|
The
Adventures
of Aldo
Morosini
by Juliette Benzoni 1920 - 2016
S Y N O P S I S 11 - 15
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The problem
with
Juliette
Benzoni is
that you
want to know
the ending
so badly
that you
spend all
night
reading it.
Aldo
Morosini,
the Venetian
prince
antiquarian,
is back in
this second
volume,
which
follows his
adventures
in search of
the mythical
Borgia jewel:
a chimera
that is half
dragon and
half bird,
made up of
an enormous
pearl and an
emerald. V.M
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11.The Borgia's golden Chimera 2011 |
|
While the Titanic is sinking and panic
reigns on board, a beautiful young girl murders
to steal the jewellery with incredible audacity,
of an extremely rich passenger: the Marquise
d'Anguisola, née Belmont. A
chambermaid, Helen Adler, saw her leaving
with her loot but was unable to find her... Nor
when she returned to New York, thinking
that the murderess may have been among the
victims, she finally forgot about it.
Twenty years later, in Paris, the
collection of Renaissance jewels by Van
Tilden, a wealthy American who had just
committed suicide in his castle in Touraine, was
sold. Aldo Morosini brought to this sale
a picturesque Texan customer, fabulously rich,
in love with Lucrezia Torelli, a singer
who claims to descend from the Borgias
and wants him to find Cesare Borgia's golden
Chimera, that has little chance to reappear
because it belonged to the Marquise
d'Anguisola and must rest somewhere at the
bottom of the Atlantic.
However, the auction was interrupted at the
request of John-Augustus Belmont: who
offered two of the jewels of Mrs. d'Anguisola,
his aunt. And the Chimera should have been there...
The next day, Helen Adler, who became Pauline
Belmont's maid and who recognized the murderer
in a newspaper, was murdered. This is the
first of a dramatic adventure, but others will
come that could bring Morosini to his death...
« Aux Filles des Grands Chemins »
[To the girls of the Great Journey's - A
reference to Catherine, who travelled so much in
search of Arnaud de Montsalvy]
Frédérique Aznag
Linda Compagnoni Walther
Claudia Compagnoni Gibb
Hélène Rouillé
qui me sont si chères !
[ that are
so dear to me] ℐℬ
~ creation © Hélène Roullé ~
♥A very
special dedication...
I
confess that the feeling is heavenly to hold in
your hand, a book offered to you by your
favourite author, in my case Juliette Benzoni !
On top of that dedicated to oneself. I know for
certain that my daughter and my two friends in
France, with whom I share this same honour, feel
the same.
Due to the fact that my French had been very
meager and the Aldo Morosini Adventures were
never translated into English, German or Italian
(I am lucky to speak them) I never heard until
2009 of the dashing Prince from Venice, turned
Antiquarian, who
returning from the 'Great War' (1914- 1918) had
the choice to marry a heiress or start to find
an occupation. Voilà, with the help of my
friends from France, visiting an evening French
course I started in my not yet biblical age
reading in French. As the saying goes: « where
there's a will there's a way »
I admit, I have now also fallen under the
spell of Aldo Morosini like million of other
readers. The fact that the hero's travel's a lot
to my country Switzerland (and loves
Sprüngli
chocolate's) has added to the fascination. I
will always be thankful that I received this
exceptional honour to be forever associated with
the author and her most favourable fictional
character His Highness Aldo Morosini, prince
antiquarian.
►French
Editions :
The
adventures of Aldo Morosini have been published
several times by different French publishers -
here are a few of them.
Editions : France Loisirs 2012,
Large Print V.D.B,
Pocket 2012 ...
Quelles
PLUMES
!
Spécial Histoire
THE BLOODY CHIMERA OF THE
BORGIAS
It all begins on the Titanic, the night it sank.
