Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dante Haunts Florence Still, 22 Feb 2003
"A Rich Full Death" is one of Mr. Dibdin's earlier works, and while he still writes a strong narrative, this book was less enjoyable, and was not on par with the balance of his work until the very end. I plan to read the book once again, as I believe knowing the outcome may improve the entire story. I realize that sounds odd, however that is my impression. A Mr. Booth is our guide throughout the story, which is related to the reader in the form of letters. As the reader you take the role of Prescott, the letters recipient, and it is from Mr. Booth, but for a codicil at the end, who acts as the sole informational source for the reader. Since the tale is revealed from one perspective, how you feel about Booth is critical. I found him to be an annoying parasitical social climber, a pathetic man desperate to join the correct social circles. This may have been exactly what Mr. Dibdin intended, I don't know, but it annoyed me no end, and as Booth is the narrator, there was no respite from his personality. The plot twists during the work are not as smooth as the other works I have read, but as I mentioned, the ending is extremely entertaining, is the highlight of this story, and may justify a second reading. As always, murder is the sport of choice, and the perpetrator's map for his crimes is extremely well done. Even though this was not one of the better reads of Mr. Dibdin's work, I believe that a second pass through Dante's Florence may change, or perhaps elevate the read. Such being the case, I err on the high side with the fourth star.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another good read from Dibdin, 11 Jan 2004
This is another enjoyable read from the versatile Michael Dibdin. Set in 19th Century Florence and narrated through a series of letters, a story of poetry, philosophy, deceit and death unfolds with many mysterious twists and turns. The letters are written by Robert Booth, a young Bostonian resident in Florence, who strikes up a friendship with the poet Robert Browning. Both men prove to be dark characters, whose true intentions and actions only become clear at the very end of the book. A very enjoyable read, though not quite as good as some of Dibdin's other books, such as the Zen series or Dark Spectre.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A literary thriller, 11 Nov 2007
Young Bostonian Robert Booth manages his entrance into the Florentine residence of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. When Robert Browning is summoned away from home by a messenger, Booth surreptitiously follows him, and it is thus, by horrible coincidence, that Booth is brought to the villa of his childhood sweetheart Isabel Eakin - who is now hanging by the neck from a tree in the garden...
Subsequently the distinguished resident Robert Browning launches his own private investigation, aided and abetted by Robert Booth. Unfortunately, their amateur sleuthing is hampered by the fact that each of their suspects becomes the next victim in a series of murders orchestrated by a killer with a taste for poetic justice inspired by Dante's "Inferno". "A Rich Full Death" features characters both historical and imaginary, ranging from an enticing servant girl to Mr. Browning's consumptive, world-famous wife, Elizabeth Barrett, in a tale lush with period detail, intricately plotted, and with a truly astonishing final twist.
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