I think my boyfriend is a little tired of the phrase 'this book just got good' due to how often I interrupted Final Fantasy XII with it. Yes, it was worth every raised eyebrow and shake of the head.Summary:In Austrian-Italy of 1821, a notable--and formidable--Italian nobleman, Marchese Lodovico, is found murdered at his villa on the Lake of Como. It is a crime that was to be covered up for four and a half years. Leaving the only suspect, a young English Tenor known only as Orfeo, to disappear into the mists that haunt that particular lake.When the death of Marchese Lodovico is at last revealed to be foul play, an uproar shakes up all of Italy. And even reaches the ears of the English dandy, Julian Kestrel. Being an amateur sleuth in his own right--and willing to ask even the most important people the truly delicate questions--he sets off to offer his services to the late Marchese's family. With his ex-pickpocket servant, Dipper, dragging his heals to go along and a doctor friend in desperate need of a vacation, Julian proceeds headfirst to make friends and enemies of every being he comes into contact with in Italy. And it's a daring and twisted adventure to learn all the secrets to be found at the Lake Como villa.Initial Thoughts:At first, this book dragged for me. Typically, I don't read much historical fiction, anyway, so I started with trepidation. Which could have resulted in feeding my expectations of what happened early on: I felt like it took too long to get into the meat of the story. There was so much set-up of the society and characters--and oh the music!--to be met with in this little drama. Yet, that is precisely why the story played out as well as it did: without all the little details, you would feel utterly blindsided by the large ones. So, though my initial process was to drag my feet, it took a lot to separate me from this book once I really got into it.Characters:Who do I start with? Julian Kestrel, the literary man whom I would have no compunction dropping panties for? (That was a joke. Mostly.) Dipper, who though not often seen, plays such a critical role that you kind of always want a best friend just like him? How about Marchesa Beatrice (Bay-TREE-chay), who is single-handedly the most passionately cold Italian throughout the entire book? You know what, LET'S start with her!This woman. Oh this woman! If I had even the slightest of bisexual/lesbian tendencies, even I would have chased after this woman as Julian and de la Marque have. (We'll get to the Frenchman in a minute, the Marchesa has the stage.) Not only is she a ravishing beauty, but the charm and intelligence she exudes are no small devices. This woman embodies everything one cannot but admire in a woman. Disarming charm, sharp ingenuity, a cold splash of realism, heavily concealed passions, moments of delicious lack in self-control, and an overall sense of purpose. She is portrayed in such an artful, realistic, mesmerizing way as to leave you absolutely on your toes. Is she a suspect who killed her older husband for her independence? Or a lonely widow eager to see Orfeo brought to justice by whatever means necessary?Okay, now we can move onto Julian. An English dandy who solves murders in his own country, and just seems like he's about to muck everything up in the beginning of the story. (Having read no others of Ross's works, I'm not familiar with Julian as a character, so I can't have known exactly what I was getting into with him.) Yet, he proved to be a shrewd judge of character, a determined investigator, and a challenge to figure out himself. Julian is far more clever than most people, tends to watch for reactions more than he actually induces them, and observes everything about him in a way that disconcerts almost every other character in the book. I adored him. His 'English chivalry' that the Italians constantly tease him of is endearing and instantly lays a foundation for his gentlemanly roots. Julian is a man of integrity and has a very broad and open mind. Nothing more can be asked in a man investigating the most dramatic murder the Lake Como has ever seen.Which leads us to super-sleuth ladies-man, Dipper. No man could be more loyal or daring as Dipper. He knows what he's about and he takes all the necessary risks--without being a complete blockhead. He's not a man who does as he's told just because he's told to do it. Though his faith in Julian puts him in some scrapes, it's obvious that there's a bond between them that one knows means that they are in this ordeal together. They're more than man and servant. They're partners. And Dipper takes that role far more seriously than anyone else would expect. Bless him for that!Shall I now move onto the rest of the cast? (In