Book Log 2007 #42: The Mosaic Crimes by Giulio Leoni

You may know Dante best for his poetry, but this book introduces us to Dante the detective, as he is pressed into service to solve a murder while serving as a civil official in Florence. The killing of a master mosaicist points to a greater concern involving the Pope and the influence of Rome over Florence, which is undergoing turmoil thanks to the dispute between the Guelphs and the Ghibelines. And, of course, the Templars may be involved, too.

Can't say I was overly impressed with the book, which to me came off a bit as Umberto Eco lite. I think part of the problem is that there is some assumption that the reader is familiar with Florentine history and the Guelph-Ghibeline conflict in particular. You can read the book without such knowledge, but I don't think I got as much out of this subplot as I may have otherwise.

It's too bad, too, as this seems like fertile ground for any historical fiction.