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Carnival For The Dead

3.47 of 5 stars 3.47 · rating details · 118 ratings · 20 reviews

It's February, and Carnival time in Venice. Bright blue skies and freezing temperatures welcome Teresa Lupo, forensic pathologist to the Rome Questura, to the city. She is greeted off the vaporetto by an anonymous masked man dressed as The Plague Doctor. Teresa has taken time out from her job to find her beloved bohemian aunt Sofia who has mysteriously disappeared. There s...more

Hardcover, 367 pages

Published January 5th 2012 by MacMillan (first published January 1st 2012)

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Dec 08, 2012 Clarissa Simmens rated it 4 of 5 stars

Never having read the Nic Costa mysteries, I entered the world of Carnival for the Dead, a stand-alone book by David Hewson, with no expectations or prior experience of the characters. Although I later discovered that Teresa Lupo is a minor character in the series, she is a strong female's role model come to literary life.

Many reviews have been written so I will comment about what interested me. Several literary devices are present, unlike what appears in most mystery novels. Notably, the cruise...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Marleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I received this book from Pan Macmillan through Book Geeks and rated it 4.5 stars.

“Sometimes a mask is there to fool others. Sometimes to fool oneself.”

Forensic pathologist Teresa Lupo has travelled from Rome to Venice to look into the disappearance of her beloved and rather bohemian aunt Sofia. It is February, and in cold and wintery Venice the Carnival is in full swing. When Teresa and her mother, shortly after arriving in town, are met by a mysterious man dressed in the costume of the Plague...more I received this book from Pan Macmillan through Book Geeks and rated it 4.5 stars.

“Sometimes a mask is there to fool others. Sometimes to fool oneself.”

Forensic pathologist Teresa Lupo has travelled from Rome to Venice to look into the disappearance of her beloved and rather bohemian aunt Sofia. It is February, and in cold and wintery Venice the Carnival is in full swing. When Teresa and her mother, shortly after arriving in town, are met by a mysterious man dressed in the costume of the Plague Doctor, complete with the horrible, long nosed mask, Teresa starts suspecting that her missing aunt may be in trouble. A visit to Sofia’s apartment only deepens Teresa’s suspicions and when her mother returns to Rome, the pathologist stays behind and takes up lodgings in her aunts rooms, determined to discover where her aunt is and why she disappeared. A letter, hand delivered to the apartment and addressed to Teresa turns out to contain a story featuring both her and her aunt as well as an English professor Teresa has never heard of before. When she wants to have another look at the strange story the next day, Teresa discovers that the words have disappeared from the pages and the mystery deepens further. With the police unable and unwilling to look into the disappearance of a grown and independent woman while the Carnival is going on, it is up to Teresa to try and figure out what is going on. Further stories are delivered to Teresa and while on the surface they appear to have little or nothing to do with her missing aunt, the pathologist is convinced that they must hold clues to her aunt’s fate. But who is writing these stories? Is it Sofia herself, is it one of her friends or is it someone else altogether, someone Teresa doesn’t know but who seems to know her and her actions very well? And how do a little white dog and Carpaccio’s paintings tie into the mystery? The scientific minded Teresa will have to learn to use and trust her imagination and intuition if she is going to discover what happened to her aunt. And while she’s at it she has to stay safe and alive.

This is a wonderful mystery and a powerful thriller. It is also, possibly, something more than that. The story starts of slowly and without any real urgency. Yes, Sofia has disappeared, but she has done so before and has always turned up later, unharmed and unaware of any worry she may have caused. Surely this could be more of the same? Except that it slowly becomes clear to Teresa and the reader that this disappearance is different. There is indeed something or someone out in Venice who is determined to find and harm Sofia as well as others who might get in their way. The danger creeps up both on the characters in the book and on the reader until, near the end of the book, it all explodes in violence.

Venice during Carnival is the perfect setting for this book. The place is described as both fascinating and scary. The bright parties on the streets are contrasted by the dark and deserted alleys that more often than not turn out to be dead-ended. The cold of winter creeps not just into the character’s bones, it also affects the reader as the story becomes ever chillier.

David Hewson writes wonderful books. His characters are well formed and are true individuals. Nobody in this book is described in terms of black and white. Everybody is nuanced which makes them interesting as characters and the story more fascinating. His descriptions of Venice are wonderful. I could see the city during Carnival almost as clearly as if I had been there just as I could feel the danger lurking in dark corners and appreciate the beauty of the brighter places.

