Cassandra Reilly travels to Venice to solve the mystery of a missing bassoon, and lands in the midst of an international cast of characters who all have something to hide At the Venice-based symposium on women musicians of Vivaldi's time, an instrument has gone missing: an antique bassoon, an invaluable family heirloom-and bassoonist Nicky Gibbons stands accused of the theft. Determined to clear her name, Nicky calls Cassandra Reilly-lesbian translator and part-time sleuth extraordinaire-and summons her to the City of Water. Fifteen scholars and musicians are attending the symposium, and each has a multitude of quirks and secrets-as well as motive to steal the bassoon. As Cassandra investigates, she immerses herself in the world of Baroque music, the tangle of personal intrigues at the symposium, and a second mystery involving the orphaned bassoonists of eighteenth-century Venice. Wry, intelligent, and atmospheric, The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists is the fourth and final book in the Cassandra Reilly Mystery series, which begins with Gaudí Afternoon, Trouble in Transylvania, and The Death of a Much-Travelled Woman.
"Venice, Vivaldi, international intrigue, lesbians with bassoons-if you have a hankering for any of these, this book is for you! . . . The pace is fast, and the suspects aren't who you think they are. If you can't afford the gondola ride, put on the water for spaghetti and open this book instead!"
The Bloomsbury Review
"Droll humor, high intelligence, outrageous Edith Sitwell-like wardrobes, and a chance to revel in the best Venice offers, from the synagogues of Ghetto Nuova to the cafes on the back canals."
Kirkus Reviews
"Wilson . . . has marvelously depicted Venice and its history, introducing modern (if nutty) women personalities that should please feminist readers."
