The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists: A Cassandra Reilly Mystery [Paperback]

Barbara Wilson (Author), Barbara Sjoholm (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wilson, Barbara | Publication Date: September 12, 2000

Cassandra Reilly arrives in Venice to see why her best friend Nicky Gibbons, bassoonist extraordinaire, has been accused of stealing a Venetian family heirloom. With an international cast of characters, the luminous backdrop of Venice, and the author's trademark wit, the mystery is as thrilling as a vaporetto ride. Praise for Cassandra Reilly: "Wilson's lesbian globetrotter has a restless nature, a facility for languages, and a lively curiosity about foreign cultures. Toss in her offbeat sense of humor and you've got a terrific road pal." - The New York Times Book Review

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The present-day international classical-music scene meets Vivaldi-era Venice in Wilson's third winning tale featuring translator and amateur detective Cassandra Reilly. The jet-setting lesbian heroine obligingly sets off for Italy to help her friend, bassoonist Nicky Gibbons, who stands accused of stealing a priceless antique bassoon during a symposium on women musicians of Vivaldi's time. Symposium organizer Alfredo Sandretti insists that Nicky stole the valuable bassoon, but whether she did or didn't soon becomes irrelevant, because as Cassandra slyly interviews each of the possible suspects, she learns that they're all harboring their own secrets (or, as she later discovers, are gifted liars). Mousy oboist Anna de Hoog is in town to play in the concert, in spite of her lack of virtuosity; Gunther, a German with a promiscuous mistress, is constantly making frantic calls to his alleged grandmother; and Vivaldi expert Andrew McManus seems more intent on garnering the attention of Sandretti's son, Marco, than anything else. Running concurrently with the stolen instrument story is the more intriguing, yet lamentably not as fully developed, mystery of the orphaned bassoonists of Baroque Venice. While this novel lacks a unifying thread, Wilson nonetheless has marvelously depicted Venice and its history, introducing modern (if nutty) women personalities that should please feminist readers. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The many moods and shifting colors of Venice come alive in Wilson's masterful third in the Reilly European Trilogy. Cassandra arrives to help her friend, bassoonist Nicola Gibbons, who's been accused of stealing an antique bassoon while attending a conference on women musicians of the Vivaldi era. She arrives at a grand villa to find an odd assortment of conferees, including a Canadian bassoonist/scholar; a strangely drab and untalented Dutch oboist; a couple of tall Nordic baroque bassoonists embroiled in a teutonically torrid affair; and the hosts: the domineering, hot-tempered Alfredo Sandretti and his browbeaten son, Marco, who will do anything--anything?--to please him. Cassandra manages to locate the missing bassoon but finds that a murder by drowning has muddied the waters. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (September 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580050468
• ISBN-13: 978-1580050463
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,232,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Effervescent Tour Spiced with Food, Romance, Music and Death, December 31, 2000

By 

J. McFarland "jbmcfar" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists: A Cassandra Reilly Mystery (Paperback)

Cassandra Reilly, translator and accidental detective, is in rare form in Barbara Wilson's third outing in this delicious travel-cum-mystery series (following in the illustrious footsteps of "Gaudi Afternoon" set in Barcelona and "Trouble in Transylvania" set in GuessWhere). This time, Cassandra is summoned to Venice by her old friend Nicola Gibbons, a bassoonist attending a symposium on Early Music in the fabled city of canals. Once Cassandra agrees to go to her friend in need, she collides with a cast of characters hungry for everything the city has to offer, including art, performance, romance and deception. In additon to the pleasures of its central mystery involving theft, disappearances and surprise death, the novel cruises briskly and amusingly through Wilson's interests in the splendors of Venice, the music of Vivaldi, Ventian orphanges of Vivaldi's time that trained abandoned girls to sing and play like angels, mouth-watering food, delirious clothing ensembles and couplings of every variety. Since Cassandra is as witty and informed a guide as anyone could hope for, the tour of Venice is a complete delight. And with intrigue abounding in this symposium's snakepit of competing artistes and music scholars, Cassandra's detective skills get a work-out that brings, in equal measure, satisfaction to devoted readers of mysteries and uncontainable glee to fans of Wilson's affecting tales of steadfast friendships. Reading this novel revitalized my spirits!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unlikable Characters - Disappointing Mystery, May 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists: A Cassandra Reilly Mystery (Paperback)

I wanted to like this book - after all, it's set in my very favorite city, Venice. About the best thing I can say about it is that the descriptions of Venice are evocative, and the author does a good job of having the main character - Cassandra - act as tour guide. On the negative side, I was disappointed in both the characters and the mystery. The characters are unlikable and unsympathetic - including Cassandra. She also does some very stupid things; if she's developing a reputation for solving mysteries, it must be pure dumb luck. The ending - when everything is all tied up neatly - felt rushed. Ignore the beautiful book cover, and avoid The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists. If you want to read GOOD mysteries set in Venice, look for Donna Leon's novels. Each one is better than the last, and the very first one, "Death at La Fenice," is 10 times better than this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun historic read, January 14, 2009

By 

A. Geer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists: A Cassandra Reilly Mystery (Paperback)

I am a bassoonist and I am also very interested in the orphanages this book centers its story around. I thought it was a fun read as well as informational. Enjoy!