Cruel Music
Eighteenth-century Rome makes a sinister atmosphere for a mystery that mixes two parallel worlds in the Eternal City: the castrati singers and the Holy See. With Tito Amato’s merchant brother held hostage by Venetian authorities, the singer is forced to spy at the villa of a music-loving cardinal who will control the coming election for the next pope. The discovery of a beautiful corpse in Cardinal Fabbiani’s garden complicates Tito’s mission.
(95,000 words; available as ebook, print, and audiobook)
“Myers sets the stage beautifully, and her Tito Amato is an endearingly sympathetic character whose company should be enjoyed for many more performances.” —Robert C. Hahn, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
“In Graves-Myers’ 18th century recreation you smell the muddy swirl of the Tiber and dodge the horse dung in the unpaved streets. …with its vivid cast of characters and realistic period detail, this baroque mystery set around the election of a new Pope is popular intelligent historical fiction at its best.” —David Hewson, author of The Sacred Cut
