On a hot summer day in Italy in 1902, the brutally stabbed body of Count Francesco Bonmartini was discovered, by means of its decomposing stench, inside locked apart-ment. He was a typical Italian provincial aristocrat in all but one way:he had married into a promi-nent but deeply troubled family. His father-in-law was one of the nation's most famous doctors. His wife, Linda a young freethinker, was the apple of her father's eye. Linsa's brother dabbled in anarchism, Linda's lover was her father's top assistant. Her relations with them were illicit, incestuous-and murderous. The scandal that erupted was a top news story in Europe ans America for three consecutive years. Investigators uncovered successive layers of a con-spiracy that constantly twisted and changed its shape, The suspects included all these men as well as their servants and lovers. There was a diverse array of murder weapons, including knives, heavy pellets, and poison. There were rumors of missing accomplices. Intimate relations among many sus-pects were uncovered through sensational letters and testimonials. Witnesses died mysteriously. A suspect tried to kill himself. One question lingered throughout and still haunts researchers today: what role did Bonmartini's widow, Linda Known as “The Enchantress,”play? Was she spider at the center of the web, or did the plot originate with the key men who loved her so desperately?
Scholar and writer Christina Vella combines meticulous research with a novelist's eye for a great story. As she unspools the tight tense drama, she offers a fascinating picture of Italian society in the early 20 th century, with a historian's insights into life at both the top and the bottom, from sexual dysfunctions, to prison conditions, to the patron-age systems that permeated medicine, law and politics, the Bonmartini murder provides a win-dow into a rich world. The result is an unforgettable story and an invaluable introduction to an Italy that is still recognizable today.
