I got this book at a sale as a cancelled library book. I think I know why it was cancelled.

First, if you haven’t been to Florence like me, one thing will drive you nuts within minutes. Yes, Vichi likes his shopping lists to describe a scene, but even more so, loves naming every single street that his characters pass through in Florence. One paragraph can hold more than five street names. All very well if you speak Italian or have been to that particular city otherwise a boring unnecessary inclusion.

Perhaps the worst thing about this book has been mentioned by other reviewers, a shockingly disjointed plot. First the ugly death of a child. Nothing. A flood. Moving on, a ridiculous ramble about sex with a much younger woman, then a hunch on the child’s killer. Next a long detailed gruesome recounting of paedophile crimes. Young woman raped. End of story

And the Flood of Florence came across as an artificial contrivance to carry an older man’s fantasy.

Yes, there’s a late 50s man who eats, drinks, smokes to excess and seems to suffer no effects from any of the above let alone have flatulence, foul breath, obesity, or get pulled over for drink-driving. What a picture of attractiveness especially when it came to the bedroom scenes with the dropdead gorgeous 25-year-old.

Another fantasy author. Masquerading as a mystery writer. I’ll give him the final scenes where the girl turns her back on Bordelli. I did half way through when I started skipping paragraphs.

When I was a younger woman, I can assure Mr Vichi that my friends and I did not look at 60-year-old‘s who didn’t look after themselves and think “ I have to be with this man.” Stunning girls, even moderately pretty ones looked for guys not far from their own age. The girls who did look at grandpas were seen as somewhat peculiar and to be honest they were pitied. Now I’m older, unless it’s ironic, I really don’t want to read about men living in the past.

I can’t believe this book was written in 2009.