Florencia, junio de 1300. El cuerpo de un artista, con el rostro cubierto de cal viva, es descubierto junto al mosaico que estaba a punto de terminar. Dante Alighieri, el recién nombrado prior de la ciudad de Florencia que algún día será el autor del Infierno, se encuentra en el caso en en su primera investigación oficial. Unas pistas oscuras lo conducen por un camino lleno de intrigas. ¿Cuál fue el secreto que podría haberse revelado si el artista hubiera vivido para completar su obra? ¿Fue la fórmula de un alquimista para transformar el plomo en oro? ¿O la identidad de una heredera al trono de Suabia, cuya supuesta llegada podría alterar las aspiraciones políticas del Papa Bonifacio, el némesis de Dante? Pronto, Dante llega a conocer a los sabios que conforman el llamado Tercer Cielo. Estudiosos de diversas disciplinas, parecen estar cada vez más vinculados al asesinato del mosaiquista y al corrupto vientre de la respetada y culta ciudad de Florencia.

La quarta di copertina cita Faletti "Il Dante che avrei voluto studiare a scuola": direi che Giorgio non ha capito un cavolo sia di Dante che del romanzo in questione.
L'Alighieri di Leoni ha, a mio parere, in comune con il sommo poeta solo il nome: a parte qualche citazione poetica qua e là, non dà grandi motivi di identificazione.
In ogni caso, il giallo è ben strutturato, con momenti di suspense e talvolta di comicità ben equilibrati.
Nonostante sia il seguito di "Dante Alighieri e i delitti della Medusa", si può leggere anche senza aver affrontato il primo romanzo: non ci sono eccessivi riferimenti al passato o sono esaurientemente spiegati. ( )

Set in Florence in June 1300, two years before the Black Guelphs defeated the Whites, and Dante was permanently exiled from Florence, a sense of prevailing doom hangs over The Mosaic Crimes. Dante is serving as one of the six Priors elected to rule the City of Venice. When a master mosaicist is murdered in a gruesome fashion, he is bidden to investigate the crime. His investigations lead him to a group of non-Florentine scholars, known as the Third Heaven, who have come to Florence at the behest of Pope Boniface to found a studium, a university, in the city. The tavern where the group meets is also frequented by an exotic Eastern dancer, Antilia, who enchants all who look upon her.

The novel is dense with allusions to Dante's works and full of conversations about late medieval theology, philosophy, and theories of art, which may seem arcane to the modern reader, but certainly lend authenticity to the locale and time. Although Leoni's Dante is a bitter man beset by recurring migraines -- arrogant, vengeful, self-righteous, but always curious -- not a particularly sympathetic protagonist, I did find The Mosaic Crimes a satisfying read. ( )

An historical novel written by a professor of Italian Literature and it shows. That is not to say that the book suffers from any academic dryness, because it doesn't, but you do get an historical novel written by an author who attempts to give the reader some idea of the world view of his medieval characters. How much of this will be of interest to the reader will depend on their feel for turn of the 14th century Florence. It may well be confusing for some. Here is an example of a conversation of learned men who are looking/gazing at a dancer in a Tavern in Florence.

"her presence undoubtedly ignites heat in mens bodies and predisposes them for copulation. This occurs by operation of the luminous rays that emit from her body and penetrate the ocular cavities, dilating the mucous ducts through the action of their heat. It is a virtue that is characteristic of the female nature. Any shapely women who exposes herself to a man's eyes. generates the same reaction which is at the root of reproduction"

The conversation goes on to expound a theory about the effects of Pagan gods on human passion, however Leoni does not stray into Academic jargon and keeps his arguments on a level that general readers would understand.

Leon's novel is one of a series of four where he imagines that the famous Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was involved in murder mysteries. It dates from 1300 when Dante was a Prior (elected member of the ruling council) of Florence. The deadly feud between the Guelph and Ghibelline groupings and the divisions within the Florentine Council concerning the influence of the Pope in Rome form the historical backdrop to the story. Leoni is very good at providing his readers with a feel for 14th century Florence and together with his knowledge of how his characters would have thought about the issues of their day gives the novel some authenticity

The murder mystery itself is adequate and he comes up with a spectacular finale. He provides a glossary of Characters and historical items for those who don't know their Guelphs from their Ghibellines as well as a list characters within the novel. The novel was originally translated as "The Mosaic Murders" but later changed to "The Third Heaven Conspiracy" I enjoyed the read and because it chimed with how I imagined the characters might have behaved: I rate it at 3.5 stars but I don't think I will read any more in the series. ( )

Da alcune recensioni pensavo peggio.
Un libro che si legge volentieri soprattutto in vacanza sotto l'ombrellone... ( )