful family. During one performance, the prima donna is poisoned, and Felice, is jailed as the chief suspect. Tito is determined to clear his friend and scours the Republic of Venice for evidence of his innocence.
***Filled with lush description of Venice during Carnivale, its political and social structure, the inner workings of the opera company and Tito’s relationships with his family, friends, colleagues and himself, this is a rich, wonderful book. I also found it a good mystery with a couple of twists and some good suspense. This is a series I shall definitely follow.
November 9, 2010
This mystery by Kentucky writer Beverle Graves Myers is the first in the Tito Amati series. Tito is a castrato soprano in 18th Century Venice, who in this particular volume gets caught up in murder and intrigue in the opera company he has been hired into. Although this book has no pretension to the seriousness of Ann Rice's Cry to Heaven, Myers does a fine job of recreating the city and the atmosphere. Of course, I might be easy to fool, being almost totally ignorant of the setting and the time. I did wonder why any one opera needed three sopranos and I doubted the easy acceptance of a certain homosexual liaison, not so much because of the homosexuality as because of the social position of one of the actors.
Altogether, a good escapist read. I shall look for the next book in the series.
Altogether, a good escapist read. I shall look for the next book in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2014
This novel is at once a neatly plotted mystery and a lacy confection worthy of the Baroque in gilded, dissolute Venice. The writing is so smooth as to become rapidly invisible, leaving me immersed in the world of Tito Amato: his home life, his singing background and aspirations, his adjustment to his new role as a fêted darling of the haughty ruling families of Venice. The secondary characters are well rounded and believable.
The investigation of a dire crime at Tito's first opera job is motivated and convincingly conducted. It was not necessary to know anything about opera, and very little about Venice, to follow this tale, but I learned quite a bit about both without being at all distracted from Tito's travails.
A wonderful book, and highly recommended to historical mystery readers and those looking for a solid mystery outside the usual.
The investigation of a dire crime at Tito's first opera job is motivated and convincingly conducted. It was not necessary to know anything about opera, and very little about Venice, to follow this tale, but I learned quite a bit about both without being at all distracted from Tito's travails.
A wonderful book, and highly recommended to historical mystery readers and those looking for a solid mystery outside the usual.
August 20, 2014
I have read the first five books in this series and I recommend them highly. The author is a wonderful writer who manages to create vivid characters set in an era long ago that comes to life in the writer's capable and erudite hands. Her wonderful imagination is a joy to behold.
While at times the mysteries are not so mysterious, I've read each book to the end, if only to enjoy the characters, setting, and delightful writing. Some of the books end on very somber notes, which I didn't enjoy, but the journey getting there was always entertaining.
Please see my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
While at times the mysteries are not so mysterious, I've read each book to the end, if only to enjoy the characters, setting, and delightful writing. Some of the books end on very somber notes, which I didn't enjoy, but the journey getting there was always entertaining.
Please see my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
July 28, 2013
Another book I'm listening to. I'm a few chapters in and there is yet to be any mystery! There's lots of background information that I wish the author had managed to weave into the story better. The problem with historical fiction is the need to describe and explain things which can bog down the storyline - in my opinion. Diana Gabaldon is probably the best at weaving description and facts into the story without losing momentum. CLearly, I'm expecting MORE from this author! Don't know if I'll manage to finish this book, either!
October 25, 2013
This is a fascinating series about a fascinating subject. The series takes place in the opera world of Venice in 1731. The opera in Venice is something like football season. Wealthy patrons purchase boxes and attend sometimes daily to see and be seen, but even the not so wealthy attend as devotedly. Tito Amato is a "castrati" and a darling of the opera. As a child, he had an exceptional voice and so his father had him castrated to preserve it and he began his opera training. That in itself is interesting, but when you add to it, a murder and a mystery the book is captivating.
May 9, 2012
Mystery, intrigue, drama, the world of castrati--all within the context of 18th-century Venetian culture and society. What could be better? Beverly Graves Myers has spun an absorbing tale of murder and deception that will keep you glued to every page.
The rich detail and fast pace of this novel make it a fascinating yet easy read. The story will draw you into the dark, enticing world of Venetian opera and leave you wanting more. Guaranteed!
The rich detail and fast pace of this novel make it a fascinating yet easy read. The story will draw you into the dark, enticing world of Venetian opera and leave you wanting more. Guaranteed!
December 22, 2012
Well written with a decent plot overall (a few good, unexpected turns), though it did drag a little at times. Characters were a little flat and not always realistic - for example, I thought the little sister behaved like she was more around 8 - 10 years old, not 13! I get that the reader was seeing her through the family's eyes, who still saw her as a child and coddled her because of her illness but even with that in mind I felt her behavior was too childish or childlike for her age.
February 4, 2014
Excellent read. I really like Tito Amato and am looking forward to reading more about his adventures. The world of the Venetian castrato and opera is interesting and well researched. But Tito is what really makes the book a page turner. You can't help falling in love with him. He's earnest and passionate, a bit damaged psychologically (for obvious reasons) and definitely conflicted. Beverle Myers is definitely onto something with her Tito Amato series.
June 16, 2015
As I was traveling in Venice at the time, it was a lovely view of the lagoon as it once was. I wandered around the same streets and canals as Tito! (Ok, I know he wasn't there ever!). It was also an interesting tale of his, as well as others, plight as a castrati. The story had some surprising elements and twists, and the characters became well developed; a nice lead-in to the stories to follow. Overall a nice mystery and historical view of an amazing place and time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews