N: Name of the Rose

The Name of the Rose was the first novel of Umberto Eco. It was first published in Italy in 1980 and in the US in 1985. It was made into a movie in 1986 with Sean Connery and a very young Christian Slater. I read it many years ago, and my recollection is that it was brilliant. One of these days I am going to have to re-read it as the details are sketchy in my mind. It is set in a 14th century Franciscan monastery and the mystery revolves around an amazing library.

"The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns detective. His tools are the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, the empirical insights of Roger Bacon--all sharpened to a glistening edge by wry humor and a ferocious curiosity. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey, where "the most interesting things happen at night."

This post is part of the Crime Fiction Alphabet 2012 at Mysteries in Paradise. I got behind on this and am working on catching up the letters I missed.