Official Review: Demons of Divine Wrath by Edward Izzi

Chipochashe · Post by **Chipochashe** » 28 Apr 2020, 18:47

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Demons of Divine Wrath" by Edward Izzi.]

3 out of 4 stars

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In September 1943, the Nazis invade Italy and rob them of their precious renaissance paintings. Forty-two of these paintings are ‘purchased’ from the Uffizi Art Gallery for seventy-eight thousand lire and 103 Jewish lives. The Jews still get murdered and the catholic pastor who had offered them shelter is ruthlessly murdered. The paintings only resurface in 2018 after their custodian is discovered dead in his apartment. Everyone in the world of art wants these valuable pieces of art, with the most expensive painting being The Demons of Divine Wrath painted by Fra Filippo Lippi. The Uffizi Art Gallery claims ownership of these paintings and so does the Pope Emeritus Honorius V who claims that they belong to the Vatican Museum. The stakes are high. The paintings disappear again and soon there are a lot of dead bodies turning up. Paul Crawford of the Chicago Sun-Times is investigating the death of Don Carlo Marchese and has no idea what he is getting himself into.

Demons of Divine Wrath by Edward Izzi is a captivating crime thriller. I was intrigued by the mystery right from the beginning. The author skillfully switched between the past and present. The chapters have a heading, month and year, so I could make sense of the story-flow. Most of the story is told in the third person, but Paul Crawford is allowed to narrate in the first person.

I enjoyed the steady pace of the book. The switching of stories between chapters ensured that I did not get bored. The author did not seem to ever run out of new twists to throw into the mix. I was on the edge of my seat most of the time. Every time that I thought I had the story figured out, a new mystery would be presented. There a lot of interesting places in the story such as Munich and Rome. The author uses German and Italian in some of the conversations. Although translations are usually provided right after, sometimes no translation is given.

I think what I disliked most was the complete lack of likeable female characters. The female characters were gorgeous and mostly lacking in character. I would have appreciated at least one good female character. The book also has some instances of profanity and erotic scenes. It does not seem to have been professionally edited. There a lot of grammatical errors. I would recommend that the author takes his book for another round of editing.

I would have given the book 4 out of 4 stars were it not for the sloppy editing. I now rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I would like to give a heads-up to Catholics who may feel offended by the portrayal of their Church. The book would appeal to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers. I think historical fiction fans would also enjoy it as well as art lovers. I recommend the book to adults as it contains violence and erotic scenes.

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Demons of Divine Wrath
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Luka123 · Post by **Luka123** » 01 May 2020, 15:12

A mafia don is found hanging and a Chicago reporter wants to know more. Priceless art emerges in Germany. The Vatican ties it all together!

Post by **Ngozi Onyibor** » 01 May 2020, 16:50

As an art and crime thriller lover, this book is right up my alley. I think the author's use of time jumps is a brilliant idea.

Adanna Inya · Post by **Adanna Inya** » 01 May 2020, 17:51

Tough one, complex plot! A must read.

nemgela · Post by **nemgela** » 01 May 2020, 19:12

Captivating story! Lovely twists, Strong characters. I love historical fictions like this!!!

Ediomis_Enwongo01 · Post by **Ediomis_Enwongo01** » 01 May 2020, 21:41

I think I'm really captivated to pick this book and read. By so doing, I'll try to unravel the mystery in this detective thriller. Good review.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 02 May 2020, 01:46

A thriller with historical and artistic elements seems really intriguing despite the flaws you pointed out. I hope the author will at least do another round of proofreading. Thank you for your terrific review!

Kachi_Ejiogu+_ · Post by **Kachi_Ejiogu+_** » 02 May 2020, 05:12

The steady pace of the book is quite enticing. Borrowing a leaf, "The author did not seem to ever run out of new twists to throw into the mix", made it more suspenseful than one can ask for. Thank you for this review.