Books

The Dead Season

  • Apr 20, 2021
  • Christobel Kent
  • 244 responses.

The Dead Season Florence is shimmering in the summer heat Former policeman turned private detective Sandro Cellini is investigating the case of a man who seems to have vanished into thin air leaving his pregnant wif

  • Title: The Dead Season
  • Author: Christobel Kent
  • ISBN: 9781843549529
  • Page: 296
  • Format: Hardcover

    • Florence is shimmering in the summer heat Former policeman turned private detective Sandro Cellini is investigating the case of a man who seems to have vanished into thin air, leaving his pregnant wife behind him But the man lies amidst the shrubbery of a busy roundabout, his corpse bloating in the humid air.

    • [PDF] Read È The Dead Season : by Christobel Kent
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    The Dead Season

    About "Christobel Kent"

    1. Christobel Kent

      Christobel Kent was born in London in 1962 and now lives in Cambridge with her husband and four children in between she lived in Florence She worked in publishing for several years, most recently as Publicity Director at Andre Deutsch Her debut novel A Party in San Niccolo, was published in 2003.Series Sandro Cellini

    244 Comments

    1. Suffocatingly depressingReader ends every word with a dimenuendo and drop in pitch Writer gives us characters and situations that are pitifully tragic, shallow, and disastrous If it had not the only book I had and no Internet connection, I would not have finished it Now I guess I ll go buy a pack of cigarettes and gallon of whiskey August is coming soon and I can t afford to go down to the sea.

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    2. Even better than the previous book The mystery is nothing special, it s Sandro, the other regular characters, and the characters specific to this book that make it enjoyable reading Loved the setting in Florence, Italy.

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    3. Interesting setting Florence in the exhausting heat of August Much detail about the lives of the characters The wrap up felt a little rushed.

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    6. The Dead Season is Christobel Kent s 3rd book featuring ageing ex cop now PI Sandro Cellini The story unfolds in the stifling heat of Florence in August This Brit author knows the city The blurbs say rich in atmospherics Indeed The way Christobel Kent surrounds your senses with the listless, perpetually breathless feeling of muggy, stinky, pressing humidity is almost too much to bear She sees the color of smog muted sunsets and hazy dawns perfectly, the dirty Arno limping along, the empty shops [...]

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    7. The Dead Season by Christobel KentPublished by Atlantic Books, 8 May 2012 ISBN 978 18435 4952 9August in Florence it s sweltering, with soaring temperatures, the city shimmers in the unrelenting heat Most of the Florentines have decamped to cooler climes the hills and beaches in the surrounding areas, leaving Florence with most of the cafes and shops closed But Sandro Cellini ex policeman now private detective will not be joining them, for Sandro has a new case, a young pregnant woman Anna Niesc [...]

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    8. I am very partial to character driven crime fiction, and Christobel Kent is an excellent practitioner of the genre It is August in Florence and it s stifling everyone who can leave the city has done so Those who cannot are restless and edgy Sandro Cellini, former Florence police officer turned private investigator, and his wife Luisa are well developed characters whose relationship has evolved nicely over several books in their sixties, happily married, still engaged in their respective careers [...]

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    9. The story is rich with texture yet maintains its complex and interesting plot It s extremely rare that I give a 5 star, but the story is in perfect balance I hate books that are solidly dark, and am bored by books that are too tea time, but this book is the right blend of light and dark The characters are excellently rendered There is love, both old and new, romantic and friendship, but it never pushes aside the mystery as do so many mysteries these days There s also a deep sense of place, yet t [...]

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    10. I received a digital advanced reading copy from NetGalleyI am a big fan of mystery stories that provide an engaging detective in a foreign locale Sandro Cellini is a retired Italian policeman who has opened up a private investigation agency with the support of his beautiful wife, Luisa, as well as wily assistant, Guili The Dead Season takes place in the heat of August when most of the inhabitants of Florence escape to the cooler countryside When a body is discovered on the side of a busy road, i [...]

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    11. The setting in Italy is during the month of August It is hot, and many people and tourism have left the area during this slow time And it is slow Boring at times as lethargically the characters move on It is hot.The book sort of reads like a mundane version of the God Father going through the ritual of things that could be interesting Did I mention it s hot I started skipping paragraphs at a time because the heat was mentioned than any thing else in the book We have an old ex cop, homicide, a g [...]

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    12. I am pleased to have made the acquaintance of Sandro Cellini, retired from the Florence police dept now working as a private eye A devoted husband worried about his wife, Luisa, who is recovering from breast cancer treatment, and missing the daily companionship of Pietro, his old partner on the force, Cellini is worldly wise, a little melancholy, and attuned to the sufferings of the lonely and of those who love so deeply they are sure to get hurt This mystery unfolds in a hot Florentine summer, [...]

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    13. This book is a murder mystery but it gives too much descriptive scenerios of Florence for my liking Because of that, I found myself skipping a lot of paragraphs Summer heat is intense in August in Florence and this was repeated twice every page about how hot it wasI got it, the first 50 times I heard it A murder has been committed with some very intrique twists involved The story intertwines 2 separate storiesd the gentleman murdered also an assumed name taken by someone else within the story At [...]

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    14. ok I get it Florence in August is awful don t need to have it beaten in over and over It s a pretty decent detective thriller once you strip away the attempts to create atmosphere and the rambling minutiae The subplots and characters actually support the main story my only observation in that direction is that it took six chapters to set up the story and another two chapters to get to the actual investigation Aside from a few local references, the story could have been set anywhere, even though [...]

