Angels of the Flood [Paperback]

In November 1966, storms swept across Italy. One night, 18 centimetres ofrain fell around Florence, and the River Arno burst, flooding the city inslicks of oily water and mud. Joanna Hines was among the teams of foreignvolunteers who came to help clear up, to salvage the buildings and theworks of art, and these teams became known as the "angels of the flood".It is that unique experience which informs this delicate, intelligentthriller.
Kate Holland is a Conservator of art. She restores damaged paintings. Oneday, she is sent two paintings that have been curiously tampered with, newimages added to the original work. They have been sent to her anonymouslythrough a dealer; she has no idea who the owner is. It becomes clear toKate that these new images hide a message only she can know, a messagethat refers back to her time in Florence as an angel of the flood. A timeof bohemian innocence, yes, but a time that ended when a friend,Francesca, met a hideous death.
So, 30 years after she was last there, Kate returns to Florence todiscover who is sending her these paintings and why. She goes back toFrancesca's turbulent family home, a glorious place of secrets and greatworks of art, set in a beautiful hillside, and faces up to the events of ahorrific past she would far rather forget.
I cannot think of a more original background for a thriller of this kind.It works; perfectly and effectively, and Hines describes it brilliantly.It is no surprise to know that she was actually there, such is thepoignancy of her rendering of Florence after the flood. Beautiful detailspepper the narrative, such as when we see our "angels" throwing handfulsof talc at walls. The powder absorbs the mud and water, but must be thrownin a particular way, so that it successfully sticks to the wall. It is alllovingly depicted and eerily atmospheric, despite the damaged beauty - ofthe buildings and of the group of volunteers - which fills the book.
There is also a youthful vigour in the tone. As I say, in parts it's verybohemian, especially in the drawing of the eclectic group of friends ofwhich Kate is part. They are all interesting, but a couple of the fivestay interesting only on the surface. Aside from that, there can be verylittle faulting of her ability to create character. Francesca especiallyis a fascinating enigma, damaged by her overbearing family.
There's something very Barbara Vine-like which lies at the heart of thenature of the mystery. Long ago secrets show cracks in the present,threatening to make themselves known, and, despite the efforts of somepeople attempting to keep them hidden, eventually they flood out. Thesecrets, the mysteries, are shocking and satisfying.
The Angels of the Flood is possibly Hines best book so far. It is adelicate, shocking thriller. Artfully written, original and full ofdangerous atmosphere, it is very, very good indeed.

In November 1966, storms swept across Italy. One night, 18 centimetres of rain fell around Florence, and the River Arno burst, flooding the city in slicks of oily water and mud. Joanna Hines was among the teams of foreign volunteers who came to help clear up, to salvage the buildings and the works of art, and these teams became known as the “angels of the flood”. It is that unique experience which informs this delicate, intelligent thriller.

Kate Holland is a Conservator of art. She restores damaged paintings. One day, she is sent two paintings that have been curiously tampered with, new images added to the original work. They have been sent to her anonymously through a dealer; she has no idea who the owner is. It becomes clear to Kate that these new images hide a message only she can know, a message that refers back to her time in Florence as an angel of the flood. A time of bohemian innocence, yes, but a time that ended when a friend, Francesca, met a hideous death.

So, 30 years after she was last there, Kate returns to Florence to discover who is sending her these paintings and why. She goes back to Francesca’s turbulent family home, a glorious place of secrets and great works of art, set in a beautiful hillside, and faces up to the events of a horrific past she would far rather forget.

I cannot think of a more original background for a thriller of this kind. It works; perfectly and effectively, and Hines describes it brilliantly. It is no surprise to know that she was actually there, such is the poignancy of her rendering of Florence after the flood. Beautiful details pepper the narrative, such as when we see our “angels” throwing handfuls of talc at walls. The powder absorbs the mud and water, but must be thrown in a particular way, so that it successfully sticks to the wall. It is all lovingly depicted and eerily atmospheric, despite the damaged beauty – of the buildings and of the group of volunteers - which fills the book.

There is also a youthful vigour in the tone. As I say, in parts it’s very bohemian, especially in the drawing of the eclectic group of friends of which Kate is part. They are all interesting, but a couple of the five stay interesting only on the surface. Aside from that, there can be very little faulting of her ability to create character. Francesca especially is a fascinating enigma, damaged by her overbearing family.

There’s something very Barbara Vine-like which lies at the heart of the nature of the mystery. Long ago secrets show cracks in the present, threatening to make themselves known, and, despite the efforts of some people attempting to keep them hidden, eventually they flood out. The secrets, the mysteries, are shocking and satisfying.

The Angels of the Flood is possibly Hines best book so far. It is a delicate, shocking thriller. Artfully written, original and full of dangerous atmosphere, it is very, very good indeed.

What has happened to Joanna Hines? I've thoroughly enjoyed her last two novels, particularly Improvising Carla. However this is a woefully lacklustre performance that is all too easily put down and forgotten. Ms Hines has attempted to combine a historical event with a what could be a good mystery. Unfortunately an attempt is all that this is. The plot is turgid, the characters wooden and incredibly predictable. Even the heroine, Kate, is disappointinly two-dimensional and all of the main players, without exception, lack depth and credibility. Don't bother with this novel, you will undoubtedly be disappointed.