A Rich Full Death

by Michael Dibdin

Florence,1855. "The English are dying too much," the city's police chief observes. And members of the foreign community in this quaint Italian backwater, both English and American, are indeed dying at an alarming rate and in an extraordinary variety of ingenious and horrible ways.
      
With the local authorities out of their depth, the distinguished resident Robert Browning launches his own private investigation, aided and abetted by an expatriot Robert Booth. Unfortunately, their amateur sleuthing is hampered by the fact that each of their suspects becomes the next victim in a series of murders orchestrated by a killer with a taste for poetic justice. A Rich Full Death features characters both historical and imaginary, ranging from an enticing servant girl to Mr. Browning's consumptive, world-famous wife, Elizabeth Barrett, in a tale lush with period detail, intricately plotted, and with a truly astonishing final twist.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Italy, Historical, Mystery Thriller

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Michael Dibdin was born in 1947. He went to school in Northern Ireland, and later to Sussex University and the University of Alberta in Canada. He lived in Seattle. After completing his first novel, The Last Sherlock Holmes Story, in 1978, he spent four years in Italy teaching English at the University of Perugia. His second novel, A Rich Full Death, was published in 1986. It was followed by Ratking in 1988, which won the Gold Dagger Award for the Best Crime Novel of the year and introduced us to his Italian detective - Inspector Aurelio Zen.

Dibdin was married three times, most recently to the novelist K. K. Beck. His death in 2007 followed a short illness.

Series:
* Aurelio Zen

Reviews

[Jeff Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing premise, atmospheric and well-written in a classic mid-19th century style (that is as readable as the best of that century), with twists and revelations until the very end. Less a 'standard' mystery than a trip through the by-ways of past Florence. Read it while in that wonderful city and the place name-dropping made it all the more 'live' for me. Well-recommended, indeed.

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Rich Full Death by Michael Dibdin, the author of five mystery books that are included on The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list, albeit on The Greatest Books of All Time site, his best ranked work is only 3711th – hundreds of those volumes are revied on my blog, where my best take is here:
https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...

9 out of 10



I have read and enjoyed four novels by Michael Dibdin, Dead Lagoon https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... Ratking, Vendetta and now A Rich Full Death, Ratking might be my favorite, in large part because it was the first, and a surprise

There is a lot to like in A Rich Full Death, for instance this idea ‘The Whole Art and Secret of Conversational Success…The entire work would consist of but two words: Ask Questions. everyone—rich and poor, famous and unknown—would rather talk than listen, rather answer than ask, rather entertain than be entertained, rather bore than be bored. Give them the opportunity to do so, and they will always invite you back’
This is an elaborate, erudite, intelligent, challenging – so much so that I lost concentration at one stage, though that tends to happen, the work has to be so damn good, humorous, captivating, respecting especially one of the rules of Flow https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...

I will just mention the one about being on the line between boredom and burnout, we need to be challenged, but not overwhelmed, and this book is in that realm, we have a series of murders – thus, the main character would be a serial killer, only there might be a secret here – and we get clues from…Dante, The Inferno
It reminds me of 7even, with Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and his then girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow, who is now known for the exaggerated Goop, in that movie, we have another assassin, who is posting quotes from the capital sins, as listed by the bible, and the victims are ‘punished’ for their sloth, gargantuan habits and the rest

‘I stay in this city where one is confronted on every side by evidence of the genius of the Past; where such figures as Giotto, as Dante, as Michelangelo, are as it were one’s daily bread…’ so we have this marvelous background and musings on art, literature - Keats meant that Truth is Beauty, and the solution is original

Indeed, this is one of the most creative endings – I will not divulge, not because of common sense, there is the spoiler alert formula, but because I am not sure I understand what happens, or maybe doesn’t, at the end – and it is there, with https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie, in which the murderer turns out to be…the narrator, the doctor himself, called to assist and all, well, he is the one, in terms of erudition, A Rich Full death aspires to be on the level of The Name of The Rose – another link is here, because everything has been said before

https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... continuing to list some of the mystery books that have impressed me, there would be The Daughter of Time, one of the Association of Crime Writers has placed this at Number One, for their Top 100, and we can see why, given its quality
in the Daughter of Time, the detective looks at Richard III – ‘now is the winter of our discontent…and all the clouds that lured upon our sky, in the deep bosom of the ocean buried’ -and his alleged murders, and the truth is he has not killed those children, although 99% of those asked would say he was a villain, which is fake ‘news’

https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... as for opening, there is nothing better than
‘It was not until several weeks after he had decided to murder his wife that Dr Bickleigh took any active steps in the matter ‘So begins the classic crime novel Malice Aforethought, and coming back to A Rich Fall Death, we have a look at…Beatrice – ‘I’m not sure that I am very interested in what Beatrice would say,’ he replied with distaste. ‘Who was she, after all? A vulgar merchant’s daughter who married a banker and died young. It may be that she would have been rash enough to speak of the poet in the fashion you suggest, although give me leave to doubt it. But if he had not singled her out from all the other pretty children, no one today would have the slightest interest in what she had to say about anything. One might hope she would remember that before she opened her mouth to mock her benefactor.’

