Rating: 
Summary: A detective story of character and humor
Review: A literate and thoroughly enjoyable read if you like (a) opera, (b) Italy, (c) humor, or (d) classical Chandler/Hammet mysteries. The violence is limited (thankfully), the characterizations are sharp and funny, and the parallels to the Mozart opera, though not necessary to enjoy the book, provide an extra layer of delight. Dibdin is probably not for everyone; if you like exceptional tension or violence, this is not for you. But if you enjoy very skillful use of language and turns of phrase, along with a burlesque of Italian (and other) life, you are sure to enjoy this.
Rating:
Summary: It?s about what you are not thinking
Review: Da Ponte wrote a libretto for the opera the composer called "The School For Lovers". Michael Dibdin titles each chapter with a title from the libretto in Italian, and in the contents gives the English approximation. An estimate, a guess, any thought that suggests ambiguity is appropriate for this Aurelio Zen mystery, for neither the reader nor those fictional characters of "Cosi Fan Tutti" really know what is happening either.When the protagonist in the series is reduced to thinking, "Not only was the plot slipping from his grasp, even the names of the cast appeared unfamiliar" you either are holding a great tale, or the thoughts of a writer who is in over his head. In the hands of a lesser talent this would often suggest a book that has lost direction and has resorted to rhetorical thought, as some gimmick for obscuring what is at heart a story gone amiss. But this is Michael Dibdin, and control of plot is never an issue for him. Like a great play or opera the story arrives at its denouement, and then seemingly every player is brought together and the true and final facades are taken away. But for the Author this is not enough, for in the previous book he plants in Aurelio's mind a doubt of the worst sort, which appears to be solved at the end. A Priest leans over Zen's stricken Mother, the Confession, and then the question as to whether the Mother would like the Right of Extreme Unction. The Mother of course responds with "is there more Brandy", the "Priest" is a mature changeling of sorts, and everything you thought you knew, is twisted. All your thoughts are held up to a mirror, and they are not backward gibberish, but Michael Dibdin true plot, having once again the final resounding laughs at the reader's expense, and delight. Michael Dibdin has yet to repeat one of his sleights of thought he baffles his reader's with, and with only 1 installment left to read I doubt there will be repetition. His writing is wonderful, to use a climber's term he continually presents false summits, the corner you turn is never the last until you are convinced it is not, and his mirrors reflect what he wants them to, not what light and nature intend. My enthusiasm for this man's work continues unabated, his work is simply excellent.
Rating:
Summary: It¿s about what you are not thinking
Review: Da Ponte wrote a libretto for the opera the composer called "The School For Lovers". Michael Dibdin titles each chapter with a title from the libretto in Italian, and in the contents gives the English approximation. An estimate, a guess, any thought that suggests ambiguity is appropriate for this Aurelio Zen mystery, for neither the reader nor those fictional characters of "Cosi Fan Tutti" really know what is happening either. When the protagonist in the series is reduced to thinking, "Not only was the plot slipping from his grasp, even the names of the cast appeared unfamiliar" you either are holding a great tale, or the thoughts of a writer who is in over his head. In the hands of a lesser talent this would often suggest a book that has lost direction and has resorted to rhetorical thought, as some gimmick for obscuring what is at heart a story gone amiss. But this is Michael Dibdin, and control of plot is never an issue for him. Like a great play or opera the story arrives at its denouement, and then seemingly every player is brought together and the true and final facades are taken away. But for the Author this is not enough, for in the previous book he plants in Aurelio's mind a doubt of the worst sort, which appears to be solved at the end. A Priest leans over Zen's stricken Mother, the Confession, and then the question as to whether the Mother would like the Right of Extreme Unction. The Mother of course responds with "is there more Brandy", the "Priest" is a mature changeling of sorts, and everything you thought you knew, is twisted. All your thoughts are held up to a mirror, and they are not backward gibberish, but Michael Dibdin true plot, having once again the final resounding laughs at the reader's expense, and delight. Michael Dibdin has yet to repeat one of his sleights of thought he baffles his reader's with, and with only 1 installment left to read I doubt there will be repetition. His writing is wonderful, to use a climber's term he continually presents false summits, the corner you turn is never the last until you are convinced it is not, and his mirrors reflect what he wants them to, not what light and nature intend. My enthusiasm for this man's work continues unabated, his work is simply excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Love the Zen, not the farce.