The ending of this book doesn’t provide clear cut answers to every question the story poses. It is up to the reader to decide whether or not there are some supernatural powers at play here. Is the impossible actually happening, or is Teresa right to dismiss it all as one man’s madness? And while a somewhat open ending could be frustrating when reading a mystery, in this book it worked perfectly. I really like the “what-if” David Hewson left me with and I know I will enjoy pondering it for the next few days.

“The wisdom of dogs is to remind us of our own arrogance and stupidity in believing tomorrow may somehow prove more precious than today.”
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Apr 26, 2012 Lizzie Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars

‘Carnival for the Dead’ by David Hewson
Published by MacMillan, 6th January 2012. ISBN: 978-0-230-75593-2

Receiving a somewhat cryptic note form her Aunt Sofia, and being unable to reach her by telephone for several days, Teresa Lupo travels, from Rome where she is a Forensic pathologist, to Venice. Teresa is surprised that on hearing about the strange note her mother Chiara should instantly decide to accompany her. It is February, and Venice is in the grip of carnival fever and experiencing free...more ‘Carnival for the Dead’ by David Hewson
Published by MacMillan, 6th January 2012. ISBN: 978-0-230-75593-2

Receiving a somewhat cryptic note form her Aunt Sofia, and being unable to reach her by telephone for several days, Teresa Lupo travels, from Rome where she is a Forensic pathologist, to Venice. Teresa is surprised that on hearing about the strange note her mother Chiara should instantly decide to accompany her. It is February, and Venice is in the grip of carnival fever and experiencing freezing temperatures. Arriving at Sofia apartment in the Dorsodura they find no clues to her disappearance, nothing but mess - so where is Sofia? What has happened to her? The situation brings forth from Chiara a startling revelation about Sofia’s past that re-focuses Teresa’s view of her beloved Aunt – although, a painter of mediocrity, a writer still writing the book she started some twenty years ago, she was always vibrant and on the move, living in exotic places. Is this the real Sofia? An anonymous letter delivered to Teresa by Camilla, the girl living in the apartment below Sofia’s, appears to be a work of fiction but it is puzzling in that both Teresa and Sofia feature in the story, together with an Englishman called Aitchison. The bunch of flowers accompanying the letter she assumes are from her partner Peroni, currently on a police assignment in Sicily and out of contact.

Teresa’s arrival in Venice has not gone unnoticed and she is contacted by Alberto Tosi, a retired pathologist she had come to know on an earlier visit to Venice* with an invitation to be his guest at the carnival that day. The first day of the carnival is ‘The Flight of the Angel’ and on route to the police to report her aunt missing Teresa and Tosi become caught up in the masses of people attending the carnival, and are witness to a death.

The Venice police are pleasant but Teresa feels sure that with the carnival and the spectacular death taking up much police time, little will be done to find her aunt. To whom can she turn for help in what is becoming more puzzling by the hour, as she receives more anonymous stories – are they from Sofia?, or the person who is holding her? Or is Sofia dead?

The story is told third person by Teresa Lupo, but also by the anonymous story teller, who weaves a tale that may or may not be the truth. This is not just a mystery of today but takes the reader back into the history of Venice. I was utterly captivated by the cryptic clues in the anonymous stories that weave their own mythical tale. The clues are all there but the interpretation needs an insight into the history of Venice. This is a book with a surface mystery that you want to solve, but more interestingly will invoke a need to know more of the history that surrounds this mystery. I can only liken it to the interest I developed when I read ‘Daughter of Time’ by Josephine Tey and ‘The King’s General’ by Daphne Du Maurier. Both had me delving deep into the history books.

If you have visited Venice this book will evoke the memories of your visit, the bright lights, the restaurant’s and gaiety, and then, turning into a square, or sometimes a small courtyard, and hitting deep silence - tall buildings where no lights show, the signs of poverty and neglect, and the feeling that you are maybe being watched. If you have never visited Venice, listening to the narration of this book by Juanita McMahon you will know you must go, and soon. Juanita brings the story alive with her incredible range of voices and added much to my enjoyment of the story.

