Venetian Mask

by Mickey Friedman (Pseudonym), Michaela Thompson

The surreal splendor of Venice glitters and mesmerizes as six so-called friends who, it turns out, barely know each other meet at Carnival to play a malignant game that quickly turns murderous. Sally, the “Tallahassee lassie” spurned by the rest as a virtual hayseed, is swept up by a mysterious count, attending masked balls, operas, and Carnival revels even as she mourns her marriage and dodges a deadly pursuer. “Things should happen at Carnival,” says her unlikely protector, who resembles Harlequin in more than his costume. “If they go on just the same, there’s no reason for Carnival at all.” There’s absolutely no chance of that in this psychological tour de force of surging identities wrestling to emerge in people forced by violence to confront their inner Harlequins and Medusas.

The characters change costumes, alter egos, sex partners (and preferences), and most of all, their stories while Carnival swirls around them, each more desperate by the hour to solve the murder, commit another, save a career, escape a past…whatever it is that Carnival, as much a character as the humans, seems to command them to do. The guignol grows ever grander, the danger more heightened as the clock ticks toward midnight on Fat Tuesday and Sally finds she has more enemies than she thought.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Cozy Mystery

286 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Books are now republished under the name of Michaela Thompson.

Reviews

[Irene Sauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the titles in a box set of four on kindle, all set in Europe. The others were more cozy mystery than thriller, all good. This one had a darker feel and the plot was more involved. It was set in Venice during Festivale, when everyone goes about in masks and costumes. A group of acquaintances - one really couldn’t call them friends - try to identify one another in their costumes. Murder, based on a wrong identity, is the result. It was an enjoyable read, but went on for too long, with events becoming convoluted and beginning to feel repetitive.

[Nina Stanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kratek, a dober roman. Knjiga v kateri ni nič kot bi pričakovali, motivi in domnevni morilec se ves čas spreminjajo. Tako te zgodba ves čas drži v napetosti, kaj bi se še lahko zgodilo. Kdo je morilec? Kdo je napisal vsa pisma - je bila ena oseba ali več? Je bilo načrtovano ali le naključno zaradi spleta nenavadnih okoliščin? Počasi, počasi se sestavlja prava slika, celotna je bralcu vidna šele na zadnjih straneh.

[Regina Lively · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS NOVEL!

I enjoyed every page of this book!
The descriptions of Venice during Carnival season, the buildings, the Venetian canals, the masks & revelry——Ms. Thompson’s writing sent me on a journey through Venice.
The characters were uniquely described; I felt as though I’d known them, in a different life perhaps.
This novel was published in 1987. Before cell phones, PCs & tablets. Yet the novel felt modern enough to synch with the 21st Century.
Bravo, Ms. Thompson!

[Nira Ramachandran · Rating 2 out of 5]

The handsome Brian shelves his plans for Law School, and brings his bride Sally all the way from Tallahasee to the Sorbonne, where his looks attract fellow student Jean Pierre, and he is introduced to a select group of dysfunctional young people. They are all followers of middle age author Tom, whose claim to fame rests on his sole publication recording the student revolt in Paris in 1968. The plain looking and simple Sally is not welcomed by the group, and ends up spending much time alone, while her husband meets with his friends. Then the Group decides to visit Venice for the famed Carnival, when the city transforms into a riot of colourful costumes, music and hilarity. To add to the excitement, they hatch a plan. Each one will lodge independently, then come out into the open wearing a costume that they feel represents them best; the objective being to see whether any of their friends can identify them. Tom refuses to leave Sally behind, so the reluctant girl is dragged off to Venice. Then the Carnival begins. The air is full of excitement, crowds of masked revelers throng the streets and the canals. Yet underlying the riotous fun is a sinister feel. When Sally joins the throng, she seems to be followed by macabre figures and threatening masks wherever she turns. Then death strikes and Sally finds a body floating in the slimy waters of a canal. She can feel the danger in the air and knows that her life is threatened too. Into this menacing scenario, steps an unknown- Count Michele Zanon, and helps the terrified and wary Sally to regain her sanity and sense of security. There is no easy way to solve the tangle of motives and emotions that may have caused the murder, and the carnival and its participants become even more sinister as one delves into their lives. In the background, the murky waters rise flooding the city, while the rain pelts down reminiscent of impending doom.

