The author Mikita Brottman lived in an apartment in what had been the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore. An Unexplained Death is her story of how she tried to unravel some of the facts and theories about the death from falling of Rey Rivera some years previously in that building. It’s not a true crime book in the strictest sense because much of it is about the author’s feelings and she also includes lots of general information about issues which arise when considering the events. The actual details about the death are sparse so there are occasions when you feel that the narrative is being “padded out” with other material but I found it a fascinating read.
Rivera’s body was found at the bottom of a disused swimming pool at the hotel, having fallen from a floor above. The author looks at the four things that she thinks could have caused the death – suicide, accident, murder or a mental health breakdown causing psychosis. She looks at Rivera’s life and circumstances before his death and also at the history of the hotel. Her conclusion, that it was a psychotic episode, is not, I understand, what everyone believes about this unsolved death but she makes a good case with the information that she has.
This is a book about a man who is defined by his death, a place that is identified by the mystery and an author who becomes obsessed with both. It’s beautifully written and the author muses on related issues which are also of interest. I enjoyed reading this book but ultimately I found it quite sad.
Anne Is Reading 