Sophie Masson
I read a lot. Like more than anyone really should. Seriously. Love books. Sadly, I dislike how much books cost these days. Expensive! So, four times a year local library has this amazing book sale and I load up. Individual books are $2.00 for hard back, $1.00 for soft back, and a paper grocery bag of "mystery" books (known only by the genre - sci fi, mystery, biography, romance, etc.) for $1.00. I usually end up with about $10 worth of books, including one grab bag. The grab bag rocks honestly. Inside is anywhere from 15-20 paper back books. It's great!
Last time I hit up the ole book sale, I grabbed this book The Madman of Venice. Mostly I picked up because I hit Venice last year and ever since then I've been obsessed with all things vacation. I'm a big historical novel person and tying that into my recent vacation destination obsession? Well, the book made it's way into my pile.
Little did I know that this book was a teen book. LOL! I was so excited about the idea and setting that I failed to notice the website for the book - www.randomhouse.com/teens. :-) Ah well. I decided I bought the book because it sounded interesting, might as well give it a shot.
Honestly, it's not a bad book. As I was reading it, I could tell the book was written a tad bit below my reading level, but it was well written. The plot follows two story lines: the disappearance of a teenage Jewish girl from Venice's Ghetto and the pirating of British merchant vessels off the shores of Venice. The story starts out very cryptically with two teenagers in the wrong place at the wrong time in 1587 Venice. After this quick start, we forward to London in 1602 and are introduced to Celia Ashby and Ned Fletcher. Ned is a clerk to Celia's father Master Ashby, who has been charged by the merchants he works for to visit Venice to investigate why their ships are being seized by pirates. Before heading off to Venice on behalf of his employers, he is visited by Emilia Lanier, a musician and poet in the court of Queen Elizabeth 1. She comes to the Ashby's asking for assistance in locating a missing Venetian girl who has disappeared after being accused of witchcraft by a powerful Venetian family.
This visit sets the stage for our heroes, sending them into a mystery involving multiple families, intrigue, murder, lies, and danger. A fun read for an adult (who completely didn't notice it was a teen book!), but really a great read for a teen. Celia Ashby is a modern day Nancy Drew, helping her father work out the mystery, while following her own leads to track down the missing girl. Ned Fletcher, just like Nancy's Ned, is there to assist and to make sure she stays safe. Between Celia, Ned, Master Ashby, their Venetian friend Orlando Leon, and the missing girl's family the mystery eventually untangles, with a few twists and turns that even an adult will be surprised with.
what happens at the end? the part after mathew gets kdnapped?
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