DEATH IN VERONA

Book-dealer/sleuth Matthew Coil, who has time for everyone's business but his own (The Manuscript Murders, etc.), has arrived in Verona. A London performance of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet had piqued his interest in the possibility of a real Capulet family—a subject of much scholarly debate—and Matthew plans to explore the idea in situ. In his hotel, after placing a small local newspaper ad, he's sought out by distinguished historian-bibliophile Aldo Agostini; elegant lawyer Ettore Vespucci; and the beautiful Marchesa Isabella Contini, whose companion is Agostini's arrogant son Paolo. All these VIPs, and others, seem to be involved in tracing the whereabouts of a mysterious journal relevant to the Capulets. It's when Agostini senior is found murdered that Matthew is convinced something of vast importance is at stake. The journal and the murderer finally come to light, of course, but by then confusion and ennui have taken over, brought on by the artificial dialogue, wooden characters, pointless confrontations, clumsy plot contrivances, and the sheer tedium of it all. Strictly for Shakespeare aficionados and die-hard Coll fans.