The Black Carnation

"The Black Carnation" is a crime mystery novel set in London in the nineteenth century. Marietta Mazzucata was a brilliant Opera performer, a worthy successor to Grisi and Persiani, full of fire and dramatic force, not a mere musical box, twittering like a mechanical bird. Her private life was well guarded despite talk of many a young man's broken heart being tied to her. But the façade all comes down to a shocking explosion of dynamite, during the end of a performance at the Opera. An explosion that kills the famed singer instantly. Now, however, the tragic event of her death inspires the press to find out and publish all they could about her, in which case something would be found in her past life which would probably point to a reason for the manner of her death…