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Diana Bretherick, a former criminal defense attorney, is a lecturer in criminology and criminal law at Portsmouth University in England. She won the Good Housekeeping new novel competition last year for City of Devils.
City of Devils: A Novel
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ISBN-13:
9781605986043
- Publisher: Pegasus Books
- Publication date: 07/08/2014
- Sold by: Barnes & Noble
- Format: eBook
- Pages: 464
- File size: 989 KB
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The brightest mind in early criminology meets the darkest killer, in this debut mystery set in the heady, cultivated world of nineteenth century Turin.
Turin, Italy 1887. When James Murray, a young Scottish doctor fascinated by the workings of the criminal mind, travels to the vibrant city of Turin, it is to study with Cesare Lombroso, the world-renowned criminologist. But just hours after his introduction to the unconventional Lombroso, the discovery of a horrifically mutilated body in the nearby Piazza Statuto—and a note that appears to implicate the celebrated criminologist himself—changes everything.With the help of his fellow apprentice, Ottolenghi; a local investigator, Tullio; and Lombroso’s beautiful but enigmatic housekeeper, Sofia; Murray must put his learning to the test and endeavor to understand the mind of a malevolent serial killer, if he is to stop the rapidly escalating bloodbath and clear the name of his mentor.
Have Lombroso’s many enemies attempted to frame him? Are the notes an accusation or a challenge? And will Lombroso’s own influential theories about criminal behavior hold the keys to Murray catching a cunning and ruthless killer?
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Publishers Weekly
05/05/2014In 1887, Scottish doctor James Murray, the hero of British author Bretherick’s intricate debut, travels to Turin, Italy, to study under Cesare Lombroso (1835–1909), a leader in the nascent field of criminal anthropology. Soon after Murray’s arrival, a mutilated corpse is discovered in the Piazza Statuto. On the body, written in blood, is a note that reads: “A Tribute to Lombroso.” When the police believe Lombroso may be implicated and he declines to defend himself, Murray and a colleague mount their own investigation. Relatives of the criminals Lombroso’s theories have helped convict are likely suspects as similar crimes continue. So are rivals eager to discredit him, all in town for his annual symposium—including Walter Horton, a sinister American alienist. Meanwhile, Murray struggles to hide a family secret, as well as his attraction to Sofia, Lombroso’s alluring housekeeper. Vivid evocations of Turin and the scientific milieu of the day balance the inept detective work. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, Luigi Bonomi Associates (U.K.). (July)
Booklist
Dark matter, some interesting history on criminology.Minneapolis Star Tribune
A young Scotsman (I imagined Arthur Conan Doyle or Robert Louis Stevenson) travels to Italy at the cusp of the 20th century to study under a master criminologist whose controversial theories are under attack, including from a serial killer who may be taunting the teacher in this fascinating historical thriller.BBC History Magazine
Bretherick weaves together a number of strands into a complex tale that ends with a genuinely surprising revelation of the identity of the murderer. This is a historical crime novel with real originality and narrative energy.Kirkus Reviews
2014-05-07A series of fictional murders in 19th-century Italy tests the theories of a real-life criminologist.James Murray, a student of the renowned Dr. Joseph Bell in Edinburgh, has come to Turin to learn everything professor Cesare Lombroso can teach him about the new science of criminal anthropology. When the murdered and mutilated body of one of Lombroso's experimental subjects is found propped up against the monument to the dead in Piazza Statuto, with a note in blood reading "A Tribute to Lombroso," James wonders why his new mentor is content to leave the matter to two investigating branches of the police instead of using his expertise to find the killer. Instead, Lombroso seems focused on a symposium that brings together some of the greatest scientific minds in the world—some of whom appear to be intent on deflating the supremely self-confident Lombroso. A second murder with another mutilated body makes James wonder whether the murderer is using the corpses' body parts to symbolize elements of Lombroso's best-known textbook. But that theory doesn't explain why the killer carved upside-down crosses on the victims' shoulders or why there are two different styles of handwriting in the taunting notes to Lombroso or why James keeps feeling that someone is following him. As murder follows murder, not only Lombroso but the woman James has come to love are threatened, and James is forced to ask uncomfortable questions about his own dark past and possibly darker future in a tale that tries but fails to maintain suspense.Bretherick, a lecturer in criminology, brings earnest zeal, if not graceful prose or skillful pacing, to her debut novel. Although her erudition can make for heavy going, the personal issues of her fictional hero offer some relief from the pedantry of the historical Lombroso and his colleagues.