And it ends just outside Chinon, not far from a
dungeon where Cesare Borgia lived for a few
nights. Aldo Morosini, the Venetian antiquarian
prince created by Juliette Benzoni, sets off in
pursuit of a mythical jewel. One more, you may
say. But this one has qualities that the other
jewels mentioned by Juliette in her hero's
previous adventures did not have. They were
precious, mysterious and expensive, but none of
them was at the centre of such cruel events.
This is to be expected from a piece of jewellery
that witnessed some of the most violent years in
the history of the papacy. Handed down
mysteriously through the generations, the
Chimera is a symbol of one crime. It will
provoke others, shatter a love affair and
perhaps cost the lives of those who tried to
find it. One of the five books to take to the
beach this summer.
~ critique by Vincent Meylan ~ [Point de Vue]
►A
really rewarding interview in a Quebec magazine
2011
To coincide with the release of Aldo
Morosini's latest adventure, Juliette Benzoni
was contacted by telephone in 2011 by Quebec's 7
jours magazine. To read the interview in full,
click
►here
Many thanks to my friend Frédérique who shared
this rare article with me/us.
|
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12. The Kledermann Collection 2012 |
|
►THE
SEQUEL TO THE BORGIAS' GOLDEN CHIMERA
While the castle of
the Croix-Haute
finished burning, an ambulance preceded by two
motorcyclists from the gendarmerie rushed into
the night towards the hospital in Tours.
A surgical team is already waiting for Aldo
Morosini with a serious head injury. Alone
with him, his friend Adalbert who dreads the
return to a clear consciousness, trying to keep
hope alive:: before collapsing, hit by a murderous
bullet, didn't Aldo see Lisa, his wife, rushing
into the arms of a stranger and running away
with him? Adalbert was then far from imagining
what trials awaited his friend...
~
Summary by Publisher PLON ~
►French
Editions :
The
adventures of Aldo Morosini have been published
several times by different French publishers -
here are a few of them.
Editions : France Loisirs,
Large Print V.D.B,
Pocket ...
Quelles
PLUMES
!
Spécial Histoire
The
Jewels of the Borgia's
►The
problem with Juliette Benzoni is that you want
to know the ending so badly that you spend all
night reading it. Aldo Morosini, the Venetian
prince antique dealer, is back in this second volume,
recounting the continuation of his adventures in
search of the mythical jewel of the Borgias: a
chimera that is half dragon and half bird, made
up of an enormous pearl and an emerald. The
first volume ended with him collapsing after
being shot in the head. Rest assured, he
survived, and his convalescence promises to be
eventful.
His betrayed wife has left him. His
father-in-law's collection of historic jewels
has been stolen. And his father-in-law has
disappeared. And suddenly a strange cast of
characters appears: a disfigured woman singing
behind the high walls of a villa in Lugano, a
cousin of Princess Morosini who may not be who
we thought, two diabolical descendants of Cesare
Borgia. And all these lovely people murder, hate
and steal from each other. Benzoni in top form.
And, unusually, the second volume of the saga is
even better than the first.
~
critique
:
by Vincent Meylan ~ (Point de Vue)
GRAND
LIVRE DU MOI 2012
With Juliette Benzoni, fantasy is in power,
and imagination goes hand in hand with history.
Around 1930, in a castle near Chinon, the
Venetian prince Aldo Morosini took a bullet in
the head and owed his salvation only to the
skill of a young surgeon. On his hospital bed,
an image haunts him: just before the shooting,
he saw his wife fleeing with a stranger... Thus
begins an ingenious plot, which will lead us to
Switzerland and raise many questions.
What
happened to Moritz Kledermann, Aldo's stepfather's fabulous jewelry
collection? What is the fatal role
played by a Borgia descendant? And will our
friend Aldo, recovered from his wound, succeed
in winning back his wife's love? A highly
enigmatic thriller coupled with a comedy with
chiseled dialogues!
L'ACTU
LITTÉRAIRE
~
Charles
the Bold,
Duke of
Burgundy
~
Like her
master
Alexandre
Dumas,
Juliette
Benzoni
has
inherited
an
extraordinary
gift:
she can
cook up
history
in any
sauce,
and the
result
is
always
delicious!
