Customer Reviews

Cellini's Revenge: The Mystery of the Silver Cups

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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!

Cellini's Revenge tells two stories at once. First and foremost is the story of Catherine, whose almost husband, David, is murdered in England in 1956. Most of the story takes place after Catherine has spent twelve years in prison wrongfully accused of his murder. She is determined to clear her name and returns to England at the age of sixty-five. David had been writing a novel about Cellini, an Italian silversmith, and had acquired some valuable silver cups designed by Cellini in 1527 which disappeared after his murder. As we go with Catherine back to where her lover was murdered, we also follow the silver cups from the time they were made through several different owners until the present day. We learn about life in England and in English prisons during the 1950's as well as present day. The author has constructed a well-plotted mystery using DNA, astrology and old-fashioned sleuthing to discover the truth about David's death and the destiny of the silver cups. Well done.

The plot was intriguing, the characters interesting and colorful, the settings atmospheric... A fun, well constructed tale.

Author of How to Negotiate Like a Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes Winner of six book awards and How to Mediate Like a Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating Disputes Winner of ten book awards

I wrote a review last year of Wendy Bartlett's Broad Reach, which I awarded five stars. She has done it again.
Bartlett has perfected a literary style that keeps you guessing until the last page. It is a real page turner.

There is more than one story here. There is the story of American Catherine Evans, who is convicted of her English husband's murder in 1956 in England. There is the story of Mrs. Evans thirty years later, after having spent many years in jail, now in her sixties, trying to find out who the real murderer is. There is also the story about the 400 year history of the twelve silver cups stolen from Cellini in 1527.

Mrs. Evans has a motley group of followers, Maureen, who killed her husband in self-defense and her son, Christopher. Mrs. Catherine is in the mode of Agatha Christie's Miss Marpole and Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote. Mrs. Evans, although of a certain age and physically challenged, is someone who uses her wit and ingenuity to solve this crime of her beloved husband.

I won't give anything away to spoil the various surprises in store for the reader.

Bartlett has spent years in England and writes about these locales with a local's eye. She writes of Rome, Cornwall, London's Brick Lane, Portabello Road and The Old Bailey with much detail.

I recommend this book for those who love mysteries, for those who love historical fiction, and for those who love England and Italy. I can't wait for her next book.

This book had detail that kept my attention to the end and I enjoyed its variety and interesting twists. I like a good mystery yarn and detail about history and various countries. I enjoyed her Broad Reach book too and this was even more interesting.