Oh Mozart, you little scamp you!
I'm so far behind on my posts lately it's not even funny. Hey, you try juggling wedding planning, two jobs, your masters, and review writing and see how well you do! Sorry - I'm a little edgy these days. Stress is at an all-time high right now, but thankfully the world of fiction provides a much needed escape. The new season of The Amazing Race also helps, but that's only on once a week.
First up today is a book a good friend loaned me, Harrison Gradwell Slater's Night Music, which introduces Mozart musicologist Matthew Pierce. After purchasing a bundle of documents at an auction in Venice that he believes to be the work of a young Mozart, Pierce is mysteriously summoned to La Favorite, an enclave owned by Vicomte Ren that is devoted to the study of all things Mozart. However, our hero soon finds himself embroiled in a deeper mystery as other members of the enclave are attacked and murdered. Fearing that his possession of the Mozart diaries makes him a target, Pierce throws himself headlong into solving the crimes and authenticating his documents. With an enormous cast of characters that could be suspects, Pierce has a long and difficult road ahead of him.
Night Music is clearly in the vein of Dan Brown's hugely popular The Da Vinci Code (which I have not read, but look for my review of his preceding book, Angels and Demons, later today), as it spans multiple countries in a frantic race to unravel a historical mystery with ties to modern murders. While the premise is intriguing and the historical details well-researched, it lacks the polish and sophistication of the better books in the genre. I certainly enjoyed the book, but it probably could have benefited from being edited more aggressively. While Slater tries very hard to make his protagonist likeable, it's hard to do when you're reading his lascivious thoughts about every single woman in the book, with the exception of the wizened grandmother with narcolepsy.
Slater also has a tendency to let his story run away from him, allowing sections of the book to dead-end without satisfactory resolution of the plot thread. It's not a huge flaw, but a judicious edit here or there would have made for a much tighter, more cohesive story. In the same vein, Slater would be well-served to exercise more restraint with the number of characters as well - it quickly becomes tiresome to try and keep the endless parade of attractive young women straight.
Overall, a decent first effort, but Slater definitely needs some tough love from his editor before his next book makes it to print.
First up today is a book a good friend loaned me, Harrison Gradwell Slater's Night Music, which introduces Mozart musicologist Matthew Pierce. After purchasing a bundle of documents at an auction in Venice that he believes to be the work of a young Mozart, Pierce is mysteriously summoned to La Favorite, an enclave owned by Vicomte Ren that is devoted to the study of all things Mozart. However, our hero soon finds himself embroiled in a deeper mystery as other members of the enclave are attacked and murdered. Fearing that his possession of the Mozart diaries makes him a target, Pierce throws himself headlong into solving the crimes and authenticating his documents. With an enormous cast of characters that could be suspects, Pierce has a long and difficult road ahead of him.
Night Music is clearly in the vein of Dan Brown's hugely popular The Da Vinci Code (which I have not read, but look for my review of his preceding book, Angels and Demons, later today), as it spans multiple countries in a frantic race to unravel a historical mystery with ties to modern murders. While the premise is intriguing and the historical details well-researched, it lacks the polish and sophistication of the better books in the genre. I certainly enjoyed the book, but it probably could have benefited from being edited more aggressively. While Slater tries very hard to make his protagonist likeable, it's hard to do when you're reading his lascivious thoughts about every single woman in the book, with the exception of the wizened grandmother with narcolepsy.
Slater also has a tendency to let his story run away from him, allowing sections of the book to dead-end without satisfactory resolution of the plot thread. It's not a huge flaw, but a judicious edit here or there would have made for a much tighter, more cohesive story. In the same vein, Slater would be well-served to exercise more restraint with the number of characters as well - it quickly becomes tiresome to try and keep the endless parade of attractive young women straight.
Overall, a decent first effort, but Slater definitely needs some tough love from his editor before his next book makes it to print.
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