Sometimes
she
concocts
biographies
full of
life and
emotion,
sometimes
she
takes a
little
liberty
with the
past and
treats
us to
delicious
historical
novels.
And then,
from
time to
time,
she
brings
back one
of her
most
successful
heroes,
Aldo
Morosini,
a
skilled
antiquarian
and
detective
in his
own
right,
descended
from a
family
of
Venetian
doges.
And
there's
always
something
to eat
and
drink in
his
investigations.
Thriller
fans
will
enjoy
following
his
reasoning,
while
aesthetes
will
appreciate
his
knowledge
of art,
and more
particularly
of
jewels
and
precious
stones.
As for
lovers
of
French
history,
the plot
takes
them
back to
the epic
duel
between
the two
giants
of the
15th
century:
Charles
the Bold,
who, as
his name
suggests,
had no
qualms
about
rushing,
and
Louis
XI, the
cerebral
king who
built
France
like a
chess
player...
Ruby on
the nail
Prince Aldo Morosini, a Venetian
antique
dealer,
on the
trail of
the
jewels
of
history...
The
Talisman
of the
Bold -
The
Three
Brothers
►And
here
again
are
the
two
most
unlikely
detective
tricksters
in
the
history
of
crime
fiction:
Venetian
prince
Aldo
Morosini
and
Egyptologist
Adalbert
Vidal-Pellicorne!
As
always,
the
plot
revolves
around
three
fabulous
rubies
that
belonged
to
the
Duke
of
Burgundy,
Charles
the
Bold.
The
secondary
characters
are
also
worth
their
weight
in
folklore
and
humour:
a
lady-in-waiting
kidnapped
in
the
eighth
arrondissement
of
Paris,
an
heiress
of
Belgian
chocolates
dumped
by
her
fiancé,
and
an
absolutely
odious
Austrian
baron.
While
developing
a
fascinating
historical
enigma,
Juliette
Benzoni
takes
us
all
over
Europe,
feasts
us
on
caviar
and
vintage
champagne,
and
offers
us,
all
smiles,
a
great
moment
of
entertainment.
~
critique
:
the
club
l'Actualité
Littéraire
~ (Point
de Vue)
|
|
13. The Talisman of Charles the Bold 2013 |
|
On March
2, 1476,
Charles
the Bold,
the
all-powerful
Duke of
Burgundy,
was
forced
by the
Swiss
to
abandon
his camp
and the
fabulous
riches
it
contained
at
Grandson
(Switzerland).
A
treasure
whose
most
important
jewel is
perhaps
its
pearl-covered
parade
hat,
whose « fermail
» (clasp)
at the
top is
composed
of
exceptional
stones
on a row
of
pearls:
three
rubies
called « The
three
brothers
»
and a
large triangular
bluish
diamond
called « The
great
Diamond
of
Burgundy
».
This
fermail
(clasp)
that he
will
never
see
again,
he
considered as
his
talisman.
He died
in front
of
Nancy
on
January
5,
1477...
Five
centuries
later,
the four
stones
could
work to
ruin the
life of
Aldo
Morisini
and his
'gang'.
All it
takes is
a visit
to his
notary
and a
drama in
the
Saint-Augustin
church
in
Paris...
►French
Editions :
The
adventures of Aldo Morosini have been published
several times by different French publishers -
here are a few of them.
Editions: France Loisirs, Large Print V.D.B,
Pocket ...
Quelles
PLUMES
!
Spécial
Histoire
The
theft
of the
Dukes of
Burgundy's
diamonds
The «
Cow of
Unterwald
» and
the «
Bull of
Uri »,
the two
famous
alphorns
of the
Swiss
armies,
bellowed
in
salute
to the
retreat
of the
Burgundian
armies.
After
three
hours of
fighting,
a simple
mistake,
a
redeployment
of the
Burgundian
troops,
was
mistaken
for a
retreat.
And that
was the
end of
Duke
Charles's
army.
