The Maestro’s Voice
1926. Rocco Campobello is a world-renowned tenor – considered the greatest singer of his age – and after collapsing on stage in New York he retires to Italy, to his home town of Naples, where he seeks to “put his house in order”. His attempts to lay the ghosts from his impoverished past bring him into conflict with both the Italian mafia and the burgeoning might of Mussolini and his Fascist party, both fighting for supremacy in Naples, a once magnificent city that by 1926 is impoverished and decaying.
Vernon makes good use of musical background to bring Rocco Campobello to life, and he is surrounded by colourful characters that are all too human – good and bad. From the (literally) heart-stopping opening chapter to its violently explosive climax, The Maestro’s Voice is a tale of glamour, greed and intrigue. The almost matter-of-fact violence is sometimes uncomfortable but in keeping with a story set at a brutal period of Naples’ turbulent history.
There are echoes of Faust in a plot worthy of an Italian opera and set against the enthralling backdrop of the crumbling city of Naples. A fascinating and enjoyable read.