Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees

Book 53. Mozart's Last Aria was a dismal historical fiction mystery on a par with the last book I finished (another historical mystery, A Christmas Grace by Anne Perry) for awfulness. Some authors think just because they have studied a period of history in depth it entitles them to write a fiction book about it.

It doesn't matter what period a book is set in, if the characters are wooden and the plot feeble and hackneyed it's still a poor book even if you have the story stooped with historical facts. In Mozart's Last Aria every character apart from Mozart's sister, the narrator, I found indistinguishable, and gave up keeping track of who they all were. Mozart's sister, in a Miss Marple denouement, gets to the bottom of her brother's death after 300 pages of turgid prose. I've already forgotten which of the random cast did it! Mozart's Last Aria gets 2 out of 10.

Next up I continue with Large Print but I move into a bookshelf made up of non-fiction books, which I have to say I generally prefer, certainly over "light" fiction anyway. I have picked a biography, a section of the library I just passed though and generally enjoyed.

Strictly off the Record is about Norris McWhirter who I remember from the childhood show Record Breakers. His brother was killed by the IRA if I recall rightly.

I've not enjoyed the last few books so I feel I am due a good one. I still need to find books from bookcases 48 and 51 than I can manage to complete, I'll go back to those as soon as I can!