City Of Vengeance (Cesare Aldo Book One) by D.V Bishop

Synopsis
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?

Review

City of Vengeance is the first in a new historical crime series by D.V Bishop, a screenwriter, dramatist and now author. Set in Florence 1536, we are introduced to Cesare Aldo, an ex Mercinary and now officer in the Otto di Guardia e Balia, Florence’s most feared criminal court. After the murder of a money lender in th Jewish district, Aldo is given until Epiphany, four days, to catch the killer before the Medici Guard step in. As this investigation makes a suprise turn, another murder invstigation threatens to expose Aldo’s private life, and could jeopardise his job and even see him imprisoned. Under pressure from those above, and with enemies wanting to destroy him, Aldo is in a race against time to catch a killer, stop a conspiracy and save his own life.

I find there are some genres or subjects that feel comfortable, taking you back to a happy place and for me it’s historical fiction set during the Italian Renaissance, especially when it is set in Florence. I just fell into this book and didn’t resurfance until the last page. D.V Bishop captures the atmosphere and ambience of sixteenth century Florence, the sights, the smells and the sounds of the bustling city state. There are the beautiful classical style palaces of the rich and elite, and Jewish quater where everyone knows each other, the courtesans in their luxury and brothels in more squlid conditions, a city of diversity brought to life. Whilst this may be a work of fiction, D.V Bishop has set it against hostorical fact, the conspiracy to overthrow the current ruler of Florence, Alessandro de ‘Medici.

Cesare Aldo makes for a fascinating central character. He is an ex mercenary,fighting as a soldier along side the condittore Giovanni Medici, used to the harsh conditions of war. As an officer of Florence’s criminal court his battle is catching criminals and putting them in ‘le Stinche’, the local jail. He seems a complex character, a loner, keeps himself to himself, and lives in a room in one of the local brothels; helping to protect them. He believes in justice, but not necessarily the beaurocracy behind it . His colleagues, and those who know hm respect him, but he also attracts the jelousy of Officer Cherci, who will stop at nothing to try and destroy Aldo. Cherci is everything that Aldo is not, he is scheming, dishonest and a bigot, and their rivalry produces many tense and shocking moments. With two murders, three invesigations and the conflict between chaacters this is a fast paced read that doesn’t let up until the last sentence on the last page.

City of Vengeance is stunning debut novel from D.V Bishop. It is a thrilling historical crime novel, with more twists and turns than the river Arno, and a fantastic cast of characters both fictional and factual. The writing of this book is rich and detailed, capturing the zeitgeist of sixteenth century Florence, the wonderful culture, the diverse social scene and the sights and smells, many awful. I loved Aldo as a character, his complexity and sense of justice, and I can’t wait to find out more in the next book; a complex and compelling read.

I would like to thank Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book in return for my honest review.