Flood, The

A bizarre attack on a church fresco of Adam and Eve in Florence brings together British art student Julia Wellbeloved and Pino Fratelli a retired detective who misses his old job a little too much. Together, they embark on a search for the truth that will lead them deep into the belly of Florence and the decadent and deadly desires of the uber rich. A gorgeous setting and a mystery filled with quirky characters and historical hijinks

Hewson seems to have different writing personas: I read one of his Nic Costa novels some years ago and didn't like it much, but then really enjoyed his novelisation of The Killing. On the back of that I have given him another try but the style of this book is a bit rambling, completely dissimilar to the taut tension of The Killing. So if you enjoy the Nic Costa series this may well be for you.

The story starts in Rome in 1942, flips forward a couple of times to 1966 but is mostly set in Florence 1986 when the oddly-named Julia Wellbeloved meets her grumpy-but-lovely police landlord and the two of them set out to solve the mystery of why someone is defacing pieces of monumental art. From there the trail leads to one of those slightly unbelievable secret societies and with that and the reading of artistic symbolism there's a touch of Dan Brown going on here (though, admittedly, this is better written.) One of my pet hates in fiction is when one character raves about another person's acute brilliance... when they've only said something straightforward and rather obvious, and there's some of that here as Pino is blown away by Julia's workaday observations.

Nevertheless, this is an entertaining read especially if you enjoy lots of Italian scene-setting, food and drink (I had to made Negronis while reading this!) - a good holiday read, especially if you're going to Florence.

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Nancy Cunningham's Reviews > The Flood

The Flood by David Hewson

The Flood by David Hewson, Saul Reichlin (Narrator)

108416 Nancy Cunningham's review Jul 10, 15 · edit

4 of 5 stars bookshelves: art-and-artists, historical, netgalley

Read in July, 2015

The Flood is one of those books that has elements that will appeal to both art history fans and psychological thriller readers.

I was attracted to it because I was travelling to Italy this summer and it was an opportunity to be entertained while learning about the history of Venice, particularly the devastating floods in the late 20th Century.

There is a very dark undercurrent to this book and I generally steer clear of novels that really unsettle me, but Hewson's two protagonists are so appealing that I was totally drawn in.

There is no shortage of mysteries featuring art theft or forgery, but The Flood has a fresh approach. It uses the works of art as clues to understand the actions and motivation of a very troubled person. The initial crime was not significant, but real creativity was required to see beyond the initial act of violence.

This was a compelling story that also provides a short course on the history of Venetian art and politics.

Netgalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pleasingly elliptical thriller set in Florence past and present. The protagonists are Pino Fratelli, a Florentine detective and Julia Wellbeloved, an English art historian.. Their attempts to catch a killer involve him doing the intuitive detecting and her the exposition, (so its Sherlock and Dr. Watson).
Mostly the book is about Florence, but not the Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi, more the dark underbelly where the tourists don't go. As a hymn of praise to Florence and its history, mixed with a murder mystery it works very well. The historical detail is fascinating as the relationship between the mismatched couple. Very well written and highly recommended.

The Flood by David Hewson 4 out of 5 stars The beauty and art of the city of Florence is juxtaposed with its dark and deadly side.

In late October 1942 a four-year-old boy is smuggled out of German-occupied Rome by one of the priests.
In November 1966 a seventeen-year-old boy, Aldo Pontecorvo, has been subjected to abuse at the hands of some of Florence’s senior figures.
How these two boys meet up later in life is the meat of this beautifully written novel.
It is November 1986 and Pino Fratelli, that four-year-old, and now a member of the Florence Carabinieri, is a white-haired forty-eight-year-old. He is on sick leave and, accompanied by his new English tenant, Julia Wellbeloved, they are in the Brancacci Chapel viewing some new desecration of the art works. Julia, a post-graduate student is working on a dissertation entitled ‘Why Murder Art’, hoping to discover why members of the public attack works of art. Unbeknown to them, this ‘minor’ damage in the Chapel is going to escalate into something more sinister. Could it be that the famous 1966 ‘Great Flood of Florence’ holds the secret of Pino’s sickness and what ties him and Pontecorvo together? (Considered the worst flood in the city's history since 1557, over one hundred people were killed and millions of masterpieces of art and rare books were destroyed.) Pino is the bane of his friend and superior Captain Walter Marrone, and when he suspects that the attacker might be harbouring some darker and more dangerous motives, Marrone tells him in no uncertain terms that he is on sick leave and must have nothing to do with the case. Pino, of course, has other ideas.
This book is not just a thriller, although it could stand alone as such. It is also a voyage into the history and art of the city of Florence, the city of the Medici, Benvenuto Cellini, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Savonarola, Machiavelli and many others, and we are treated to lessons in the travails between the various rival factions of this glorious city.
I found this book to be very enjoyable and would highly recommend it.
Sméagol

This novel goes back in time to Florence in 1986, with two main characters; Pino Fratelli a restless policeman on sick leave and Julia Wellbeloved, an art student visiting Florence to write a university paper. Fratelli and Wellbeloved are soon working together to find the reasons for an attack of vandalism on a church fresco. Fratelli’s superior tells him in no uncertain terms that Fratelli is on sick leave and not to interfere in the investigation. As you can guess Fratelli has other ideas and together with Wellbeloved soon find clues that lead back to the flood of 1966. This is a very different novel from Hewson’s adaptation of The Killing, or even The House of Dolls. Strong writing about Italy, food and drink as well as mystery and skulduggery. If you’re heading for Florence and want to get a feel for the atmosphere of the place, this is a good place to start!