David Hewson has been described as one of the finest crime writers, and after listening to this book I wholeheartedly agree.
-----
Lizzie Hayes
* See The Lizard’s Bite
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Nov 13, 2011 Alan Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

Once again David Hewson transports his readers to the magical city of Venice, Italy. It is Teresa Lupo, Chief Forensic Pathologist for the Questura in Rome who takes the lead on this occasion whilst colleagues Falcone, Peroni and Costa are on secret assignment.
Lupo has travelled to Venice to look for her Aunt Sofia who has mysteriously disappeared, leaving little explanation as to why, or her current whereabouts. It is the time of the Carnival, as Teresa tries to find her Aunt, and a series of e...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Charlie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, amazon-vine-reviews

Hewson exquisitely crafts the characters in Carnival of the Dead with the up-most care making them smartly complimentary to the the city of Venice. Besides the mystery and intrigue, what I found most enduring about the novel was the way in which Hewson captures and conveys the city itself. Venice is undeniably unique and the people, strangely separate from the rest of the country, an island if you will, alone and breathing independently, but begrudgingly dependent at the same time. I can't say w...more Hewson exquisitely crafts the characters in Carnival of the Dead with the up-most care making them smartly complimentary to the the city of Venice. Besides the mystery and intrigue, what I found most enduring about the novel was the way in which Hewson captures and conveys the city itself. Venice is undeniably unique and the people, strangely separate from the rest of the country, an island if you will, alone and breathing independently, but begrudgingly dependent at the same time. I can't say with any certainty whether readers who haven't spent time in Venice will be as moved as those who have. However, I devoured every word and description because the honesty and depiction was astonishingly accurate. My favorite stylistic liberty was the resenting undertones by the locals for anything and anyone despite the obviously necessity for their existence to thrive. Any visitor to the city must forgive this harshness and in fact, soon come to accept the eccentricities. Any place else, this would never be tolerated, but in Venice...well, it becomes part of the art, landscape and charm of the place. Where else can it be romantic to beg for service, apologize for disturbing the help to make a purchase and wonder how a city supposedly packed with tourists can virtually become a sinister shadow when the sun goes down? The streets are empty, the stores and restaurants closed, and if you're hoping for a club, well, only the locals know where to go after dark. Venice is a mask and you will likely find yourself chasing shadows around corners, down alleys and landing at dead ends if you try to out smart the city. A map and logic will do you know good, much like in the story. You must simply concede and hope that with some luck, you will discover what you set out to find. Nothing demonstrates this point better than Hewson's insertion of stories as clues by a mysterious friend. At first, it might seem distracting or disjointed, but they serve a purpose in this cat and mouse tale. (less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

After receiving a letter from her Aunt Sophie, police pathologist Teresa Lupo travels from Rome to Venice to investigate her aunt’s disappearance. However, it is Carnival time in Venice and the local police have other priorities, leaving Teresa to her own devices in her search, assisted by Alberto Tosi, a retired local pathologist. As she tries to uncover clues as to the whereabouts of her missing aunt, she receives a series of envelopes that include stories about her aunt and herself, along wit...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Lynne Perednia rated it 3 of 5 stars

David Hewson's Nic Costa novels of Rome feature strong plots and strong characters. Among the strongest of the secondary characters is police pathologist Teresa Lupo. However, when she goes to Venice during Carnival to search for her beloved aunt, who is missing, she may be at her most vulnerable because she is out of her element.

Teresa's Aunt Sofia has always lived as a vagabond. Even Teresa's mother doesn't know the kind of details that families usually know that prove helpful in, say, missing...more David Hewson's Nic Costa novels of Rome feature strong plots and strong characters. Among the strongest of the secondary characters is police pathologist Teresa Lupo. However, when she goes to Venice during Carnival to search for her beloved aunt, who is missing, she may be at her most vulnerable because she is out of her element.

Teresa's Aunt Sofia has always lived as a vagabond. Even Teresa's mother doesn't know the kind of details that families usually know that prove helpful in, say, missing persons reports. When Teresa contacts the police, she is met with little sympathy. Her aunt is a grown woman with no diminished capacity and it's Carnival. The police have a lot of other things going on.

Staying at her aunt's flat, Teresa mets the neighbors, a young woman who makes masks for the other main occupant, an older man confined to a wheelchair. The owner is rarely there. The neighbors, although nice, especially for Venetians to Teresa's Roman mind, know little that is helpful. When Teresa finds an envelope slipped under the apartment door with a story, she learns that this and subsequently delivered stories are supposed to lead her to Sofia.

Hewson is a master at weaving these stories, which feature Teresa and other people she meets, with the real story of her search for Sofia. The stories include a British professor and a young Englishman who is a master baker, who both end up in Venice, and a woman who resembles Sofia's neighbor Camille, but with an odd need for nutrients in other people's blood. Carnival season and the narrow, twisty streets of Venice add layers of mystery to the novel; this is not the Venice of a traveller's delight, but rather a dark place where people's obsessions become overpowering.

