THE MEDICI CURSE

Will returning to the site of a childhood tragedy heal a fragile young artist, or trigger still more trauma?

A short prologue set in 2007 murkily dramatizes the death of opera diva Vittoria de’ Medici Rossi. Returning from the opera house in Rome after having a squabble with her husband, Carlo, Vittoria encounters Anna, her young daughter, who seems to be having night terrors, and then takes a fatal plunge…or is pushed? Decades later, Anna returns home to Tuscany after living in New York, where she earned an MFA degree. Her dream of beginning a career as an artist is undermined by the widespread suspicion that she killed her mother, a problem exacerbated by her return to the scene of the crime. The atmospheric tale includes many of the familiar tropes of both gothic and romantic suspense. There’s an ancient castle, a priceless cursed necklace, a series of evocative nightmares, a dungeon alive with eerie noises, a dead bird, and Edoardo, a creepy caretaker who lives in a cottage on the property but always seems to be nearby when danger threatens. Perhaps fueled by guilt or restlessness, Anna begins ransacking the estate in search of that necklace. A handful of Italian cousins, Giana and Paolo and Antonio Massimino, emerge as playmates. Can they be trusted? The question resonates as the quartet visits the family wine cellar, goes sailing, and shares confidences in local cafes. Throughout, Auffenorde’s crisp prose maintains the tension as she unfolds the story in short chapters from Anna’s perspective.

A lush, elegant thriller that successfully follows a familiar formula.