a very short spurt because I don't want to run out of room.) Conte Carlo is Lodovico's indebted and politically ill-inclined brother who has more than his fair share of vices and virtues. Gaston de la Marque is the flirtatious Frenchman who confounds everyone, and appears to have more than one ear to the ground when it comes to Orfeo. But as he seems involved with this more for his own entertainment than to actually provide assistance, he's hard not to love. I can see why he's Julian's rival for the Marchesa's affections. Then there is the absentee Marchese Rinaldo--Lodovico's cowardly, cruel, useless son--his estranged wife, Francesca--who chose the shame of leaving him for her castrato lover, Valeriano. Commissario Grimani, the Milanese official investigating the murder who is--blessedly!--as smart as he is portrayed to be. He is, however, far too ambitious to take the time and discover every angle to an investigation before jumping to conclusions.Okay, I'm done with the list. There're way too many people in this book. Except … there's not. There is a huge cast and could have been nearly impossibly to keep track of it, except that they were all so wonderfully and fully fleshed out that you never had to go back and say, "who was that again?" (Even though the book has a very cool cast-list at the front.) This is because Ross has portrayed these characters so beautifully--each in their own element--that you come to know them as people. Whether as chivalrous or savage, cold or flirtatious, frisky or demure, you are privy to all. And it is an enchanting formation to watch. To many authors, a cast list this large would severely hinder their plot. Kate Ross didn't even know how that could be possible.Plot:Okay, I am always vague on this point because I HATE giving away spoilers. Suffice it to say: there is a number of real mysteries here. Because nothing is what it appears to be from the onset. Which weaves into one incredibly fantastic story. This plot is real. It is tangent and succulent and I encourage everyone to sink their teeth into this delicious mystery.Writing Style:Kate Ross wrote in the third person omniscient, which in some cases have been good to me, but in others have left me with a serious under-appreciation for the style. Ross has restored this narrative into a place of good lighting. It was done artfully with just the right subtle shifts so that the reader isn't jarred into another place/time than they were currently at. (Yes, this has happened before. No, it was not funny.) The switch from one character's mindset was artfully done and I found a lot of pleasure in it.And as the reviews all state: she knows her period. Having been evasive as far as Historical Fictions go, I was toeing the line with a novel so deeply immersed in a world of such chaos. Well, Ross proved that that chaos is where she thrived. She knew as much as any person today could know of Italy during those moments in time. And she utilized them well and truly to weave such an intricate web of suspicion, lies, deceit, coquetry, and substance as to maintain all of the enchantment of the time period. Where liberty was pitched violently against loyalty and political assassinations were all too real a fear. This woman knew exactly what she was doing with this book, and it shows in the care and the subtle manipulation of each plot point and character realization.Overall Opinion:Really. Have you not read this review? (Okay, maybe you didn't because it was pretty long.) I LOVED IT.Pet-Peeves (AKA SPOILERS!):Okay, the slow beginning bothered me a bit. But nothing bothered me as much as Julian falling oh so deeply in love with Marchesa Beatrice. I mean, I came to admire the woman myself. Yet, for Julian to have known her for only a short time and be so damnably in love with her… It felt a little too false to me. I mean, attraction would be nothing more than understandable. Even moderate jealousy would have been acceptable. The way he felt about her though… It was as if Ross had him say it louder and more frequently just because she knew it wasn't as believable as it should have been. And that, unfortunately, is why this review lost that one single star. *sigh*.Who I would recommend this to:Anyone who enjoys historical fiction and/or mystery. Both are truly indulgent of the senses here, people.I will definitely be looking for the other three Julian Kestrel books (all predecessors to this beauty) after being immersed in this world. I encourage everyone else to do the same.Well, I think it's high time I leave off, since I've written another novel here. I think the rest of the review explains my opinion very sufficiently and so I digress. Thank you Kate Ross for a most stimulating read!
