The Girl from Venice Hardcover – October 18, 2016

Though most Johnny and Jane-come latelys likely won't know it, Martin Cruz Smith has been writing "stand-alone" thrillers as long as he has been writing the Arkady Renko series. And THE GIRL FROM VENICE is the third of a group of such novels that could stand as a brilliant WWII Triptych: STALLION GATE, DECEMBER 6, and, now, THE GIRL FROM VENICE. Each of them is quite different from the other insofar as the protagonist is concerned, as well as the geography (and, of course, plot details). Well before movies like "Fat Man & Little Boy", TV shows like "Manhattan" or even novels like "Los Alamos" (or the forthcoming "Omega Canyon" by the second-rate Dan Simmons), Martin Cruz Smith wrote thriller STALLION GATE around the goings-on in New Mexico, during the invention of the Atomic Bomb and Oppenheimer's Manhattan Project. Smith's protagonist was a jazz-playing, trouble-making, half-Pueblo Indian Army Sergeant who stumbles upon a plot that is ignored by his bigoted superior (and the last line of this novel is every bit as breath-taking as that of GORKY PARK). In DECEMBER 6 (one Smith's finest novels) ne'er do-well Harry Niles (an expatriate raised in Japan) is torn between doing well for himself (and his club, "Happy Paris"), his genuine love for Japan and it's culture (not to mention a particular Japanese woman) and his patriotic feelings for the USA, when he stumbles upon information that the Japanese are gearing up for a major invasion of a foreign country. All the while, he is trying to avoid a jealous, Samurai officer who literally wants his head.With THE GIRL FROM VENICE, Smith sets his WWII thriller in Italy. Like STALLION GATE, this novel is set during the waning months and days of WWII.Having been dishonorably discharged from the service because he wouldn't use Mustard gas, former pilot Cenzo spends his time plying a trade as a fisherman. Which is how he discovers what he believes is the body of a young girl, near his boat, the "Fatima", while navigating the Venice lagoon. Only the girl is still alive. And it turns out that Guilia Silber is a Jewish refugee, on the run from the Nazis (she inadvertnetly gained knowledge that put her on their hit list).When a Nazis officer discovers she is still alive, Cenzo kills him to protect Giulia, and then finds himself backed into a corner when it comes to protecting her and giving her place to hid. As their fates are inextricably intertwined, Cenzo falls in love with the classically educated, upper class, young woman. And the action of the narrative moves from the sleepy fishing village of Pellestrina, to Venice and Salo and on to Switzerland.Yes, there are more than a few formulaic elements: but Martin Cruz Smith is too canny a writer to leave it at that.He mixes in genuine human melodrama and subtle character development: the slowly developing love affair between Giulia and Cenzo; the abiding love and marriage of an older couple, and the way the Argentinian wife eschews an easy escape from the horrors of war to stay with her bed-ridden husband; the small but salient details about Cenzo's fishing life, and the family dynamics in his clan (especially between Cenzo and the older brother who cuckold's him); a Nazis officer who off-handedly points out that even in the German Army there are soldiers who think Reich is dedicated to craziness; and so on.As for the War and its atrocities -- which comes up via the fact that Guilia's Jewish family (and others) are exterminated early on, "off-stage", in the book -- the focus is less directly on the Nazi and their crimes (which has been done so often it has become a cliche') and much more on the collaborators and the resistance within the country of Italy. By using that as his doorway into the horrors of WWII, Smith manages to keep THE GIRL FROM VENICE from being just another in an assembly line of WWII thrillers.It isn't the finest of Smith's loose, WWII trilogy (that honor belongs to DECEMBER 6), but with its heart-warming romance, nicely crafted characters and insights, and a well-paced, suspenseful, plot, THE GIRL FROM VENICE is a brilliant capstone in Martin Cruz Smith's WWII Triptych -- and cracking good read!