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the 3rd book in a collection of 4 by this author. I really enjoyed the first two (The Georgia Maxwell series) but did not like this one at all. Many times I thought about giving up and marking it DNF, but I kept hoping it would get better and I admit I was a little curious about the mystery. In some ways I think this could make an enjoyable movie with all the events of Carnival in Venice, racing around the city either looking for or hiding from one another, the costumes, the cases of mistaken identity, etc. But I really did not enjoy reading about all the ways these "friends" kept trying to hurt each other, their sexual escapades (lots of casual sex, both straight and gay, and often the people involved didn't even seem to like each other), and their depressing and self-centered thoughts. It annoyed me that these (mostly) young Americans were living in Paris and having a holiday in Venice, but instead of having a good time and enjoying all that was going on, they were just making themselves miserable and hurting one another as well as just about every person that they met. This book was just disturbing and depressing to me in so many ways.

[Alan Colclough · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out as a great mystery - characters that believe themselves to be sane and whole but who are fundamentally flawed human beings, hiding behind their own facades. The backdrop, Venice at Carnival, it's own crumbling magnificence hiding behind a facade of paper and stars and then a Murder. The start is a little slow, but once we reach Venice, it starts to pick up pace and there are red herrings and confusions galore, and then, sadly it goes a little too far. It feels as if the author is trying to be clever, to say something (worthy of Satre?) through Brian, who is the murder victim, but it doesn't really come off as a final chapter of his thoughts is obvious by it's absence. The main characters, with perhaps the exclusion of Sally, then seem to become caricatures of themselves; yes this is Carnival and they are getting desperate, but somehow for me it crosses the line and goes just too far - I felt that these were no longer the people that I knew in the first half of the book. I really enjoyed the first half, the second, not so much.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the premise of 'the group' and the whole trip to Venice is contrived and unbelievable, the story is interesting and intriguing - up to a point. It starts out okay, but eventually just jumps from character to character as they are moving around Venice, either trying to avoid or trying to find each other. They're all constantly on the move, and meeting locals who get involved for no discernible reason. It gets tiring and just plain silly, more like a farce than a credible mystery.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got as far as chp 9 before giving up. Boring story and characters. Who gets dumped by their husband for another man and stays around and mopes instead of heading home? Flat characters. Tom gathers and studies groupies? What is this, highschool?

[Cindy B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

LBGA - plot and characters are interesting. 3rd book I’ve read and author has hit every religious taboo - 1 to go. I hope it breaks the run.

[Patricia Ferreira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, I had a really good time reading it.

[Tania Monhollan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written but very depressing and a little dark. Not a cozy mystery.

[Martine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Five things:

- Scorned lovers
- Friend group murder mystery
- Masquarade
- Meddling strangers
- Group bet

[Dawn Ireland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very tedious read. I forced myself to get to the end. None of the characters resonated with me. The story concept went flat.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

This was a very strange book but turned out to be an interesting read. I will probably read another from this author.