The Devil in Music is the best mystery novel that I have ever read and is the final book in the best mystery series I have ever read!In 1825 Italy, the news of the murder of the highly prominent Lodovico Malvezzi and the concurring disappearance of his protégé Orfeo has spread like wildfire all through Italy and beyond. The problem with this is, this all happened four years before! In 1821 the death of Malvezzi was declared by natural causes, for fear that his death by murder may cause a political uprising.Upon hearing the news, Julian Kestrel, the infamous London dandy and amateur sleuth, decides to head to Italy instead of heading back home to London while on a trip to the continent. His friend, Dr. MacGregor, who is taking the trip with him, decides to head back to London on his own, but eventually shows up in Italy to help, fearing the Julian may run in to trouble.Once Julian has settled in Italy, he reaches out to Lodovico's brother Carlo, to offer his services. Carlo readily accepts, but Grimani, the commissario readily dismisses him. However, the family decides that they would like Julian's help and Grimani begrudgingly 'puts up with him.'Grimani has it set in his head that the missing tenor Orfeo is responsible for Lodovico's death and is a Carbonari, since he disappeared the same night that his mentor was murdered. Julian, of course, thinks that someone else may be responsible.I've never met such a group of characters before. There are so many, that they are listed in the beginning of the book. We have Lodovico's widow Beatrice, his son Rinaldo, his brother Carlo, Rinaldo's estranged wife Francesca and her lover Valeriano, a visiting French scholar named de la Marque and a slew of others. And like the previous three installments, I saw nothing coming. One revelation at the end of the book almost made me fall of the bed. It was one of the most incredible twists in a mystery novel I've ever come across.
Do You like book The Devil In Music (1998)?
I bought it on Booksale at Gaisano Mall here in Cagayan de Oro City. I love the cover of the book, the story, i really like mystery novels so much and also Julian Krestel! <3 He's such a gentleman and i think i've fallen in love with the main character. The novel also mentions about famous musicians and plays which are Gioachino Antonio Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" and and an opera buff(comic opera) "The Marriage of Figaro" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I love classical music, romantic, baroque and knowing more about Italy. The novel also shows and describe places around Italy, their tradition, their way of politics and government. The story is really interesting and this is the book for readers who likes mystery, politics, classic music and adventure!
—Claudine Sazelleb
I'm sad that there aren't more books in this series; the plots are hilariously complex and engrossing, the writing is excellent, and the period detail is superb.That said, Kestrel was beginning to grate. Everyone loves him! He's super smart AND super talented AND all of his enemies are obviously evil AND he has a mysterious dramatic past ex which the author can pull any deus she needs! "Too noble" and "too special" and "cannot resist cherishing a noble, yet restrained, passion for beautiful ladies" aren't exactly humanizing flaws. Every detective needn't be an antihero, but this is a bit much.
—Besha
I almost abandoned this book a number of times and the only reason I didn’t is because I had loved her other three books so much. I’ve decided to make a checklist of all the literary things I hate that this book included. *Warning I am going to post some very mild spoilers.* Five things Amy hated in this book:5. Surprise twists at the end when no clues had been developed earlier in the book4. Love at first sight between main characters when you are never given any reason to believe that there is any “chemistry” Example I just made up to illustrate this point:“Oh I just love Lydia. She is so beautiful and personality-less. And beautiful. And has nice manners. Those two times where we’ve made boring small talk were the best moments of my life,” thinks John.Lydia give John a coy smile and then flirts with someone else. “John is so handsome. I’m in love with him. I’m so glad I met him three days ago,” Lydia thinks. “I’m going to play hard to get for the next three hundred pages and flirt with other men right in front of him. The few times we do talk I will make sure it’s about nothing important or interesting.” She smiles coyly again.“Sigh. Lydia has the most amazing ironic coy smile. I wonder if she loves me as much as I love her. And she’s beautiful. And mysterious.” Thinks John as he fixes his cravat.Gag.3. Surprising background added at the last minute to a well developed character 2. 350 pages of dialog between boring, flat characters who should be off solving a murder1. Unreliable narrator. This was a pretty mild case of it but still made me angry when I figured it out.Summary – Read her other three books but skip this one.
—Amy
