A murdered love, a driven heroine, a secret society of priests. These are the ingredients for a compelling thriller. It took a few tracks/chapters for me to fall into the rhythm of the novel--a confusion I attribute in part to listening to it on audio and not being able to see the breaks in point of view and time--but once I did, I was hooked. I listened to this while driving home from New Orleans, so I was able to listen to the bulk of the novel in one sitting, which helped me keep all of the interweaving threads and repetitive phrases fresh. I often drift off while listening to audiobooks in the car, but with this audio, I didn't have a problem. The multiple mini crime cases that Marcus solves on his quest to save Lara keep the pace up. While Sandra works through the mystery of the death of her (super adorable sounding) husband, the tangential thread about the Hunter and the Prey remained a point of frustration until the final chapter. I had a few guesses on how this thread related, but the end left me speechless (and still just a little confused..). Carrisi leaves the reader to decide for herself how Marcus's true identity reflects on all of his heroic actions in the book. The word redemption comes to mind, as well as the idea that all humans are born capable of good. Now I'm starting to speak in the generalities that peppered the text. I love the idea of the Penitenzieri and the priests becoming detectives. Unlike some Catholic conspiracies, I see this one as plausible instead of hokey. The language of the novel came off a little formal at times, which I'm contributing to the translation factor.As far as the audiobook itself is concerned, I would give this an average score. The narrator tended to speak a little slowly when it came to setting descriptions that I would normally skim/read quickly in a hard copy. I did not like the voice he used for any of the female characters. It was too high-pitched, too timidly feminine. I wasn't sure I'd like this book because of its vague connection to Catholicism—I'm one of those readers who was not enthralled with Dan Brown. In addition, I sometimes do not have the patience to repeatedly move back and forth in time and across geography—Winter's Tale is the one book that, for me, was totally successful with this device. Despite these two early itches, I found I'd enjoyed Carrisi's book enough that I would like to read The Whisperer and see from there whether his other works would be of interest.
What do You think about Il Tribunale Delle Anime (2011)?
That is without a doubt the most fun I've had reading a mystery in a long time.
—trondur88
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It made me want to go back to Rome....
—renwood