The stories also feature the enigmatic Count St. Germain, who is based loosely on a real person who was as mysterious as the one in Hewson's story. Readers who know of a St. Germain through Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's groundbreaking series of historical paranormals or in Diana Gabaldon's stories will recognize this figure, even though he is not the same character.

When the stories Teresa has been receiving and her investigation merge into one storyline, there is the usual over-the-top action seen in most thrillers. But Hewson does make everything fit together without jamming it into place. And there is sweetness along with the bitter in the telling.

The main result of reading the novel, however, is to want to spend more time with Hewson's Nic Costa series and see Teresa Lupo back where she belongs.

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Jul 09, 2012 Vivienne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, gothic, crime, thriller, art

Subtitled 'A Venetian Mystery', this stand-alone mystery features Teresa Lupo, the Chief Forensic Pathologist who has been one of my favourite supporting characters in Hewson's Nic Costa series. The novel opens with a quote by John Ruskin on the golden city of Venice and one by John Milton from Paradise Lost about the unseen spiritual creatures all about us. These set the mood for what follows.

In February during Carnival Teresa has travelled to Venice to investigate the mysterious disappearance...more Subtitled 'A Venetian Mystery', this stand-alone mystery features Teresa Lupo, the Chief Forensic Pathologist who has been one of my favourite supporting characters in Hewson's Nic Costa series. The novel opens with a quote by John Ruskin on the golden city of Venice and one by John Milton from Paradise Lost about the unseen spiritual creatures all about us. These set the mood for what follows.

In February during Carnival Teresa has travelled to Venice to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her bohemian Aunt Sofia. Teresa goes to Sofia's apartment in the Dorsoduro but finds no clues as to what has happened to her aunt though meets Sofia's equally eccentric neighbours who soon become Teresa's allies in her search. The mystery deepens when Teresa receives a letter containing a piece of fiction in which both Sofia and Teresa appear. This is just the first in a number of stories sent to Teresa with links to Venetian art and history. Are these messages being sent by Teresa, her possible abductor or a third party seeking to assisting Teresa in unravelling the mystery?

This was a complex and deeply satisfying mystery, quite different to the Nic Costa books but no less gripping. I've always been impressed by David Hewson's interweaving of history and art into his police procedurals. Here alongside the richness of Venetian Renaissance art, he uses the haunting and somewhat claustrophobic streets, alleyways and canals of Venice during Carnival to deepen the sense of mystery and that sense that anything is possible. The short stories interspersed throughout the novel heighten this atmosphere and blur the lines between reality and the unknown.

During her stay in Venice Teresa keeps encountering the disturbing masked figure of Medico della Peste, the Plague Doctor. Indeed, I very much enjoyed the way the elements of the Gothic and touches of magical realism contrasted with Teresa Lupo's pragmatism. From the start I was reminded of Daphne du Maurier's classic story set in Venice, Don't Look Now.

This is to be Hewson's last Italian-based novel for the time being (and maybe forever). He is currently working with the creators of the acclaimed Danish TV series The Killing and writing two novels based on that series. Still I have a number of his stand-alone titles to read as well as the recently published The Killing and I am sure that wherever his muse takes him in the future I will continue to be an avid reader.

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Sep 13, 2012 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-crime

David Hewson's Nic Costa series always comes through with an enticing mystery set in atmospheric Italy. In Carnival for the Dead, Nic and his police colleagues are present only in the thoughts of Teresa Lupo, the feisty pathologist who assists on their cases. Teresa's on her own in this outing, in Venice at the behest of her mother, who is worried about Sofia, her sister and Teresa's favorite aunt. Sofia has always led a bohemian sort of life, but now seems to have vanished.

Hewson has set this...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Sue G rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hardback

Carnival for the Dead is a variation on a theme, featuring forensic pathologist Teresa Lupo as the central character rather than the more familiar Nic Costa. The book sees a return to Venice (the setting for the earlier title in the series “The Lizard’s Bite”) as Lupo travels there with her mother following the mysterious disappearance of her favourite Aunt, Sofia. When Sofia’s apartment yields no apparent clues as to her whereabouts Lupo becomes concerned that something sinister has happened. S...more Carnival for the Dead is a variation on a theme, featuring forensic pathologist Teresa Lupo as the central character rather than the more familiar Nic Costa. The book sees a return to Venice (the setting for the earlier title in the series “The Lizard’s Bite”) as Lupo travels there with her mother following the mysterious disappearance of her favourite Aunt, Sofia. When Sofia’s apartment yields no apparent clues as to her whereabouts Lupo becomes concerned that something sinister has happened. She decides to stay in the apartment while she undertakes to search for her, quickly sending her mother home.

