The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen

 

The Venice Sketchbook

Author: Rhys Bowen

Publisher: Amazon Publishing

Date of Publication: April 13, 2021

Pages: 412

      

     The five nominees for the 2022 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel are: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen, Five Decembers by James Kestrel, How Lucky by Will Leitch, and No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield.  This is the fifth and final of my reviews for this list of books. Click on the hyperlinks above to view the previous reviews. Shortly I will publish a separate post with my pick for the Edgar Award. The Mystery Writers of America announce their choice later this month.

    This is a fine novel which I enjoyed very much. My only gripe here is that it does not seem to fit the typical "mystery novel" genre. Much of it reads like a romance, and other parts are more of a travelogue. Again, this is not knocking the book, I just wonder how it wound up being nominated for a best mystery award!

     The author deftly balances two plots. One is set from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s, and the second is set in 2001 following the terror attacks of 9/11. In the early story, an 18-year-old young British woman named Juliet Browning accompanies her elderly aunt on a trip to Venice. There she meets and becomes enamored with an Italian man who is several years her senior and belongs to an elite family   She returns some years later with a school group, reconnects with her now married nobleman, and soon returns on a one-year art fellowship. War clouds are forming in Europe, and Juliet's life becomes complicated. In the more contemporary story, Caroline Grant, a recently separated fashion designer, inherits an assortment of odd items from her spinster great Aunt Juliet. Included in her inheritance is a set of keys and instructions to go to Venice. Caroline slowly untangles the true story of Juliet's life in Venice. Telling a story from two perspectives and from two different time periods often ends in a mess, but not here. The two stories are very complimentary, and the author moves back and forth between the two with great skill.

     The descriptions and settings in Venice are very vivid and make the reader want to hop on a plane and visit this great city as soon as possible! I have never been there but feel that I could find my way around Venice after reading this book. The rendering of the art scene in Venice in the 1930s is remarkable as well. The author includes famous artists such as Paul Klee, which adds to the authenticity of the story. The romantic interludes were central to both stories and well told, but I found these surprising in a best mystery novel nominee.

     Overall, The Venice Sketchbook is an excellent novel told with great skill.  It is just not what I expected from an Edgar nominee.