Cellini's Revenge: The Mystery of the Silver Cups [Paperback]

Wendy Bartlett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2009

Cellini's Revenge is the story of an American woman, Catherine, who is accused of her husband, David's, murder, whom she finds dead in their kitchen in England in 1956 with a knife in his side. Cellini's Revenge is also the story of the four-hundred-year history of the twelve small silver astrological cups which are stolen from Benvenuto Cellini in 1527 in Italy as he is riding his horse to deliver them personally to the famous Italian family, d'Este. In 1995, Catherine, seeing a program about DNA on television, decides to return to England from Vermont at the age of sixty-five to find the real murderer, and to fight against the injustice of being falsely accused of David's murder and of serving twelve years in Holloway prison for it. In England, she searches for the priceless Cellini cups and the real murderer of her husband. Initially she thinks that she will use DNA, but instead she invents her own very unusual way to catch the murderer. Through four hundred years, many fascinating characters play a part in this story: at sea, in Rome and Cornwall, in London's Brick Lane, Portobello Road and the Old Bailey.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wendy Bartlett currently lives in Berkeley, California. She lived in England for thirteen years and visits her family regularly where she haunts the places she writes about like the Old Bailey, the River Thames and Rottingdean. She published her novel, Broad Reach, in January, 2008 and is finishing a memoir.

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (May 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440140456
• ISBN-13: 978-1440140457
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,156,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-wrenching mystery that spans years, May 24, 2010

By 

P.J. Hafner "Author of the 'Stalk' series" (Twin Cities, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cellini's Revenge: The Mystery of the Silver Cups (Paperback)

Murder, intrigue, history and injustice swirl through the pages of this mystery, which spans many years of the main characters life, as well as separate continents. Falsely convicted and imprisoned, the protagonist attempts to piece together clues left years earlier once she's free. Will she be able to make things right in the waning years of her life? Read Cellini's Revenge and find out!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mystery!!, October 4, 2009

By 

Joyce M. Gilmour "Copy Editor and Book Reviewer" (Brooklyn, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cellini's Revenge: The Mystery of the Silver Cups (Paperback)

Cellini's Revenge, The Mystery of the Silver Cups by Wendy Bartlett

History has never been a topic that has been an interest for me, due in part to teachers in my schooling that did not bring a "love of the past" to their students. I could never understand my husband's love for the History Channel, and he can't understand my love of fiction. However, authors such as Wendy Bartlett are teaching me that I can learn a lot about history through the reading of well-written fiction based on a piece of history that piques my curiosity enough to do some research to find out more about the historical person, setting, and/or time period.

The author's parallel storyline takes the reader on two journeys. One tells us the story of the four-hundred-year history of the twelve small silver astrological cups which were stolen from Cellini in 1527. The second story is about an American named Catherine, who was accused of murdering her husband, and spent twelve years in prison in England. At the age of sixty-five, she decides to go back to England to try to find the real murderer. What is the tie-in? The Cellini cups. Here is where Ms. Bartlett takes a small piece of history and makes it her own within the context of her fiction. Having lived in England herself, Ms. Bartlett is able to take us right into the setting with her vivid descriptions. Her knowledge of England comes through beautifully. Wendy Bartlett does a wonderful job of tying the two stories together. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this mystery, and it kept me wondering to the very end of the book. I also really appreciated the epilogue in which Ms. Bartlett shared a number of real life coincidences that happened to her related to the writing of this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read, September 25, 2009

By 

Happy Traveler (Lexington, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cellini's Revenge: The Mystery of the Silver Cups (Paperback)

The interweaving of the past and present keep this story interesting and kept my attention and curiosity to the end. I especially enjoyed the historical back-story. I judge a book by how much it makes me want to find out more, and this book certainly did that. This book is a wonderful read!