I enjoyed this historical mystery centered around the death of Mozart. The story is told by Mozart's sister Nannerl, who travels to Vienna to learn the true about her brother's suspicious death. The book has a wonderful sense of place, all the characters are engaging and it is full of Mozart's musical history. Now that I've read this book I want to listen to or watch Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. Mozart's writing of this opera played a key role in the mystery. I almost rated this book four stars because the story is well written. However, I thought Rees took a few too many liberties with the past. It probably falls between three and four stars for me. There is some question about Mozart's death. He may indeed been poisoned. I did like the character of his sister who resented her life. Nannerl had alienated herself from her brother because he broke away from their father to pursue his love of music while she did not. Was he poisoned? We'll probably never know but the tale that Rees weaves makes for an interesting mystery. When one relaxes and views the story in this fashion one finds an entertaining read.It is probably unlikely that Nannerl would have investigated the death of her brother, pure fiction the author admits, but in other historical mysteries I find women taking on such roles. Short and sweet, I liked it.
Do You like book La Profezia Segreta Di Mozart (2011)?
Loved all of the references to "The Magic Flute," one of my favorite operas!
—Aby