[Donadee's Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michaela Thompson is one of my favorite authors and in the past I have reviewed her books explaining the one thing that I particularly like about her and that is she is adept in her vivid descriptions and the amount of research that she does on all of her books. Every time that I read one of her books I visit a different place and feel like I am really there. The descriptive details are so life like and each person is brought to life for me. This time we are going back to Paris and then on to Venice. Sally is a very everyday person and she could not believe her fortune when handsome Brian asked her to marry him. After they married Brian was going to go to Law school but nothing had ever been mentioned about going to Sorbonne in Paris. Well, they arrived and everything in Sally's life changed and not for the good, Brian had met Jean-Pierre. Here she is in Paris and now Brian has a new love! Jean-Pierre had insisted that Sally and Brian join his group of friends that met most everyday which included Tom, the oldest member and the leader, the rest were his disciples, Francine and Rolf. They decided to go to the carnival in Venice and they would play a game. Each would dress up in a costume that represent his own, most private concept of his inner self. Even though Brian had declared his love for Jean-Pierre he felt that he needed to give Sally time to figure out what she was going to do but that she should also be included in the game. They were to tell no one what they would be dressed as and only Brian and Sally would know where they were staying the others would not. This story line is very complicated and so well developed that you are completely drawn in from page one. I was miserable for Sally, understanding for Brian, perturbed at Jean-Pierre, upset with Tom and the rest of group. As you know this is a murder mystery and you have to have a murder to have a story. Shortly after arriving Brian is murdered and left floating in the canal. From there we have a new player Count Michele Zanon, which is trying to solve the murder and protect Sally at the same time. There are so many complications, the murder, a kidnapping, several possible murders, unknown letters, chasing and saving all leading to a unbelievable ending. No way was I prepared for it. I had figured out who the murderer was and I just was blown away to the real ending. In my personal opinion I think this was by far the best book that Michaela has ever written and I certainly hope this is not the last book that I read of hers, hopefully she is working on a new one right now.

[Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who are you, really? Suppose you clothed yourself in a costume representing your "true self", would your friends recognize you? That’s what the main group of characters in “Venetian Mask” intend to discover in Venice at Carnival. They each dress in a costume that they believe represents their true self and set out to learn whether they can correctly identify each other. But the game soon takes a sinister turn and the true identity they now seek is that of a murderer. I feel like all the pieces were in place for this to be one of the greatest mystery/suspense tales in my reading history. You couldn’t ask for a more mysterious, atmospheric setting than Venice during Carnival, nor could there be a better backdrop for the theme of identity which runs through the plot. The story seems a little disjointed, though, and the characters can read a bit flat. This is probably why, instead of studios clamoring for the movie rights and book clubs discussing their true selves, no one has ever heard of this book. It’s kind of sad, really. The bones of the story could be so good, but they need a major makeover.

[Harvey L. Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting composition

I really didn't like this book,but kept reading because of its interesting composition and clever vocabulary usage. Ms. Thompson is an accomplished author and brilliantly connects the story line that makes it easy to keep track of the action and characters. Character development is superb from psychological and even psychiatric standpoint for this motley crew of misfits. I've been to Venice and that helped a little,but I wish she could have chosen a different location; maybe New Orleans. The rain and high tide added to the dreariness of the story like many rooms in a dark dungeon, but was too depressing for me. I didn't like the overall subject theme or any of the characters,but I guess that bit of repulsion was calculated. A good read because of her composition. I was glad when it was over. Time for a drink.

[MaryAnn Ort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twisted

A tale of a group of people who don't really like each other take a trip to Venice during carnival. One is murdered during the first day and everyone else tries to determine the killer. The reader knows (or does he) who committed the crime, but the actors in the cast blame everyone. Are they right or is their own biases clouding their view? The ending and prologue fell a little short. More detail at the end would have been appreciated.

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A faded celebrity challenges his small group of followers to create costumes that reveal their true selves at Carnival in Venice. Travelling from Paris to Venice they will be unmasked and one will not return.

This multilayered novel is engaging and atmospheric. More a character study than a suspense novel it is interesting nonetheless. The atmosphere of Venice filled with beauty and decay is well conveyed. Good read.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't even know how to rate this one. It was in a boxed set with the two Georgia Lee books that I really liked. But this was way different and I don't quite know what to say. I wanted to know who the killer was, but more than once I asked myself wtf was going on.