Customer Reviews

The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists: A Cassandra Reilly Mystery

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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!

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.

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!

For some reason, books set in Venice have loomed large on my reading list lately, this being the third in the last month. It wasn't necessarily Venice that drew me to this book, however, it was the music, and I was not disappointed at all. For me, this book worked on every level; the writing is superb, the musical detail fascinating and accurate, the plot and characters believable and the tourist's guide to Venice (not written as that, exactly) inviting. I didn't know until I was into the book that the protagonist is lesbian, but so what? Cassandra Reilly is witty and literate, so who really cares what she does behind closed doors?

Cassandra is a translator of foreign-language novels into English, and while engaged in this activity, does a good deal of traveling here and there. Sometimes the travel is for work, sometimes for pleasure, sometimes to help out a friend. This is how she ends up in Venice. Her erstwhile landlady in London, Nicola Gibbons, is a noted baroque bassoonist who has gone to Venice for a conference about the all-girl orphanages and orchestras of the post-Renaissance period in which Antonio Vivaldi lived and wrote some 600 + concertos for various instruments, including bassoon.

A valuable antique bassoon has been stolen from the palazzo where Nicky is staying, and she is the prime suspect. She claims she was sleeping at the time of the theft, and sends an appeal to Cassandra to come to Venice and help find the real thief.

After several false starts, the mystery is solved and the thief apprehended, but in the meantime, the book is full of unexpected delights. The peek into the world of book translation was especially interesting, as was the excursion into the world of baroque music, much of which is only now being discovered. This was the third of three books about Cassandra Reilly; I look forward to reading the others now that I've found her.

Although the characters in this mystery are not particularly sympathetic, the story is original and well told. The main character Cassandra gives us a magnificent tour of Venice - showing parts that most people are unfamiliar with, making one of the most enchanting cities seem even more enchanting. The music history that is expained is equally enthralling. The plot has some twists and turns, and makes for a fun read.

Cassandra Reilly, a book translator, goes to Venice to help her friend Nicky Gibbons (a bassoonist) when she's accused of stealing a priceless bassoon. Each of the other musicians has her or his own secrets, and when one of them is murdered, Cassandra is as baffled as everyone else (including the reader). And what of the mysterious oboe player Anna de Hoog? When she makes the moves on Cassandra, is there something more sinister in mind? Barbara Wilson's mystery is an entertaining story with many bewildering turns. As a reader, I didn't feel for any of the characters here, but rather I was enchanted by the sights of Venice and the fascinating history Nicky and Cassandra explore about Vivaldi and the orphaned girls who became musicians.