And, no
doubt,
his
hopes of
reconstituting
the
Carolingian
empire
for his
own
benefit.
A
corridor
that
would
have
stretched
from the
north to
the
south of
Europe,
linking
his
Burgundian
domains
to those
of the
Netherlands.
The date
was 2
March
1476.
The camp
of
Charles
the Bold
had been
abandoned,
and the
Swiss
soldiers,
unaware
of the
value of
the
treasures
they
were
picking
up off
the
ground,
were
handing
over
tapestries,
goldsmith's
items,
jewels
and even
large
unmounted
precious
stones
to the
merchants
who had
come to
feast
their
eyes on
the
relics
of what
was once
the
greatest
treasure
in
Europe.
The «
Talisman
of the
Bold »,
a
fabulous
jewel
set with
diamonds,
rubies
and
pearls,
disappeared
at this
time. It
is about
to
reappear...
450
years
later,
on the
path
strewn
with
precious
stones
by
Prince
Aldo
Morosini.
It all
begins
with a
murder
in one
of the
confessionals
in the
church
of Saint
Augustin
in
Paris.
It's
hard to
say more
without
spoiling
the
particularly
colourful
plot of
this
13th
volume
of the
detective
and
jewellery
adventures
of the
prince
antiquarian,
which
began
some
fifteen
years
ago
under
the pen
of
Juliette
Benzoni.
Readers
have no
time to
get
bored.
And,
thanks
to the
author's
unfailing
erudition,
they
learn a
great
many
things.
* An
amusing
detail
is that
some of
the
characters
in this
book
have
already
appeared
in other
works by
Madame
Benzoni.
Such is
the case
of
'Nicolas
de Monforte',
Count of
Campobasso,
one of
the
Italian
traitors
who
betrayed
the Bold.
A
traitor
as we
like
them,
unscrupulous,
cruel
and
fearsome.
~ critique
: by
Vincent
Meylan ~
(Point
de Vue)
*
The
Count of
Campobasso
was
Fiora
Beltrami's
lover in
the
series
La
Florentine
Linda,
webmaster
...
and on
►Vincent
Meylan
:
I think
it's one
of the
best. So
well
crafted.
A very
good
Benzoni
|
|
14. The Diamond of Burgundy 2014 |
|
⁂ The
14th book, « Le Talisman du Téméraire » 2. Le diamant de Bourgogne, marked the twentieth
anniversary of Aldo Morosini's adventures.
►THE
SEQUEL TO THE TALISMAN OF CHARLES THE BOLD
From
disappearance to discovery, from lies to
revelations, from Franche-Comté to Paris by way
of Switzerland, the treasure of Charles the Bold
continues to draw Aldo Morosini and his 'gang' into
a wild adventure. After succeeding in locating
the rubies known as « The Three Brothers », our
hero sets off in pursuit of a large bluish
diamond, the Burgundy Diamond. But first Aldo
Morosini has to find Marie-Angéline, who has run
off and stolen the ruby he was guarding so
preciously...
...and
The
summary by
PLON for the Média
After « Les Trois Frères » Aldo Morosini's
adventures continue in search of Marie-Angéline,
the rubies and the « Burgundy Diamond » of Charles the Bold. From disappearances to discoveries,
from lies to revelations, from Franche-Comté to
Paris by way of Switzerland, the treasure of
Charles the Bold continues to draw Aldo Morosini
and his 'gang' into a wild adventure. After
successfully locating the rubies known as « Les Trois Frères
» , our hero sets off in pursuit of a
large bluish diamond, « Le Diamant de Bourgogne
». But first Aldo Morosini has to find
Marie-Angéline, who has fled and stolen the ruby
he was guarding so preciously...
A enormous thank you to Grégory Berthier (Éditions
PLON) to share this preview with me before the
book was published...!
►French
Editions :
The
adventures of Aldo Morosini have been published
several times by different French publishers -
here are a few of them.
Editions: France Loisirs,
Pocket,
Plon Kindle format ...
