Beautiful Crime

A seemingly simple scam in Venice gets quite complicated. I haven’t read a “new” book in a very long time so it was interesting to me to read something reflecting contemporary issues. This is nicely combined with the timeless beauty and escapist appeal of Venice, which doesn’t serve just as a beautiful backdrop, it’s well researched and the city plays an important role in characterisations and the narrative. It is quite American, as in, how do I explain this… I think that Venice leaves everyone in awe, but there is this specific awe that American tourists often have. If you’re from a beautiful, touristic place, or ever visited one, you know the “oh my gosh” I’m talking about. And the entire plot wouldn’t be possible if they had affordable healthcare. I liked all this though. The writing style is not too memorable and how many different ways do you need to say your main characters are hot, but the relationships between the characters are well thought out, it’s empathetic and emotional, and the mystery unfolds in such a way that you don’t want to put the book down. Which is kind of the point of a mystery crime I suppose. It’s also refreshing in comparison to so many stories with main gay characters that are usually relentless tragedy from start to finish. There are some dark aspects of it, but it doesn’t treat its characters as vessels for trauma based on their sexuality alone.