Whispers of Vivaldi

Whispers of Vivaldi by Beverle Graves Myers is a highly enjoyable historical mystery set in the world of Venetian opera in 1745. Our castrato hero “discovers” a new opera and convinces his Maestro this will save the Teatro from ruin. Unfortunately, the libretto is politically controversial and the patron of the Teatro only gives his consent subject to two conditions. First, the pastoral opera must be reconfigured to enable a spectacular shipwreck to be included. Second, a new and upcoming castrato must be recruited to play the lead.

Just as the production is about to get into full rehearsal, the Teatro’s Maestro is murdered and our hero accused. This gives him every incentive to find out who’s responsible and the answer is pleasingly complicated. I’m not completely satisfied the mechanics of the plot quite hang together to enable our killer(s) to be in the right place at the right time, but despite the problems, this turns out a highly engaging mystery. The sense of period is beautifully captured, there’s great fun in describing the ego-driven word of opera, and the final explanation for the whodunnit feels right (after we’ve been carefully shown all the red herrings only to have them dismissed).