We have so much inside, a medium, love and cheating, but overall, it does not pass the test from To The Hermitage, which is quoted below, the one about literature offering characters that are deeper, more interesting than what we find in real life

Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always loved Michael Dibdin's series of Italian-set thrillers featuring the detective Aurelio Zen, and I have enjoyed many of his other books - especially The Last Sherlock Holmes Story. A Rich Full Death however left me with mixed feelings. I'd worked out the identity of the murderer by page 50, and although it's beautifully written, I didn't ever really engage with the mid nineteenth century Florentine milieu. C

[Paul Cockayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this really rather tedious. Fussily written, and I found myself skimming over quite a lot of it without feeling I was missing anything. Very plot led and highly unbelievable. I didn't see the twist coming but I had stopped caring about what the denouement might be long before it was revealed.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huh?? I'm not sure I understand the point of this one. I liked the premise and the use of Robert Browning as a character. I also liked the use of Dante's Inferno. What I didn't like was how contrived this whole tale turned out to be.

[Picoroco · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yawnathon. Earns one star for its amusing resolution but the two hundred pages you have to wade through to reach the 'reveal' are turgid stuff, to say the least.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written as a Victorian murder mystery it is an early (pre-Aurelio Zen) novel. Wonderful mystery, wonderful use of language, and almost unbelievable that it is a modern author writing this book.

[Ken Ryu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This starts a bit slow, but mid-way through, it catches its stride. The setting is 19th century Florence Italy. The narrator is a bibliophile Bostonian named Robert Booth. The book starts with the hanging death of Booth's romantic interest Isabel. While learning about Isabel's sudden death, Booth meets the English poet Robert Browning.

Browning and Booth become friendly as they investigate the odd death of their mutual friend Isabel. Browning in particular suspects foul play. As Browning and Booth chase down clues and interview possible suspects and witnesses, more deaths surround the case and the two men.

A medium is found with a broken neck and her head turned backwards. A man is found almost completely incinerated in an oven. Italian words and numbers left by the killer are found at the death scenes. The mercurial Browning confides to Booth that he has discovered the meaning of the messages. Florence is the home of Dante and his books hold the keys to the killer's meanings. Think of the Brad Pitt movie "Seven" and you on right track at understanding the killer's methodology.

Booth begins to suspect Browning as the mastermind behind the strange deaths. Browning's failed book of poetry "Sordello" becomes another puzzle decoder as Browning and Booth enter in a battle of wits.

There are many twists and turns. The finale is unexpected. This is a good mystery story with two well developed characters, Browning and Booth. The literature tie-ins are clever and provide an interesting mystery for the reader to unravel along with the narrator Booth. Not as enthralling as the "Da Vince Code", but it does share some of the same DNA.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting book.
The beginning is a little dull, which is a little sad. After the second or third murder it gets better though. That's about the time when there is more suspense. It was still a little hard keeping track with all the murders happening as they seemed quite random (except the first, two of course).
Over the course of the book the relationship between Booth and Mr Browning changes quite a bit: First Booth admires Browning from afar, then he gets to know him, puts him on a pedestal and practically worships the ground Browning walks on, until everything changes and Booth starts immensely disliking and eventually hating him. What a rollercoaster. But interesting to watch.
The ending, the definition of a plot twist, got me. Never would have expected that.

All in all, I'd say it's worth a read. It's no classic epistolary novel as there are no responses to the letters, but it's still an interesting form that I think fits this plot rather well.

[Chazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

1855 in Florence, Italy –
An area nicked-named “paradise of exiles” is currently dealing with an unusually high number of deaths. Six murders in the expat neighbourhood with no solutions.

The story is told in the form of letters from one Robert Booth, from America, to his friend Professor Prescott.

Booth has managed to get accepted into the social circle of Robert Browning (yes, the poet) and is considered a friend by Browning. When Browning takes it upon himself to investigate the first murder, Booth partners to help.

The first murder victim is a woman Booth was deeply in love with sometime back, so he feels he should help Browning. Five more murders occur and the investigations continue.

