Reviewed by Alyson Baker
Florence. Autumn, 1539. Cesare Aldo was once an officer for the city’s most feared criminal court. Following a period of exile, he is back – but demoted to night patrol, when only the drunk and the dangerous roam the streets.
Chasing a suspect in the rain, Aldo discovers a horrifying scene beneath Michelangelo’s statue of David. Lifeless eyes gaze from the face of a man whose body has been posed as if crucified. It’s clear the killer had religious motives.
When more bodies appear, Aldo believes an unholy murderer is stalking the citizens of Florence. Watching. Hunting. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike again…
“Investigating a murder that involves the Church never ends well in Florence.” Cesare Aldo and Carlo Strocchi are back pounding the beat in 1539 Florence. Literally pounding the beat for Aldo, who has been assigned to months of night-patrolling the curfew since his return from banishment to the Tuscan countryside. But one night Aldo makes a gruesome discovery at the feet of Michelangelo’s David, and Aldo and Strocchi are once again pursuing a murderer.
As they hasten to find the killer, there are more murders, and then multiple suspects – neither the victims not the suspects appearing to have anything in common. However, eventually they all have links to a particular church, and to the rite of exorcism – possibly being used as a punishment for “those who were different” rather than a purification ritual. Now Aldo and Strocchi must deal with the power of the Church as well as their incompetent superior at the Otto criminal court, Segretario Massimo Bindi.
A Divine Fury has all the characters that followers of the Cesare Aldo series have come to love, as well as those they loathe. A great thing about a good series with ongoing characters is that you get to follow their development through time. “Life was simpler when I lived in a village” – Strocchi, now promoted to an officer of the Otto, is maturing into a thoughtful investigator, albeit needing the calming influence of his wise wife, Tomasia, now expecting their second child.
Aldo is becoming bolder and more carefree: “Yes, he wanted to see justice done, far more than he cared about the laws of Florence.” His being demoted and now subordinate to Strocchi plays a part in this, along with being back nearer to his soulmate Doctor Saul Orvieto, renewing his acquaintance with Duke Cosimo de’ Medici, and encountering a woman who is his equal in wit and manipulation: Contessa Valentine Coltello.
The Contessa is, and wants to remain, a Venetian spymaster – a pivotal role in a society that turns on intelligence and deceit, always judging “how much and to whom to share information.” The book give you the feel of 16th Century Venice; you can smell the “merda”, be intrigued by the political manoeuvrings, feel frustrated for the women who must manipulate men to have any agency – and cheer on those who are confident of their skills, such as Saul’s assistant, Rebecca.
A Divine Fury might have all the elements of historical fiction, but it also has modern resonances. Sometimes this is overt: “Honestly the poor people of Milan would not notice good sewing or gorgeous gowns if they tripped over such delights in the street”, but often by allusion. Many areas of the world today would recognise the bigotry and prejudice of 1539 Florence. There are hints at conversion therapy, and a willingness of the Church to transfer people to other regions rather than admit one of their own have committed crimes.
The reader has all the clues to formulate a theory about the crime, and all is coming to a neat conclusion when, as with all good murder mysteries, things start to get murky and then hurtling in a new direction – with suggestions of modern criminal profiling techniques, and the need for them. A Divine Fury is an engaging murder mystery and ends with Cesare Aldo making a significant decision about his future. I can’t wait to read of his further exploits!
Alyson Baker is a crime-loving former librarian in Nelson. This review first appeared on her blog, which you can check out here.
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