Status Updates From Scherzo: Murder and Mystery...

a complicated mystery, with many plots and many names, told through 3 different characters. The depravity of Venice at the time told in a non-vulgar yet clear enough way, in long scenes that I would have preferred to be shorter and some, even if they hadn't been there, wouldn't have damaged the intrigue and mystery.

Reading the author's life on Wikipedia, I unintentionally spoiled the culprit. In real life the writer had a dispute with an Italian publisher, due to a book he wrote under a certain pseudonym.
WARNING A SORT OF SPOILER:
In the book he gave this pseudonym to the victim and the name of the publisher (who caused his career problems) to one character... it's clear that he is the culprit... Nooooooo... I hate this author

I'm finally starting to get into it and love a great historical figure ( Voltaire ) as a sleuth.

Too many Italian words (in a English written book) typical of the Venice of the time and there are no publisher's notes to explain their meaning.
Some of those are unknown even to me who am Italian, so I wonder how can English-speaking people understand without having the translation.
Negligent publisher and author!

The beginning is really very confusing... Even the second chapter is composed only of a letter in which you don't really understand anything of what it says (because it doesn't make sense).
Indeed, to tell the truth, each chapter seems disconnected from the other chapters...But curiosity keeps me going

I had to put this book down. It just was not my cup of tea. Maybe I'll look at it again when I don't have so many books that I am excited about reading.

Reminds me of Name of the Rose which I thoroughly enjoyed. 18th centuryVenice, castrati, a secret society, a brilliant eccentric French detective/philosopher, murder, disguise--what's not to like? Here's hoping williams pulls it all together.