The Treasure of
Burgundy
A secret society perpetuating the memory
of the 'Order of the Golden Fleece' and its last
Burgundian Grand Master, Charles the Bold, meets
in the discreet chapel of a convent in
Franche-Comté. The setting is made all the more
spectacular by the fact that some of the
religious ornaments from Burgundy's fabulous
treasury are kept there. Solid gold altar
crosses, gold-embroidered hangings and the
Order's own necklace, placed on a table in the
middle of the chapel, make up a sumptuous décor.
Aldo Morosini, the Venetian prince antiquarian,
and his inseparable companion Adalbert
Vidal-Pellicorne, cannot believe their eyes when
they enter this secret sanctuary.
In this second volume devoted to the survival of
the Burgundy treasure, Juliette Benzoni's two
heroes set off in search of Marie-Angéline de
Plan-Crépin. The lady-in-waiting of the Marquise
de Sommières, Aldo's aunt, has almost become a
sister to them. She fled in the night, but not
before disposing of an enormous cabochon ruby
that is said to have belonged to the 'Great
Bastard of Burgundy', uncle of Charles the Bold.
Worst of all, she committed the theft out of
love. For this middle-aged young woman, this is
a most dangerous situation... A very good
Benzoni.
~ Review by Vincent Meylan ~ [Point de Vue]
♦The
object of all passion?
A luminous blue precious
stone
*Thirty years ago, Juliette Benzoni had the idea
of combining her passion for history with her
taste for detective novels in the tradition of
Agatha Christie. For her, the best thing these
two literary genres had in common were precious
stones - symbols of the magnificence of
different eras, capable of arousing deadly lust.
This is the fourteenth volume in the adventures
of Venetian prince Aldo Morosini, who is at home in the twists and turns of the past as he
is in the labyrinth of criminal minds.
His usual lieutenants are all there, starting
with the hilarious Egyptologist Vidal-Pellicorne.
The action takes place in the 15th century, a
period marked by the duel to the death between
Louis XI and Duke Charles the Bold. As for the
jewels, there are four of them: three rubies,
the mythical « Three Brothers », and an enormous
bluish pyramid-shaped stone, the Burgundy
Diamond. As for the rest, you know the drill:
exquisite corpses, kidnapped women, dark
machinations and humour to be consumed without
moderation.
*There's
a small error in the Club's article - it had
been
20 years, not 30, since the Aldo Morosini story
were published...!
~ critique by the Club
2012 ~
...
and here the Tapuscript of the first page of
The Diamond of Burgundy, with which the novelist surprised me in 2014.
It was written on her typewriter (Olympia,
Startype) with which she
typed all her successes...! My joy was immense
♥
The first
page of Juliette's typescript...with the first
lines of « Vol du Sancy » (The robbery of the
Sancy) |
|
Thank
you, dear Grégory (Juliette Benzoni's publisher,
PLON), for sharing this exceptional document
with me.
(typescript: typed manuscript)
The famous Diamond 'Le Sancy' at the Museum Louvre,
Paris
~ photos ©Linda
Compagnoni,Walther, Musée du Louvre ~
During one of my visits to my dear
friend Juliette Benzoni, at the end of September
2014, the author told me about the Diamond « Le
Sancy». This prompted me to go to the Louvre
Museum the next day, to take a look at this
magnificent Diamond, which had already
fascinated Cardinal Mazarin and Louis XIV. As
you can see, the Diamond is very well protected
behind glass. I have to admit, it's a very
special feeling to be standing in front of such
a timeless jewel.
►The
following are the names of the Artists featured
in the new Plon editions
►La Chimère
d'or des
Borgias :
Création
graphique :
V.Podevin
©Ilona
Wellmann/Trevillion
Images
©Photo12
Alfredo
Dagli Orti
►La
Collection
Kledermann :
Création
graphique :
V.Podevin
©Ilona
Wellmann/Trevillion
Images
►Le Talisman
du Téméraire
1. « Les
trois Frères
» Création
graphique :
V.Podevin
©J.
