by Grace Brophy
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Product Description
"Fans of Donna Leon or Håkan Nesser will be ecstatic to find a kindred spirit in Grace Brophy."-BookPage "Evocative. . . . Cenni is well set up to return, and traditional mystery readers should welcome his continued investigations."-The Baltimore Sun "[A] rock-solid debut."-Publishers Weekly "Charm aplenty."-Kirkus Reviews "Sure to please fans of David Hewson's Nic Costa, and all readers of Italian mysteries will want to add Umbria to their literary itineraries."-Booklist Rita grew up in Brooklyn, the only child of a narcissistic Italian mother and the GI she married at the end of World War II. After her mother's death, she quits her teaching job and descends upon her poor but aristocratic relatives, the Count and Countess Casati, in Assisi. It takes a while before they realize, to their chagrin, that Rita has come to stay. When the family assembles to watch the penitentes procession in the town square during Easter Week, Rita does not join them as planned. Her corpse is later found in the family mausoleum. Alessandro Cenni, a commissario in the State Police of Umbria, must penetrate the secrets of the Casati family and their circle if he is to discover who killed Rita and why. But he is blocked by their powerful right-wing connections, and by a superior who prefers to arrest a scapegoat rather than risk political suicide. Aided by a loyal staff in his quest for that rarity-justice-he still must acknowledge that no one can defeat the last enemy, death itself.
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Average Customer Review:
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Terrific, intelligent mystery, 2008-09-16
"The Last Enemy" is the first book in Grace Brophy's Commissario Alessandro Cenni Investigation series and it is a knockout debut effort. Set principally in the Umbrian cities of Assisi and Perugia, "The Last Enemy" is a complex, layered murder mystery that is populated with wonderful, well-developed characters and a taut story line that barrels through right to the book's epilogue.
The story revolves around the return of an Italian-American woman, Rita Minelli, to her dead mother's Umbrian homeland. The woman is subsequently murdered after she imposes on the hospitality of her aristocratic and snobbish Italian relatives, occupying a prized room in their in their Medieval palazzo in Assisi long beyond the acceptable three days. When Rita Minelli turns up dead in the family burial vault, her Italian relatives react strangely to the death. The story moves on from that weirdly staged crime to reveal almost a dozen murder suspects with strong motives for the ultra-cool Commissario Cenni to sort through before uncovering the true killer or killers.
Along with a great story line, author Brophy provides a rich portrait of Assisi and Perugia and an insightful look into contemporary Italian politics and society. Brophy knows a lot about the country and its people and has built that knowledge and an obvious affection for Italy into a fine story of murder, sexual intrigue, and dysfunctional family behavior.
This is an interesting read--great fun throughout--and promises the potential of a wonderful series of books. With the great losses of Michael Dibdin and Magdalen Nabb in the past year, Grace Brophy's arrival on the Italian crime scene is timely and very heartening for readers who love the locale.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A wonderful mystery with loads of atmosphere, 2007-11-15
What a treat this novel is. As an avid reader of mystery fiction as well as a lover of travel, I found Brophy's book to be doubly rewarding. Her characters are richly drawn, and her knowledge of Italian culture, art, and politics make the book more than just another mystery. Brophy captures the allure of Assisi and its charming atmosphere. I was sorry when I came to the end of this story but I'm looking forward to getting to know Commisario Cenni and his colleagues better in future books. This was one of the most enjoyable mysteries I've read in a long time.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
 Vivid picture of Assisi, 2007-07-24
Brophy gives an excellent sense of place in this novel. Having studied in Rome for several years, her impressions of Italians were right on; her descriptions of Assisi and Umbria were vivid. The story was engaging as were the characters. My biggest quibble is that her descriptions of Catholicism were inaccurate. A few examples: Good Friday (an essential element in the story) is not the holiest day of the year (it's Easter); there is never a Mass on Good Friday (It's the only day of the year that there isn't one); and there would never be a first Communion on the same day as the ordination of a bishop. Also, a minor slip: She gives the temperature at one point in Fahrenheit, not Celsius.
Overall, though, this story will breeze you along and give a satisfiying read.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
The Last Enemy - Brophy , 2007-07-15
I love mysteries and I really went for "The Last Enemy" by Brophy. The richness of the characters and family dynamics were so interesting, I hardly had to know `who-dun-it.' There were no too easily predictable `good guy' - `bad guy' roles and an unexpected pleasure was the painless education on medieval Italian history and culture. I obviously missed a lot when I was in Italy.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
"The Last Enemy," a gripping tale, Italian style, 2007-07-01
The Last Enemy is a terrific read, an Italian police procedural that caught me up in a conflict between turning its pages fast and slowing down to savoring its luscious tastes, fascinating vignettes, and sights full of Umbrian local color. From its very first chapter, where the Penitente parade winds its way through the streets of Assisi and we learn of Count Casati's childhood failures and subsequent treatment of his own family (which includes the murder victim), we are hooked.
The story is told with an Austen-like wry wit from the point of view of its appealing and sensitive but sexy Police Commission Alessandro Cenni, whose fiancé had been kidnapped years ago by political terrorists. This is what has spurred him into his work with the State Police, and the novel's back-story promises many engaging return runs. Brophy's lush prose makes its host of vivid characters come alive in all their quirky individuality: Rita Minelli, the murder victim, the priest with whom she had an affair, the Count and Countess Casati and their daughter Artemesia, one of the first women curators of a regional art museum, the Croatian immigrant Sophie who tends the cemetery where Rita's body is found. Some characters, I hope we meet again, including Elena and Piero, his seconds in command, Cenni's twin brother Renato, and even Cenni's cat, Rachel, with her late night wake-up ritual. This is a must-read and a new name to watch out for avidly.
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