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THE LAST ENEMY
by Grace Brophy
Soho, May 2008
368 pages
$13.00
ISBN: 1569474966


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Upon the death of her mother, Rita Minelli travels to Italy for the funeral. Even though she had not visited or spoken with the Casati family since her childhood, Rita plans on moving into their house and living with them for the rest of her life. To this end, she sold her house and quit her job before flying to Italy. The aristocratic Casati family reluctantly accepts Rita into their lives. While the majority of the Casati family dislikes her, they do not want the scandal that would occur if they threw her out of their home. Therefore when Rita is discovered murdered in the family vault, it is not surprising that her family does not mourn her.

Commissario Alessandro Cenni is the detective who lands the case. He is a well-liked and handsome detective; however, he is haunted by the kidnapping and murder of his fiancée many years before. Cenni is not interested in a forming any new relationships and uses the instant sympathy he receives from others to his advantage in his investigations. As he is also an attractive man with an empathetic manner, he frequently learns more than witnesses and suspects want him to know.

Cenni must look into Rita’s past to determine who gains the most form her death. She did not appear to have much money or anything else that would allow anyone to profit. Rita did have a boyfriend but everyone assumed him to be a boy toy as he was penniless and much younger than middle-aged Rita. She annoyed her family by the way she behaved, such as frequently imitating the fashion sense and manner of her younger cousin. Rita was also busybody and a frequent complainer at the local police station. She turned illegal immigrants in and made her opinions known on all topics whether or not anyone asked her.

Even though the Casati family disliked Rita, they also intend to protect their own. Cenni encounters resistance from the family and other potential suspects. Witnesses do not want to help him and Cenni is getting pressure from the top to close the case quickly. Nevertheless, Alessandro Cenni is obsessed with the truth and will solve this murder regardless of who stands in his way.

THE LAST ENEMY is Grace Brophy's first novel and has several strengths that do not always appear in debut novels but are greatly appreciated when they do. Her characters are all well developed and engaging. They behave in believable ways with nothing stagy or improbable about them. Brophy, an American long resident in Italy, is able to explore Rita’s religious beliefs, the turmoil in Italy, and the politics involved in everyday life in Assisi without overwhelming the reader with her own personal morality and beliefs about these occasionally controversial topics. In addition, there are numerous plot twists, as the characters reveal more about themselves and Cenni gets closer to the truth behind Rita’s murder. If THE LAST ENEMY is an example of her abilities, then Grace Brophy is going to be an important writer in the genre.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, June 2008

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