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    15. The book is an outstanding mystery that takes place in Florence during August when most residents have gone to the seaside or mountains to escape the summer heat of Italy The characters are realistic and interesting while creating an intriguing mystery that holds the readers interest to the very end Sondra Cellini and Luise are a loving couple that quickly become favorites The author s description of Florence, it s architecture, and people easily take the reader on a visit of this beautiful city [...]

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    16. I m a big Donna Leon fan, so when I heard this book compared to her mysteries set in Venice I was intrigued I enjoyed this novel, and I can see where the comparisons come from, but it wasn t quite like Donna Leon Not quite as a atmospheric, and I felt the novel got off to a slow start But the mystery was well plotted and I like the protagonist I did find it frustrating that we never quite find out why he left the police I m Interested in seeing what else the author does with Sandro, the Florenti [...]

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    17. Apparently Florence is very hot in August it seemed as if the weather was a major character in this story The story reflected the atmosphere, moving in fits and starts, pausing at moments to recollect where it was I think the sense of place is less distinct than in Donna Leon s Commissario Brunetti novels The characters are well drawn and engaging, and the plot moves along at a good clip It was a bit difficult to keep up with some of the minor characters and their place in the story, but all in [...]

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    18. In Kent s mystery novel, former police officer turned private investigator Sandro Cellini suspects that the body found hidden in the bushes is related to his current case A young, pregnant woman has approached him desperately wanting help finding her missing fianc In the meantime, bank teller Roxana is concerned over the unexplained absence of one of her regular customers and before long finds herself embroiled in something far darker than she ever imagined Sandro has no choice but to pursue the [...]

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    19. I didn t think this was up to the standard of Donna Leon, with her series set in Venice, but interesting to read about modern Florence Characters grew on me The middle aged ex cop, become PI, and his family, are nicely drawn Florence in the heat of August, with just a few locals stuck at work, the tourists too hot to enjoy themselves, and just waiting for the weather to break Look forward to reading her other books and finding out why Sandro had to leave the police.I listened to it as a talking [...]

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    20. It is rare to find a book on a hotel shelf, while travelling abroad, that is actually something you would chose to read After a steady diet of fairly rotten free hotel books, I stumbled across The Dead Season.I loved it I had never heard of Ms Kent before, but am heading down to the library to pick up the first in this series yes, I am back in CA Characters are real and likeable, setting is fantastic, and I really do need to get back to Florence.This book was one of the better aspects of my rath [...]

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    21. the dead season refers to the month of August, when virtually the entire population leaves Florence because of the extreme heat Sandro Cellini, retired police officer investigates the disappearance of a man and a couple of mysterious deaths.The books have a nice development in characters The setting of course is very nice and the way Kent describes familiar places is absolutely delightful Got some new ideas from the book too for places to visit in april.

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    22. Thoughtfully plotted but I could not really get on with the switching of time location within pages you think you are in one place and the next para shifts you to somewhere else and then flips back again For me the writing style is sometimes hard to follow Kind of predictable ending The writer clearly knows the location where the book is set and provides good insight into Florentine life although the references to the August heat on seemingly every page were overdone.

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    23. A murder of a bank director In Florence The weather very hot.And P.I Sandro Cellinihis wife Luisa,and his assistant Giuli are very involvef.Anna Niescu pregant it wasn t the bank director who was her lover but used his name joseph The dead director Claudia Brunelle stole money 1But the special teller was very involved her associate Valentino ended up as that just stupid superficial,narcissistic greed could make a murder a murderer.A very involved novel

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    24. Reminds me very much of Donna Leon, except the mystery is set in Florence instead of Venice Same good, happily married detective retired, no longer active on the force , seeking to right injustice A bevy of supporting characters, strong women.Ending is rather far fetched, but still a nice addition to my series reading.

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    25. I had a hard time chewing through this book It wasn t the size, it was the names They glared in my head like yellow traffic cones So my review is completely bias because of that point I guess it would have been better if I allowed myself a long read but I could only pick up the book a few minutes each day Again, my fault, not the book s This is not even a review, of a critique of my poor reading habits.

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    26. the dead season refers to the month of August, when virtually the entire population leaves Florence because of the extreme heat.Sandro Cellini, retired police officer investigates the disappearance of a man and a couple of mysterious deaths.The books have a nice development in characters The setting of course is very nice and the way Kent describes familiar places is absolutely delightful Got some new ideas from the book too for places to visit in april.

      Reply

    27. Set in Florence during an August heatwave, this very enjoyable book introduces the likeable Sandro Cellini, a former policeman turned private eye as he battles the heat to help a young girl find her boyfriend, who has disappeared The characters are well drawn, and it s good to know that Cellini, even though he is in his sixties, still has what it takes to solve the mystery.

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    28. A very enjoyable read Could really feel the sweltering heat and impending storm of Florence in August Sandro Cellini is good company, and the story is well paced and beautifully plotted This is the third in what has proved to be a great series so far.

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    29. I was attracted to this book because it is set in Florence, Italy, where we went on our honeymoon I usually don t like mysteries with a male detective, but I liked this one I may read in this series.

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    30. This is the third novel of Ms Kent s that I ve read and it is excellent She sets this series in Florence and features a retired police officer,now a private investigator named Sandro Cellini The novels are very atmospheric and the main characters very well developed and sympathetic.

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