Battaglia/Archangel
Images
►Le Talisman
du Téméraire
2. « L
Diamant de
Bourgogne »
Création
graphique :
V.Podevin ©Bijorn
Holland/Corbis
Images
►Le Vol du
Sancy : Des
Carats pour
Ava?
Création
graphique :
V.Podevin
Lady Ava
Ribblesdale
©E.OHoppe/Corbis
|
|
15. The Theft of the Sancy - Carats for Ava?
2016 |
|
►On
28 January 2016 the last volume of the Aldo
Morosini's adventures was published... and
without realizing - it would be her very last
Work....(it was nine days before she passed away...)
Accused of stealing the « Sancy », the famous
diamond from the French Crown Jewels, Aldo
Morosini is about to embark on the most
dangerous adventure of his life...
Because she got him out of a jam without even
realising it, Morosini was delighted to promise
the insufferable Ava Astor that he would find
her a diamond even if he had to steal it from
the « Tower of London »! He was joking, of
course, but Ava is as foolish as she is wicked...
Shortly afterwards, Ava turned up in Venice to
claim the famous Sancy that had just been
stolen from Lord Astor. Naturally, he is not in
possession of the Jewel, but she accuses him of
wanting to keep it for himself and denounces him...
Even more unbelievable, Lord Astor claims to
have received Aldo that same night, whom he has
never seen, and that he has stolen the Sancy
from himself... Unable to accept such a situation,
and with the scandal growing, Aldo sets off for
London with Adalbert to get the truth right...
A
very important detail for the loyal readers of Aldo Morosini's
adventures concerning «The Theft of the Sancy» Carats
for Ava?»
Her latest opus, « Le vol du Sancy,
des carats pour Ava», was planned as a two-volume work.
Tired, she rewrote the last three pages to conclude the
story in volume 1, informs us Grégory Berthier, her publisher at
Plon.
Linda, Webmaster
~
Article by Astrid Éliard [ Le Figaro 2016]
Summary
:
Prince Aldo Morosini is an old acquaintance of
ours. This international expert in precious
stones is nursing a nagging cold in his Venetian
palace when incredible news reaches him: the
Sancy, a fabulous fifty-five carat diamond that
was once used to finance Swiss troops on behalf
of the good King Henry IV, has been stolen from
an English castle. Worse still, Aldo was staying
nearby at the time of the robbery, and the thief
posed as him! Without hesitation, he sets off in
search of the diamond and the impostor,
accompanied by his most faithful accomplice, the
Egyptologist Adalbert Vidal-Pellicorne.
But soon the two friends disappear without a
trace. To find their beloved Aldo, Madame de
Sommières and Marie-Angéline du Plan-Crépin drag
into their madcap saraband some of Europe's
elite, a few lords, a Maharajah and even Queen
Elizabeth. An adventure novel that begins in the
mists of the Venetian lagoon and ends in the
mists of the Thames! Juliette Benzoni combines art and history in one, detective story, police intrigue and dry wit.
The Investigations of Aldo
Morosini Volumes 1 and 2
by Juliette Benzoni
For the first time, a two-volume edition
presents the complete Investigations of Aldo
Morosini, the famous Venetian prince and expert
in precious stones. Fifteen novels are brought
together, combining suspense, love, secrets and
betrayal. Juliette Benzoni, who died in February
2016 at the age of ninety-five, is truly
considered the queen of French historical
fiction. Her success is not confined to
France, either, with no fewer than fifty million
readers in some twenty countries! Immersing
yourself in the complete works of one of her
flagship series is simply a delightful
experience...
~ L'Actualité Littéraire : The
complete books ~ |
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►French
Editions :
The
adventures of Aldo Morosini have been published
several times by different French publishers -
here are a few of them.
►New
covers for « Le Vol du Sancy » published by France Loisirs, POCKET, Libra Diffusio (large-print
books) and Format Kindle, Juliette Benzoni's latest book.
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