Book Review – The Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola

About the Book

Rome, 1659. Months after the plague has ravaged Rome, men are still dying in unnatural numbers, and rumour has it that their corpses do not decay as they should. The Papal authorities commission prosecutor Stefano Bracchi to investigate, telling him he will need considerable mettle to reach the truth.

To the west of the Tiber, Girolama and her female friends are at work, helping other women with childbirths and foretelling their futures. Elsewhere in the city, a young wife, Anna, must find a way to escape her abusive husband. But in a city made by men for men, there are no easy paths out.

Stefano’s investigation at the Tor di Nona prison will introduce him to horror, magic and an astonishing cast of characters. He will be left wondering if certain deeds should remain forever unpunished…

Format: eARC (384 pages) Publisher: Orion
Publication date: 21st March 2024 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

The Book of Secrets alternates between three points of view: Stefano Bracchi, judge turned inquisitor, keen to prove he is not the weak character his father believes him to be; Anna, wife of a failed artist whose disappointments are expressed in violence; and Girolama, a Sicilian woman skilled in midwifery and the creation of herbal remedies. One particular ‘remedy’ of hers has become sought after, a recipe handed down and recorded in the ‘book of secrets’ of the title and distributed via a network of female associates to women in need of escape.

Although Stefano knows only that he has been asked to investigate a series of suspicious deaths amongst men of Rome, all of which exhibit unusual features, the reader knows from pretty early on what Girolama and her assistants are doing and why. It becomes less a mystery more an interesting moral question about whether the women’s actions are justified, but no less absorbing for that. It’s a question that even Girolama begins to ask herself, especially once many of her assistants are rounded up as part of the investigation. And can she be sure that in every case, the action was justified, that every man who died was an abuser or merely an obstacle standing in the way of financial gain? She’s strong but can her associates exhibit similar strength?

Stefano also faces a dilemma as he is forced by his superiors to use more and more severe methods – many of which are harrowing to read about – to try to extract confessions from Girolama and her associates. Is the suffering he is inflicting on the women justified merely in order to further his career? He finds himself wondering what kind of man has he become and wishing he had listened to his sister, Lucia, who warned him about the dark place his investigation might take him, and that it was a poisoned chalice.

Although inspired by real events, the author freely admits in the Historical Note that she has allowed herself a degree of artistic licence in places. That didn’t bother me at all as the book immerses the reader in the sights, sounds and smells of 17th century Rome. It’s a male-dominated society, though, one ‘preoccupied with honour, status and vendetta’. Women have few, if any, rights meaning they must find their own way to fight back. And it’s a society in which if you have power and influence you need not fear being brought to justice. I found it a compelling story and, even though it involves an investigation and a trial, more nuanced than a straightforward historical mystery.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Orion via NetGalley.

In three words: Intriguing, immersive, absorbing
Try something similar: The Poison Keeper by Deborah Swift

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About the Author

Anna is the award-winning and bestselling author of four Gothic historical novels. Her debut novel, The Unseeing, won an Edgar Allan Poe award. Her third novel, The Clockwork Girl, set in 18th century Paris, has been nominated for two CWA Dagger awards as well as the Dublin Literary award. Her fourth novel, The House of Whispers, a ghost story set in Fascist Italy, reached number 7 in the Saturday Times Chart and is a Sunday Times historical fiction pick for 2023.

Her novels explore the impact of crime and injustice and her influences include Sarah Waters, Daphne du Maurier and Shirley Jackson. Anna also writes legal thrillers under the name Anna Sharpe, the first of which will be published in 2024.

When not writing or tutoring, Anna is a human rights and criminal justice solicitor, working with victims of crime. She lives in South London with her husband, their two children, a snake and a cat. (Photo/bio: Amazon author page)

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