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MIDNIGHT ANGELS
by Lorenzo Carcaterra
Ballantine, July 2010
300 pages
$26.00
ISBN: 0345483901


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

The best analogy to reading MIDNIGHT ANGELS is going to see a movie for the scenery. In the case of this novel by travel writer (for National Geographic Traveler, among others) Lorenzo Carcaterra, the settings and description of life in Florence, Italy, are outstanding. Anyone who has been to Florence or aspires to visit will enjoy the street scenes and Carcaterra's descriptions of the Uffizi, Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio, among many other Florentine highlights. The mystery itself, however, is hard to swallow, and one has to entirely suspend disbelief to enjoy it.

The story centers on Kate Westcott, a young art prodigy, whose parents were art hunters, seeking to return lost and stolen works of art to their rightful owners, as determined by historical record. As her parents were killed when Kate was a young child, she has been raised by an art professor and president of the Vittoria Society (which her parents also started). This society of art hunters is akin to art historians trained in skills found among the best intelligence operatives or maybe Navy SEALS.

There is, of course, an evil counterpart to the Vittoria Society, the Immortals, run by a mysterious figure called the Raven. This evildoer once knew Kate's parents and may have ties directly to Kate, but ultimately he cares only for the art treasure, which he sells off to the highest bidder.

When Kate goes to Florence to study Michelangelo, her real goal is to follow in her parents' footsteps and make a great find, thus securing her place as leader of the Vittoria Society, for which her life was intended. She manages to uncover the Midnight Angels of the title, a series of three sculptures by Michelangelo, that were only rumored to exist. From the moment the story opens to its bloody finish, Kate is under siege from evil forces seeking to secure the treasure for themselves.

Along the way, there is romance with both an Italian art student and a detective with the Rome Art Squad. There are also plenty of action scenes, racing through the streets of Florence. Yet, despite the seemingly perfect components for a mystery in the art world of Florence, it's hard to develop any real connection to the characters or reason to care about or believe in what unfolds. For those whom can find pleasure enough in excellent descriptions of Florence and Michelangelo's work, this book is worth reading. For everyone else, it's unlikely to satisfy.

§ Christine Zibas is a freelance writer and former director of publications for a Chicago nonprofit.

Reviewed by Christine Zibas, August 2010

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