Key Deceptions [Paperback]

Mary Ellen Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

In 15th century Bologna, Italy, Jews are prohibited under penalty of death from becoming locksmiths. Lovely, young widow, Avisa, befriends a young Jewish lad, Bernardo, putting her life at risk. A glib orator comes to Bologna; the city collects silver for city's bells. When the silver is stolen, Duke Bentivoglio vows vengeanace and it takes all Avisa's locksmithing skills and courage to save her life and those she loves.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Cooper's fascinating depiction of medieval Italy will delight readers. Key Deceptions is an intriguing and unusual mystery with appealing characters." -- Carolyn Hart, mystery author

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Padlock Mystery Pr (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966202031
• ISBN-13: 978-0966202038
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,731,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History and mystery . . ., December 6, 2000

By 

June L Calvin (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Key Deceptions (Paperback)

While I am not normally a mystery fan, I found M. E. Cooper's Key Deceptions to be a terrific read. It had almost all the elements I like in a book: an interesting plot, well-drawn and unusual characters, and best of all, a setting in a fascinating historical period. The strong female protagonist and her unusual profession really intrigued me. I would have liked to see some romance in the book, but this is the first in a series, so perhaps I have that to look forward to. At any rate, I will certainly be reading the future volumnes. I strongly recommend this book to mystery lovers and those who enjoy learning about the past!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful period mystery, April 27, 2001

By 

Roxanne Joslin (Watertown, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Key Deceptions (Paperback)

This wonderful period mystery unfolds like a rose, beautifully. Every SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) mystery reader should read this book. Mary Ellen Cooper's writing made me feel as though I was walking the streets of Bologna, Italy in 1489. Avisa, the female locksmith/sleuth has the exact qualities to mesmerize the reader and to connect the ensemble cast of characters that Mary Ellen has written into one story. Avisa is feminine, strong, kind, resourceful, and intelligent. Mary Ellen thank you for giving us this character, my words come nowhere near yours. Read this book!

4.0 out of 5 stars Renaissance Bologna, Italy, July 7, 2009

By 

Lyn Reese (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Key Deceptions (Paperback)

In 1489 Avisa Baglatoni and her friend Lucia are the only female members of Bologna's prestigious locksmith and silversmith guild. Admittance of women into any guild would have been extremely rare; Cooper gives Avisa membership based on her widowhood and Lucia, one supposes, because her silversmith father is ill and she is unmarried.

Avisa's problems begin when she chooses to hide the fact that a young man she recently employed is half Jewish. Since Jews are forbidden to learn guild trained skills, her guild membership, possessions, and even life are at stake. When Bologna's silver treasure is stolen, the mayor's nephew, who repeatedly forces his unwanted attentions on the attractive young widow, suspects Avisa's deception and tries to link her and Bologna's Jewish Ghetto to the theft. After hearing stories of the persecution of Jews in Spain, Avisa realizes that her safety depends on her solving the mystery of the missing treasure.

Of historical interest is the physical description of Bologna, the unruly students who attend Europe's prestigious first university, the craft guilds, the reigning duke who employs mercenaries, or condottieri, to repel the advancing French armies, and the character of Dorotea, loosely based on the artist Sofonisba Anguissola. The story, however, is rather flat and the layout of the paperback version jarring with one repeated paragraph and many wide spaces between sentences. While Cooper acknowledges help from the Society for Creative Anachronism, an indication of other sources used is also needed.