The plot is a bit tricky to follow, but reading it you feel you are back in that period. Characters, descriptions and events are well written. Great for readers who enjoy period writings of this era.

The solution is a read head turner!

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't have a background in Dante, so I wasn't enthralled with that aspect of the book. Neither do I know much about Robert Browning. I was disappointed that is wife, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, was only given lip-service and had no role in the book.
Part way through the book I thought of an Agatha Christy book where the main narrator turned out to be the murderer.
I was very happy to finish the book.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frantic and confusing until the last few pages when Booth's narrative softens into a greater mystery. Set in 1855 Florence, the city and its expat celebs seem so familiar and so smarmy. Reading those Dibdin's I have in order of publication date and looking forward to seeing how his voice will change as Aurelio Zen enters the story.

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took it from "The Cabin" to read on the airplane home from Mn to Anchorage. Not a compelling read. Perhaps - boring, although the London Times called it "...witty writing". I probably won't explore this author further, although he has won some mystery writing awards.

[Alison Mullin · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a tension in Michael Dibdin's books between the subject matter (a crime mystery that the reader is urging to a conclusion) and his slow, fine, graceful writing. This always makes him difficult to read. But, in the end, he is always superb.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.
i enjoyed the author's writing style, but the story itself wasn't for me.

[Jo Birkett · Rating 3 out of 5]

readable enough especially if you know Florence or like Dante but not 5*

[Phenomene]

Not very memorable and by far not as good as the Inspector Zen series.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a nice little twist at the end, this was very good for a murder mystery. Probably not quite deserving of a 4, but certainly better than a 3.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly wonderful. To say too much about it would spoil it, except that you will want to read it again immediately after finishing it.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow going initially, storyline has some great twists in the second half.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short read, published earlier than the Aurelio Zen series. I enjoyed the atmosphere of Florence in 1855 and the expat community, and the plot is well thought out.

[Blair McDowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Dibdin remains one of my favorite authors even though I sometimes find his plots and characterizations frustrating. Dibdin’s was a career cut too short. Whenever I see a Dibdin book out in e-book format, I order it. I know that whatever else I find, it will be literately and beautifully written. I’ve waded happily through his wonderful Aurelio Zen series. The Zen character is uneven, but the prose is so masterful that one doesn’t care. Dibdin’s descriptive passages are second to none.

So when I ordered “A Rich Full Death”, I had high expectations. This book is such a departure from everything of Dibdin’s I’ve read, that at one point I went back to make sure it was actually Dibdin I was reading.
A Rich Full Death is set in Florence in the mid-eighteen hundreds and is told entirely through letters to “My Dear Prescott” from “Booth”. The “Booth” in question is pictured as a fairly young man, one living in Florence on an allowance from his father, enjoying the small enclave of ex-pat British who made Florence their home, among them and a principal character in the story, poet Robert Browning. To all lovers of Browning I say immediately, you must read this book for its fascinating re-creation of the famous poet, which often uses his own words as dialogue.

A Rich Full Death is a mystery story. In the lush setting of Florence and the surrounding countryside, Dibdin takes us through Dante’s circles of hell. It is a fascinating and surprising story, with the title making sense only in the last few pages. I had to read the last chapter twice to fully understand just what Dibdin had done. It is, to say the least, a surprising ending.

This is thinking man’s or woman’s book. It is redolent of the artistic and literary Italy of the times. I recommend it highly but it is not for everyone. I suspect Dibdin wrote it mainly for himself. And he probably had a grand time doing so.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just what I needed after coming off an intense, cerebral historical novel of 750 pages (The Man on a Donkey.) It was like slipping on a pair of well-known, comfortable shoes, for there is nothing I know better than the British/European mystery, and I take to it like a lathered horse to fresh water! I was fairly salivating over the descriptions and reviews I'd read of this book, which told of a lush and erudite tale, complete with a surprise finale. My favorite novels and mysteries are always those which hold their secrets until the very last word, an extremely difficult trick to pull off. I am a little put-out with all the book blurbs on the cover which put me in anticipation of this very kind of coup, not because it didn't deliver, but because I spent my whole reading time on the lookout for the "shocker." It made me rehone skills I thought were already razor-sharp and incisive. I nailed the first two red-herrings, based on esoteric but fair clues and felt I was being set-up for a resurgence of one of the contenders, when, SNAP! The author caught me out fair and square and did it with what is probably the creakiest old devise known to fiction!
If I could have based the rating on shock value alone, it would have rated a 5+. The reason it only gets a 4 is due to the convoluted plot which just skims along the surface of several murders in super-quick sequence, without providing much substance.
So as not to write a spoiler, I will just add that certain readers may find loaded meaning in the title.

