Thank you to Robert Davison for writing this book review and for inviting the author to our meeting.
For August our book of choice was ‘City of Devils’ by Diana Bretherick who is a local author, living in Market Harborough.
From a very early age Diana was fascinated with crime and murder and her many careers have been guided by this unifying interest. She trained as a criminal barrister, then taught criminology at Portsmouth University having gained a PhD in the subject. Never one to stand still, she then studied Creative Writing and bagged another PhD. She entered her first novel to a ‘Good Housekeeping’ competition, won first prize and this then led to ‘City of Devils’ being published.
Diana currently runs the Writers Hub in Market Harborough, helps with Culture Café and teaches writing at Gartree prison.
‘City of Devils’ introduces the reader to Lombroso – the world’s first recognized criminologist. He lived in Turin in the 19th century. Lombroso was a real character, as was his assistant, Ottolenghi, who also features in the novel. The plot revolves around a series of gruesome murders in which Lombroso is implicated. A belligerent, ignorant chief of police, keen to arrest and charge Lombroso, adds tension, as does the body count. A young visiting trainee and an attractive maid with a murky past add a romantic and intriguing element.
‘City of Devils’ has all the ingredients of a page-turning ‘who done it’. Members of Bookworms thoroughly enjoyed the book, with some preferring the historical backdrop to the actual murder intrigue. It was fascinating to hear about Diana’s research, the background to her novel and her writing style.
Louise Elsome
Bookworms Group Coordinator