Her search is aided by a serious of cryptic stories which are mysteriously delivered to Sofia’s home. Although they have a “supernatural” feel to them they also bear an increasingly uncanny resemblance to her ongoing search for Sofia. But who is sending them? Is it Sofia, or someone who wants to help, and why can’t they just come forward and speak directly to Lupo?

With the rest of the usual team unavailable to help her, Lupo accepts the help of Alberto Tosi the (now retired) city pathologist, believing that he will have some influence with the local police. Unfortunately Carnival means the police are too busy to help with Lupo’s ”mystery”, so she and Tosi attempt to carry on the investigation without them, even when there is a murder which Lupo believes is somehow connected to Sofia’s disappearance.

Venice is as much a character in this tale as Lupo herself. Set in February (the time of the Carnival) this isn’t the city most tourists will see – it’s cold, in fact there’s snow and ice, it’s dark and the masks and costumes of those taking part in the Carnival itself add to the sinister atmosphere.

I know that there is a suggestion that this may be the last in the “Costa” series, but I sincerely hope that isn’t the case. There are plenty of authors who have pursued a series for far too long, but Hewson has shown that applying a different perspective on the stories is an excellent way to ensure the reader’s continued interest.

A story with well-observed characters, a gripping mystery and all in the atmospheric setting of Venice – what more could you ask for!

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Mar 19, 2013 Virginia Walter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries

I miss Nic Costa, but Theresa Lupo is also an interesting protagonist. The forensic pathologist is in Venice searching for her missing aunt during Carnival. There are perhaps too many twists and turns and quirky characters, but the Venice setting is irresistible.

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Aug 29, 2012 Ballyzero rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not quite up there with the best Hewsons, possibly because I missed the whole of the 'Costa cast'. Carnival For The Dead concentrates solely on Theresa Lupo, with the odd mention of the others, but little more. The plot is his typical twisty-turny affair, with a denouement that I found a bit too mystical for my own tastes.

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Oct 31, 2012 Jeane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: italy

I recently recieved this book from my friend and read it before and after visiting Venice for the second time.

I hadn't heard of the writer before and wasn't sure what to exect about the book.

The story is told by mainly Teresa, coming from Rome to look for her missing aunt who lives in venice.
In short,the story is great, original, beautiful and suprising.

I loved reading it as it was interesting, never got boring and I just wanted to read on and on.

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May 14, 2013 Crystal rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: did-not-finish

It felt like a chore reading this. I got to the point where I did not care about the missing Sofia, or anyone else.

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May 13, 2013 Audrey rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this, did not miss the rest of the gang, more like this please.

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Oct 02, 2012 Kaye rated it 3 of 5 stars

The author is sticking with his formula. I feel I've read this before even though I haven't

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Sep 01, 2012 Stacy marked it as to-read

Blame it on Bitsy Bling.

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Aug 20, 2012 Sylence rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a bit slower than most of his works but i liked it. I love the setting of Venice and all the descriptions of the city.

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Nov 18, 2012 Sherilyn Pier smith turner rated it 3 of 5 stars

This took lots of concentration and starting over certain chapters in order to keep it straight. Very wordy too. Due to the theme and location lots of words were not in English which distracted me.

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Oct 27, 2012 Marianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful mystery

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Jun 17, 2013 Delphine Beernaert added it

Shelves: my-bookshelf

Jun 16, 2013 Tango Dancer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jun 15, 2013 Iris marked it as to-read

Jun 06, 2013 James Kendrick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jun 04, 2013 Wmdavidharrison rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 31, 2013 Joyce Gerhardt marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 29, 2013 Michael Fulkerson rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 25, 2013 Michaela rated it 4 of 5 stars

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May 21, 2013 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About David Hewson

DAVID HEWSON was born in Yorkshire in 1953. He has written sixteen novels, as well as several travel books. Until 2005 he was a weekly columnist for the Sunday Times until becoming a full-time author. David lives in Kent but visits Italy frequently. All 11 of his Italian books are now in development as TV movies.

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