Rating: 
Summary: Great regency mystery with complex plot and characters.
Review: "The Devil in Music", a wonderful Regency mystery set in Italy during the 1820s, is packed with well-drawn, complex characters and a plot that will keep the reader guessing until the end. The basics of the story: an Italian nobleman is murdered, the suspect a mysterious English tenor with the nom de plume "Orfeo" who has disappeared. Julian Kestral, the hero of previous adventures, decides to investigate the death five years later, leading to multiple suspects and surprises. The best part, in this reviewer's opinion, is the emphasis Ross puts on the historical background of Italy in the post-Napoleonic era: the treachery, the underground independence movements, the Austrian domination. Ross even lets the reader know the differences between the Italian dialects of the region. All in all, if you want murder, romance, and a taste of the Regency period, you couldn't do better than this novel, a "cut" above most examples of it's genre -- pun intended.
Rating:
Summary: Great regency mystery with complex plot and characters.
Review: "The Devil in Music", a wonderful Regency mystery set in Italy during the 1820s, is packed with well-drawn, complex characters and a plot that will keep the reader guessing until the end. The basics of the story: an Italian nobleman is murdered, the suspect a mysterious English tenor with the nom de plume "Orfeo" who has disappeared. Julian Kestral, the hero of previous adventures, decides to investigate the death five years later, leading to multiple suspects and surprises. The best part, in this reviewer's opinion, is the emphasis Ross puts on the historical background of Italy in the post-Napoleonic era: the treachery, the underground independence movements, the Austrian domination. Ross even lets the reader know the differences between the Italian dialects of the region. All in all, if you want murder, romance, and a taste of the Regency period, you couldn't do better than this novel, a "cut" above most examples of it's genre -- pun intended.
Rating:
Summary: WELL-CRAFTED, COMPELLING, CURIOUS, INGENIOUS, FABULOUS TALE!
Review: A mystery-lover's mystery to be sure! Very absorbing, very intriguing, enjoyable, interesting characters and compelling personalities. Plot twists at every unexpected stage, surprises that all fall into place (reminded me of Conan Doyle that way). I really enjoyed this mystery much more than I have enjoyed one in a very long time.
Rating: 
Summary: Unusually deep and rich for a mystery
Review: An Italian nobleman is murdered in 1821, but the authorities announce the death as a heart attack, fearing political unrest if the truth were known. It takes four more years before the true cause of death is revealed, even to the deceased's wife.Julian Kestrel, an English "dandy" (and apparently in those days the word was not a disparagement), is traveling on the continent, and decides to try his hand at solving the murder. He is apparently experienced at such things, having been the hero of three (?) previous books by Ms. Ross, which I haven't read. So he travels to Italy, along with his somewhat curmudgeonly friend Dr. MacGregor, inveigles his way into the inner circle of the widow, and begins to detect. Ross does a fine job of portraying the post-Napoleonic period in northern Italy, as its political intrigues run rampant even while the rich and famous are enjoying their operas, their villas, and other perquisites of their status. The murder plot is one of the most complex I have ever encountered in a mystery (and I have read hundreds of them). In fact, once the murder is solved and all the "good guys" rescued from danger, it still requires another 40 pages to explain all the events in the story. Those last 40 pages strike me as very slightly clumsy, as Julian goes from person to person, interviewing them all until every t has been crossed and every i dotted. Perhaps Ross didn't realize until she got to that point in the story, that there were dozens of loose ends to be tied up. But the writing is excellent, the characters well drawn, and the motivations plausible. And again, the portrayal of the Italian society in that time period is particularly vivid and enjoyable. I second the grief of the previous reviewer who expressed disappointment upon learning of the death of the author, who apparently died while still in her early 40's. This book definitely made me want to go back and read the other Julian Kestrel novels, and I'm sorry that there won't be any more of them.
Rating:
Summary: Unusually deep and rich for a mystery
Review: An Italian nobleman is murdered in 1821, but the authorities announce the death as a heart attack, fearing political unrest if the truth were known. It takes four more years before the true cause of death is revealed, even to the deceased's wife. Julian Kestrel, an English "dandy" (and apparently in those days the word was not a disparagement), is traveling on the continent, and decides to try his hand at solving the murder. He is apparently experienced at such things, having been the hero of three (?) previous books by Ms. Ross, which I haven't read. So he travels to Italy, along with his somewhat curmudgeonly friend Dr. MacGregor, inveigles his way into the inner circle of the widow, and begins to detect. Ross does a fine job of portraying the post-Napoleonic period in northern Italy, as its political intrigues run rampant even while the rich and famous are enjoying their operas, their villas, and other perquisites of their status. The murder plot is one of the most complex I have ever encountered in a mystery (and I have read hundreds of them). In fact, once the murder is solved and all the "good guys" rescued from danger, it still requires another 40 pages to explain all the events in the story. Those last 40 pages strike me as very slightly clumsy, as Julian goes from person to person, interviewing them all until every t has been crossed and every i dotted. Perhaps Ross didn't realize until she got to that point in the story, that there were dozens of loose ends to be tied up. But the writing is excellent, the characters well drawn, and the motivations plausible. And again, the portrayal of the Italian society in that time period is particularly vivid and enjoyable. I second the grief of the previous reviewer who expressed disappointment upon learning of the death of the author, who apparently died while still in her early 40's. This book definitely made me want to go back and read the other Julian Kestrel novels, and I'm sorry that there won't be any more of them.
Rating:
Summary: If you like mysteries... this is a must read!
Review: Complex writing style and build-up of characters - pay attention to the table in Chapter 1. Intellectual style with a twist of a free spirit. Kate Ross will be missed... Julien Kestrel was surely more talented then the great Sherlock Holmes. Could not put down, read straight through in three nights.
Rating:
Summary: Italia, Music and Murder
Review: Has Orfeo something to do with murder of his benefactor? Well, it may be
hard to know, since nobody knows where he's gone, what his real name was and
even how he looks like!
An excellent historical mystery, with contractual over-documentation but a
great plot, one of the most complex and bamboozling in recent history. The
ending is rich in surprises that are really surprising, at least for this
reader. Italian atmosphere is remarkably done. Characterization is a little
more uneven, and Julian Kestrel hasn't interested me very much, but
villainous cop Grimani is a great creation. The only serious flaw of this
book is alas a frequent one nowadays: excessive length. It's very sad that
Kate Ross died so young, after writing only four novels, of which this one
is the last. More would have been more than welcome.
Rating:
Summary: waaaiiiiiiiiittttttttt a minute
Review: help somebody! kate ross is one of my favorite mystery writers and one of the most talented authors on the market, with her realistic depiction of regency england! i just learned from reading this book (i agree it's her best) that she is deceased. what happened to her???? she was a young woman. somebody answer me please, i'm as upset as if i knew her.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent sense of place, with a good mystery
Review: I felt like I had visited Italy in the 1820s. The book was intelligently plotted and beautifully written.
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Challenging Mystery - Couldn't Put It Down
Review: I first found Kate Ross when I read her book, CUT TO THE QUICK, and have read all her other books. It is truly a shame that she has passed away. Her books are among the most well-written and intellectually challenging in this genre. As I read THE DEVIL IN MUSIC, I was fascinated by the plot twists and how deftly she tied everything together. This was her best effort. I am sorry that we won't have more Julian Kestrel adventures in the future.
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