City of Vengeance
From the Winner of The Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger Award
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3.9 • 15 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
City of Vengeance is an explosive debut novel by D. V. Bishop set in Renaissance Florence, the first in a historical thriller series which continues with The Darkest Sin, winner of the CWA Historical Dagger Award 2023.
'He is fast becoming a serious rival to C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris' – Historical Novel Society
Florence. Winter, 1536. A prominent Jewish moneylender is murdered in his home, a death with wide implications in a city powered by immense wealth.
Cesare Aldo, a former soldier and now an officer of the Renaissance city’s most feared criminal court, is given four days to solve the murder: catch the killer before the feast of Epiphany – or suffer the consequences.
During his investigations Aldo uncovers a plot to overthrow the volatile ruler of Florence, Alessandro de’ Medici. If the Duke falls, it will endanger the whole city. But a rival officer of the court is determined to expose details about Aldo’s private life that could lead to his ruin. Can Aldo stop the conspiracy before anyone else dies, or will his own secrets destroy him first?
'A first-class historical thriller . . . Bishop’s spirited and richly detailed story is a tour-de-force' – David Baldacci
'An impressive and immersive debut set in a beautifully realized sixteenth-century Florence' – Antonia Hodgson, author of The Devil in Marshalsea
'Richly atmospheric . . . transports you to another time and place' – Ambrose Parry, author of The Way of All Flesh
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in Renaissance Italy, British author Bishop's strong debut, a series launch, opens with Cesare Aldo, a criminal court officer and a former soldier, escorting moneylender Samuele Levi, who possesses a dangerous secret, from Bologna to Florence. En route, Aldo bravely fights off a bandit attack. Soon after their arrival in Florence, a murder catches Aldo's attention, that of a young man who sometimes dressed as a female courtesan to attract rich lovers. The case resonates with Aldo, as he must carefully guard the secret of his own sexuality. The subsequent murder of Levi raises the stakes. Aldo's investigation takes him from the streets of Florence to the mansion of the city's real-life leader, Alessandro de' Medici, where he's exposed to the rivalries among the court factions. The many setbacks Aldo must suffer as he races to discover who's behind these and other murders keep the tension at a boiling point. Bishop has an impressive command of Florence's history, its beauty, ambition, and taste for violence. Readers will eagerly await the sequel.
