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• I wanna be there!

  英語で読むのは集中力が必要なので、少し読んで一年近く放っておいた本なのに、最後には読書の喜びが沸いてきました｡ 美しく織り上げてから丁寧に手際よく解かれ、在ったとも思えないノットでさえ綺麗にほぐされて、良く書かれた本を読んだ後の開放感にどっぷり浸れます｡占領下のミラノの閉塞した社会、コモ湖を見下ろす壮大なＶｉｌｌａの光と闇、湖を渡って響くＯｒｆｅｏのテノール、Ｌｕｃｉａになって石の壁に寄りかかってその声に浸りたい｡ 最後に淡々と語られるＫｅｓｔｒｅｌの身上は、まるで作者が最後の作品と知っていて長い間欲しがっていた贈り物をくれたかのよう、感謝すら感じます｡どんなに次作が読みたいことか！

• There is only one downside to this series - there are only four books, due to the premature demise of the author. The literary world is a poorer place for the loss of Kate Ross, who showed remarkable talent. The final installment of the Julian Kestrel series is Ross's most ambitious work - the settings are well-researched and beautifully rendered; the plotting is intricate, fantastical, yet ultimately believable; and the increased depth of characterization with which Ross imbues the main character is richly satisfying. Like all good writers, she left us wanting to know more about her fascinating protagonist. Julian Kestrel is an indelibly memorable character who remains with the reader long after the final page has been read. I can't recommend this series enough. I am a voracious reader and I still find myself drawn back to the finely-wrought world of Julian Kestrel and wishing we the reading public had not been so cruelly deprived of this vibrant, unforgettable and talented human being, Kate Ross.

• This is a detailed, involving, exciting mystery, which kept me guessing throughout. There's plenty of historical and musical context which is never allowed to become overwhelming. The characters and their interplay is credible and fascinating. Who knows what Kate Ross would have written next if she had survived. 10 out of 10!

• I was recommended this historic detective story as I was going on holiday to Lake Como. "Devil Music" is based in Lake Como and it was full of beautiful lake settings. I loved its portrayal of the 19th century villas and their wealthy inhabitants.

• I don't like to comment on the story-line of a book; however, I will say that this is an excellent series, albeit a brief one. Unfortunately, I discovered this author several years after she had passed away, but am happy to have made her acquaintance through these four gems.

• An Italian nobleman is murdered in 1821, but the authorities announce the death as a heart attack, fearing political unrest if the truth were known. It takes four more years before the true cause of death is revealed, even to the deceased's wife. Julian Kestrel, an English "dandy" (and apparently in those days the word was not a disparagement), is traveling on the continent, and decides to try his hand at solving the murder. He is apparently experienced at such things, having been the hero of three (?) previous books by Ms. Ross, which I haven't read. So he travels to Italy, along with his somewhat curmudgeonly friend Dr. MacGregor, inveigles his way into the inner circle of the widow, and begins to detect. Ross does a fine job of portraying the post-Napoleonic period in northern Italy, as its political intrigues run rampant even while the rich and famous are enjoying their operas, their villas, and other perquisites of their status. The murder plot is one of the most complex I have ever encountered in a mystery (and I have read hundreds of them). In fact, once the murder is solved and all the "good guys" rescued from danger, it still requires another 40 pages to explain all the events in the story. Those last 40 pages strike me as very slightly clumsy, as Julian goes from person to person, interviewing them all until every t has been crossed and every i dotted. Perhaps Ross didn't realize until she got to that point in the story, that there were dozens of loose ends to be tied up. But the writing is excellent, the characters well drawn, and the motivations plausible. And again, the portrayal of the Italian society in that time period is particularly vivid and enjoyable. I second the grief of the previous reviewer who expressed disappointment upon learning of the death of the author, who apparently died while still in her early 40's. This book definitely made me want to go back and read the other Julian Kestrel novels, and I'm sorry that there won't be any more of them.

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