[Alison C · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Rich Full Death," by Michael Dibdin, takes place in Florence in 1855, where a young Bostonian, Robert Booth, has taken up residence. By chance, he is able to strike up an acquaintance with the famous Robert Browning and his wife Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and as he is a man searching for guidance, he soon decides that the poet is a genius whose knowledge of human nature far transcends that of most men. When a young expatriate woman is found hanged, it is Browning who perceives the death as a murder rather than suicide, and he enlists the aid of Booth in tracking down the killer…. This is an epistolary novel, a form not used very much anymore but quite the perfect choice for a story set in 1855. I have read some of Dibdin’s Aurelio Zen books, but gave them up because eventually the character was just too angsty for me; however, I’m glad I decided to give the author another try because this is just a lovely read: murder, mayhem, Italy, madness - what more could one ask? And while in one way I solved the crime very early on, in another way I was completely mistaken. Really enjoyable; recommended!

[Dan Downing · Rating 4 out of 5]

What to say? This was Dibdin's second book, the first having been a homage to Conan Doyle titled "The Last Sherlock Homes Story". Here we find a novel written in the form of letters from a Dr. Watson wantabe to Robert Browning's Holmes. The scene is Firenze, or Florence, as we would say, that most delightful of Italian cities.
Following the murder of a young American woman recently married, and formerly known to our correspondent, Browning, who lived in Italy with his semi-invalid wife, arrives on the scene and displays Holmesian acuteness of observation and thought. Joining forces with the writer of letters, the poet discerns more hidden clues as the murder scenes pile up.
This old fashioned whodunit contains a few surprises and Dibdin builds a strange suspense throughout. For those who have read the traditional canon---Stout, Christie, Carr, Tey, etc.---this will provide a challenge and some delight. For anyone new to the classical mystery, this should come as a welcome surprise in that good writing needn't be impenetrable.
Recommended

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Browning investigating a murder (or is it murders?). Set in Florence this is an interesting mystery. Lots of literary illusions, some Italian phrases scattered about, a few lines of poetry from both of the Browning greats and a pretty good mystery with a twist or two or three.

I had some trouble getting into the book because of the flowery writing style, but the author is trying to capture the feel of life in Florence in 1855. Mostly he is convincing and carries this off. Once I got used to the style I enjoyed the mystery. I did guess the murderer but never saw the twist at the end, which is always my favorite kind of mystery.

If you like historical mysteries or are a fan of either Robert Browning or Elizabeth Barrett Browning you will probably enjoy this one as well.

[David Grieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a big fan of Michael Dibdin since reading Dirty Story about 20 years ago and this one did not disappoint. Set in mid 19th century Florence with a cosmopolitan cast of expats, the feeling of place really shines through. The story is compelling and gripping with lots of nice twists at the end as you would expect.

The story revolves around an initial suicide of someone known by the main character, Robert Booth. He gets into a friendship with the poet Robert Browning and they start to investigate the circumstances as they believe it was a murder. A second killing follows and the story spirals from there.

Believable and atmospheric; just what you need for a historical thriller.

[Vince · Rating 4 out of 5]

These mystery writers sure do like Dante, eh? Interesting twist on the usual Dante-inspired murders here, though... Along with a couple of more conventional plot twists.

A nice short, fast-paced book that nonetheless lasted me a while (probably because, classics aside, I'm not used to the language, as others have said). Plenty of suspense, although the characters are more caricature than deep - but hey, that's exactly what I like in a murder mystery. Definitely worth a read if you like the genre; don't let the early resemblance to Sherlock Holmes (or Booth's absolutely childish treatment of Browning about mid-book) put you off.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. Robert Booth is an American living in Florence Italy in 1855. He meets and becomes somewhat friendly with the poet Robert Browning. When a series of strange murders happen and the victims seem to be all English citizens, Browning and Booth begin to look into the killings as amateur sleuths. It seems that the murders are based on Dante's famous book. The book is written as a series of letters from Robert Booth to an associate in America and follows the mystery from its beginning to the very strange and unexpected end. A good book.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dibdin's second novel and very different to the Zen books. Set in Florence in 1855 is written as a series of letters from American Robert Booth. A relatively short novel that took longer to read than I expected. Mainly due to dense faux Victorian language that took a while to get used to. Did I enjoy it as much as the later Zen novels? Frankly no - but nevertheless it was an enjoyable read that gave a great sense of place and time.