"very dark and atmospheric novel"
After his divorce and the death of his parents, there was
nothing to keep Urbino Macintyre from accepting his
inheritance of the Palazzo Vecello in Venice, Italy. The
former New Orleans citizen embraces all things Venetian, so
much so, that his good friend the Contessa da Capo-Zendrini
gave him his very own gondola so that he wouldn't have to
use public transportation. The two American expatriates
are very good friends so it is easy to confide in Urbino
that she is missing some clothing and inexpensive jewelry
and is afraid she is sliding into senility. Urbino assures her that she is as sane as he and he will
use all his skills as an amateur sleuth to discover what
happened to the contessa's belongings. Urbino is also
obsessed with the Ca' Pozza and it's owner Samuel Possle,
another American expatriate. When he finally gains
entrance into the house, Possle doesn't address the
question of Urbino writing a biography about him but hints
that he has something that the writer wants. Little does
Urbino know that there is a malevolent evil permeating the
very walls of the Ca' Pozza and it somehow involves the
Contessa and her missing possessions. THE LAST GONDOLA is a very dark and atmospheric novel,
gothic in scope with a brooding protagonist in the
tradition of Jane Eyre's Heathcliffe. The author does such
a good job of describing Venice that readers will feel that
they have journeyed there. There are various subplots that
slide into the main story line but readers won't realize
how they intertwine until the last chapter when all the
questions are finally answered. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted June 2, 2003
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