I am a big fan of Martin Cruz Smith. I have read all eight books of the Arkady Renko series, and I have also read his excellent stand-alone "December 6". Yet it was the plot description of "The Girl From Venice" (GV) that attracted me most to the book - Venice, WWll, a mysterious girl floating in the lagoons. It was a very enjoyable read with a good balance of romance, drama, humor, and history. The war is quickly coming to an end, perhaps the most perilous time of all. Early one pre-dawn morning, protagonist Cenzo, a 28 year old not-so-simple fisherman and widower, catches his biggest fish of all time. Her name is Giulia, and it's not clear how old she is, perhaps 15, maybe 18 as she claims. Apparently she is the sole survivor of several Jews slaughtered in a raid at the hospital in which they were hiding.Cenzo, the self-described supporter of his family including his mother and widowed sister-in-law is anxious to release his catch before she is caught with him by one of the many hostiles that are pursuing her, from local officials to multiple partisan gangs, to the German Army. And then there's Giorgio, the older brother, famous movie actor, a cad who seduced Gina, Cenzo's late wife.....and Hugo's wife too. Hugo's the other brother; he's dead too. Mom Sofia isn't too crazy about Giulia - after all she's Jewish, and the town custom is that Cenzo is supposed to marry his dead brother's widow! Before long, it becomes a case of "where's Guilia?" "where's the gold?" so much more complicated than Cenzo's usual worry, "where're the fish?".There are many other interesting characters and there's a fair amount of running around, but this never becomes slapstick. Rather, there are many somber notes too, just to remind us this isn't a Frank Capra romance. When Giulia chops most of her hair off to disguise herself as an apprentice fisherman, Cenzo is reminded of the punishment meted out to the townswomen who had become too friendly with occupying troops.Even so, there are occasional one-liners from Cenzo and friends very reminiscent of the wit, wisdom and wry humor of Renko. Two examples, "How's the smuggling going, Nido?" Giorgio asked. "Without fuel for my motorboat, I've become a very honest man." There is lot of bombing toward the end, and the US is not universally viewed as a savior. Giorgio is quizzed by a supposed German film director: "You just came in from.....?" asked Otto Klein. "Venice," Giorgio said. "And....." Otto hesitated. "It's still there."A good story, interesting, well written. Moves along nicely. No bad words, sex is implied and then the scene fades to black. Recommended. If you've never read MCS before, be sure to read "Gorky Park".

The Girl from Venice was released in 2016 when Martin Cruz Smith was 74 years old. He has written books with more gravitas, it would be hard to beat his Arkady Renko series, but for readers willing to accept something different from his normal style the good hearted nature of this story provides a relaxing read. Opening with a young fisherman, Cenzo, going about his nightly fishing in early 1945, near Venice, Italy when he discovers the body of a young Jewish woman. Shortly after he pulls the body onboard he is stopped by a German patrol boat and the game is afoot. Nothing is normal as World Was Two is winding down. The southern part of Italy is held by the Allies where the north, Cenzo's part, is held by the forces of Hitler's German army of occupation propping up Mussolini, now only a figurehead and whose days are obviously numbered. Regardless the German SS is still rounding up Jews for the camps and Italian resistance forces of various persuasion vie with Allied planes cruising overhead looking for targets, all making daily life precarious. The situation goes from bad to worse as the tale unfolds. While it lacks a depth of style and nuance compared to some of Cruz's other works its obvious good heartedness helps to make this a story worth reading. Part of the good heart is due to the author's wife who took dictation as Smith had suffered a physical affliction preventing him from his normal work flow. Her objections to various forms of violence and other crudities may have contributed to a lighter tone than his normal work and the end result is not without its own charm. Try the Kindle sample and make your own decision.

The girl from Venice is a good book with the strong characters and vivid descriptions proper of Martin Cruz Smith. I am expecting another story of Arkady Renko, but in the meantime I am enjoying The Girl from Venice. My native language is Spanish but I am reading "The Girl" in English, maybe in the future a spanish translation will be released.

Not usual M.C. Smith style, nevertheless the cynicism of the citizens in war and their oppression is evident. The hero wins. Great dialog and facets of WW2 unknown to most folks appear. Recommended!

I've been reading Martin Cruz Smith since before Gorky Park, and doggedly read the Russian novels, but my favourite has always been Rose. This runs Rose close for enjoyment, and is a return to the style of writing and storytelling that I think is Cruz Smith's best - a lovely story told and the backstairs of history illuminated at the same time.I was aware of the events in Italy at the end of the Second World War but it was very interesting to see what those final days were like on the ground.Great stuff, and this will hopefully generate more of this rather hopeful kind of story rather than the very dark previous tales.

While this probably isn't a book I would want to read more than once, I enjoyed it much more than quite a lot of other reviewers. The background of a shambolic end to the war in North Italy is an unusual one and many characters are drawn with affectionate warmth, without losing sight of many of the revolting events also taking place. Our hero, the resourceful Cenzo, deploys a wide range of skills to outwit his dastardly opponents, and I was pleased to be along for the ride.

Had this been a TV drama, my wife would have loved it. Had there been more politics (instead of just a tiny bit), or had thee been more action (instead of just a tiny bit), or had there even been a clear delineation between who was good and who was bad (everyone was a flawed angel), I might have been able to enjoy it more. It retrospect, it feels just like so much of the drama on TV these days, promising to engage you, but really only capturing your interest for the briefest of time. Maybe it is me and this just wasn't my cup of tea (this time). He could have sent in Arkady Renko to punch it up...