Review: Dibdin excels (usually) when Zen is the focus of his intricate and interesting plots. Unfortunately, he only carried me so far this time. Yes, it is a farce with great promise -- and Dibdin plays very well with the original Cosi fan tutte -- but in my humble opinion, he copped out in the last two chapters. The surreal resolution of the intricate set-up just didn't work for me, in part because his stylistic choice of the self-consciously ironic narrator did not produce a compelling description of the action and resolution of the plot. It was like seeing a play that should have been funny, but was poorly directed. With all of that being said, I of course went out and got the rest of the Zen books -- even when Dibdin fails, the results are better than most other stories out there!
Rating: 
Summary: An Italian Sit-com, complete with murder but no laugh track
Review: Dibdin takes a holiday of sorts and writes a comic opera set in Naples (today we could call this a sit-com). You have to really pay attention with Dibdin, but never more so than with this installment in the A. Zen sagas. We find our hero indolent in this southern port town stalked by love, murder, video games and incest. Dibdin takes us on a merry chase and somehow manages to bring it all together in the final (long) chapter. New comers to the Zen mysteries should not start with this book (try the Dead Lagoon) but long time fans will be caught up by the third page. You should read the chapter title translations to get the jokes as they are played out. All in all, a real hoot that captures the atmosphere of Naples today.
Rating:
Summary: An Italian Sit-com, complete with murder but no laugh track
Review: Dibdin takes a holiday of sorts and writes a comic opera set in Naples (today we could call this a sit-com). You have to really pay attention with Dibdin, but never more so than with this installment in the A. Zen sagas. We find our hero indolent in this southern port town stalked by love, murder, video games and incest. Dibdin takes us on a merry chase and somehow manages to bring it all together in the final (long) chapter. New comers to the Zen mysteries should not start with this book (try the Dead Lagoon) but long time fans will be caught up by the third page. You should read the chapter title translations to get the jokes as they are played out. All in all, a real hoot that captures the atmosphere of Naples today.
Rating:
Summary: Well...
Review: I normally quite like Aurelio Zen novels, and this has nearly all the elements that make the other Zen outings entertaining. However I found myself getting lost and distracted in the layers of parody, irony and parallel built into this Naples adventure.
Dibdin clearly liked his concept more than he liked his readers. Do not begin here if this would be your first Zen book.
Rating:
Summary: If you're an opera fan who's a parody fan who likes mystery
Review: If you're an opera fan who's a parody fan who likes mystery, this is for you. The mystery almost gets lost in the sometimes witty/sometimes not parallels between this plot and the opera of almost the same name. The detective is well-developed, but no other character is. It's amusing but not engrossing.
Rating:
Summary: Not your average mystery
Review: If you're expecting your traditional whodunit, this ain't it. Dibdin is definitely not a formula writer and it's impossible to know exactly what to expect when Aurelio Zen is involved. This case is a classic, It's well-written with plot lines within plot lines of which Zen, or you, may or may not be aware. It doesn't matter anyway because this book was, to put it simply, a lot of fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: Not your average mystery
Review: If you're expecting your traditional whodunit, this ain't it. Dibdin is definitely not a formula writer and it's impossible to know exactly what to expect when Aurelio Zen is involved. This case is a classic, It's well-written with plot lines within plot lines of which Zen, or you, may or may not be aware. It doesn't matter anyway because this book was, to put it simply, a lot of fun to read.
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