The Venice Atonement

There’s always something lovely about being on a murder hunt in Venice. Fictionally speaking of course! There’s the waterways, the narrow dark alleyways and the years of history to bear witness….Those old buildings with secrets in their walks and the bridges for escape…
The setting here is a perfect one for exploring and discovering and it’s evoked with style and panache. The famous Fenice theare where the woman dies at the start of the book is iconic in its own right for the many tragedies that have befallen it, so again idea for the mystery to draw up in from the start.
Nancy was a good an interesting character. Newly married but keen to find out the truth. The mystery is built up gradually so that the reader goes on a journey with her and discovers things at the same time. I found the way events were put together really gave the whole affair the real sense you would get on a search like this in real life. There’s a lot for her to discover and it’s a brilliantly paced and plotted story.
Characters in general were fascinating and I particularly like the husband’s assistant Archie who becomes Nancy’s ‘sidekick’ for want of a better word. He adds another layer to an already intriguing mystery.
This is the kind of book where you need to go in relatively blind and discover the trail of clues for yourself. It’s packed full of Venetian history and architecture, language and culture and gives a glowing view of the city despite the murder of course!
The city and its unique islands, palazzos and alleyways are used to brilliant effect here and this is one immersive read I was sorry to leave. I could see the potential for more so hope this is the start of a series?

The Venice Atonement by Merryn Allingham is a historical novel/ murder mystery set in post WWII Venice focussing on the female protagonist Nancy as a recent newlywed that gets wrapped into a mutli-layer mystery involving murders, thievery, and two-timing amongst friends and family.

I enjoyed the multi-faceted  approach and I liked that the many layers of complexity that each character exhibited. It gave a nice feel that didnt allow for all cards to be shown all at once. 

I really think that the way the book was set up, that this could be the beginning of a series, or at least continued, so we can see how Leo and Nancy advance (or do not) and how Nancy and Archie advance. 

A good read. 4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and in return this is my voluntary and unbiased review.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.
I found this to be a pleasant-enough read; not my usual type of thing but I do appreciate a good mystery, well-written.
Nancy Tremayne and husband Leo are spending their honeymoon in Venice, but for reasons which gradually unfold, this is a work trip for Leo.   Leo's assistant Archie is accompanying Nancy to the opera at La Fenice when a person in a box opposite her suddenly falls from their balcony. Archie wants to just leave but Nancy runs downstairs to see what's happened - she recognises the now-dead woman.  She'd been talking to her at a café earlier in the day and had also convinced herself that she saw another person's shadow on the balcony at the time she fell.
While her husband is tied-up with his work Nancy, and a very reluctant Archie, take us on a Venetian adventure, encountering murder, theft and forgery along the way.
The main characters' backstories are gradually revealed as Nancy's 'investigation' gets underway and we take trips along the waterways, negotiate dark, dank and narrow passageways and appreciate the architecture and art, as well as meeting wealthy art and antique dealers, sail on a luxury yacht and eat in the best restaurants - but, there are secrets hidden and lies being told, and Nancy just won't rest until she's worked out exactly what's going on.
I enjoyed touring Venice but sometimes felt I was reading a travelogue rather than a well-paced mystery, and personally felt that a couple of characters, on which some time was spent, were rather surplus to the requirements of the story itself.  Also, my usual bugbear of a main character 'musing' at great lengths upon the questions which a reader should be asking themselves of an unfolding mystery, is much in evidence.
Nevertheless, a good book to take to the beach - or indeed to Venice with you.

Historical mysteries always appeal to me somehow. Maybe it's because I know there will always be something a little different from what I can find in their contemporary counterparts. And for a murder to take place at the opera? I can hardly think of anything else that makes it all the more compelling to give this a shot.

Nancy Tremayne sees the murder play out right in front of her very eyes when she is at the opera. When she realises that the victim is none other than a woman she has just met earlier that day, her death affects her deeply. But the police simply brushes it off, taking light of the event. Nancy sees the importance of finding out the truth even more. She is sure this is neither a suicide nor an accident. The story takes us through her time in Venice together with her new husband, Leo. But it is Archie, Leo's assistant, who helps her instead, albeit reluctantly. Secrets are revealed little by little, taking Nancy through several threats and dangers. Despite that, Nancy is determined to find out the truth.

After my very dismal last read, this is a breath of fresh air. And it isn't only because the author describes Venice really well. Yes, there is that, but we also have here a wonderfully strong heroine who continues to be true to herself even through setbacks. And dear old Archie, who's kind behind his cold demeanour. How well the both of them work together! Seeing how much their relationship develop as the book progresses really leaves a warm feeling, and it left me eager for more.

Other than focusing on the mystery case, the author has also included several difficulties that Nancy faces as a woman born in her time. It's really cool to note that it's possible to describe someone as very Victorian. And that's what I've labelled Leo throughout the book since the very first time he's been called that, because that's what makes him my least favourite character. Not the murderer, not the others involved in a crime, but him. Nancy escaped the clutches of a terrible life, only to be imprisoned by someone like him. *sigh* Which is why I would have loved it if the book ties up the ending a little better in regards to Nancy's personal life, so I really hope to see a sequel~

I'd strongly recommend this book to all who likes seeing the case of a mystery unfolding little by little. This one certainly took my through a lot of red herrings. It also gave me a little bit of the Nancy Drew vibe that I remember from so long ago!

The Venice Atonement is a good historical mystery with such great descriptive details you feel like part of the story. The characters and storyline are interesting. A good book overall.