Review: Make It Longer!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 20, 2012
This mystery has a great deal of potential.  I was certain that I would love a novel in which a 19th century Sicilian midwife solves a murder.  The background of the period with riots and peasant uprisings makes it sound fascinating.  I hoped that the author would weave a colorful and complex tapestry that would include these dramatic events.  Unfortunately, Susan Russo Anderson would have needed more space to truly immerse us in the period.  No More Brothers is only a novella.  This made it a quick read, but it seemed superficial.I did like Serafina Florio, the central character.  I also appreciated the fact that the author lets us know what sort of relationship she has with characters as they are introduced, and a bit about her history with them.  This allowed me to read the book without confusion even though it is the second in the series. Yet characters and relationships are not portrayed in depth.  I think I would have loved to have seen more of Rosa, the former madam, who is Serafina's friend. Characterization is another aspect that suffers at novella length.The mystery itself seemed rather ordinary.  The resolution was rushed and the motivation of the perpetrator was given short shrift.  This book really needed to be a novel in order to maximize its impact.