Why a Booktrail?
1540: An asylum on a remote hill. A snowstorm. Then a murder…..
Shadow of Madness
What you need to know before your trail
Travelling north into the hills above Florence, investigator Cesare Aldo seeks answers about his past. The trail leads him to Ospedale de’ Pazzi, a secure institution for the criminally insane.
Soon after arriving a blizzard engulfs the area, trapping Aldo and his companion, Doctor Saul Orvieto. Even more alarming, their cart driver is found dead. It looks like he fell over a nearby cliff in the whiteout – but Aldo suspects foul play. When a brutal slaying occurs in the central courtyard, it becomes clear a killer lurks among them.
With the snowstorm sealing everyone in and a murderer hunting fresh victims, Aldo’s search for the truth proves deadlier than he could ever have imagined . . .
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Florence and the Tuscan hills
The fictional Ospedale de’ Pazzi is an asylum for the mentally insane – in fact “Pazzi” is the literal Italian word for “madmen” or “insane people.” Interestingly, it is also a nod to the infamous Pazzi family, a wealthy Florentine banking dynasty known for the brutal 1478 “Pazzi Conspiracy” [- a failed, violent plot to assassinate Lorenzo de’ Medici and overthrow the government.
Families at the time could get someone committed here for any number of reasons or banish a pregnant, unmarried girl to avoid shame.
There was no care for the mentally ill during the 1500s – people were just locked away in institutions like the very real Ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova. A remote fortress on a hill is a lot more scary!
Booktrailer Review
Slower paced than the others but this works in its favour – there is TENSION and a locked room asylum is always going to be scary. Then there’s the personal angle – we get more info on Cesare and Saul’s relationship and the story of Cesare and his mother. Oh this is everything! Then the author weaves in a story of murder and more in a tale where the characters jump from the page they are so vivid and well drawn.
This is an example of when you get a book of historical fiction and bar the murders, you really wish you could go back in time and visit the place and people you read about.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Shadow of Madness
Destination/location: Tuscany Author/guide: D. V. Bishop Departure Time: 1540
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