City of Vengeance by DV Bishop

Tell me you have too many books without telling me you have too many books? I was accepted onto the Love Books Tours blog tour for The Darkest Sin (review here), the second Cesare Aldo novel by DV Bishop, so rushed to the library to borrow the first one, City of Vengeance, to read in preparation. I blasted through it in a couple of days and returned it to the library. Went onto Amazon to check something for this review and discovered I had bought it as an ebook last September. If I recall correctly, it was after David's excellent panel at Bloody Scotland with Oscar De Muriel, Douglas Skelton and Anna Mazzola, three other writers of historical fiction you should check out. So, the lesson learned is to check my Kindle more frequently (I prefer physical books when possible so my poor Kindle gets a bit neglected). But, I am delighted to still have a copy of City of Vengeance, because it's a book I might well visit again. Let me tell you why.

 

The Blurb

Shortlisted for the 2021 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger 2021


City of Vengeance is an explosive debut novel in an historical thriller series by D. V. Bishop, set in Renaissance Florence, which continues with The Darkest Sin.

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?

'An impressive and immersive debut set in a beautifully realized sixteenth-century Florence' Antonia Hodgson

'Richly atmospheric . . . transports you to another time and place' Ambrose Parry, author of The Way of All Flesh


My Review

I've recently come to enjoy more and more historical crime so I was keen to get into this, and found it very enjoyable and easy to read.

We first meet Cesare Aldo, an officer of the Court of the Otto di Guardia e Balia, he is escorting a Jewish moneylender back to Florence. The same man is later found dead in his home and Aldo is assigned to investigate the murder, although with resistance from the Jewish community. Meanwhile, Constable Strocchi finds a young woman dying following a severe beating. But all is not as it initially seems...

Cesare Aldo is a fascinating character. He seems to be admired by those below him but generally disliked by his superiors, particularly Officer Cerchi, a thoroughly horrible man. I had strong feelings about him! Aldo is certainly unusual - a single man who chooses to live in a bordello. I got the impression that he doesn't trust easily, or allow many people to get close to him, so it was lovely to see the hesitant beginnings of a possible friendship or more. Whatever his colleagues think about him, Aldo is a good man, and a good officer with a strong sense of right and wrong. But who will also step out of line when he feels he needs to.

The plot is detailed, exciting and satisfying, as is the subplot. Characters are fully fleshed out, even the more minor ones. A favourite for me was Zippo, a tavern owner, informer and general colourful fellow.

But what makes this book for me is the absolute attention to detail. It has clearly been incredibly well researched and the author's love for his subject shines through the page. Florence is a character in itself, the sights, the sounds, the smells. So atmospheric. I loved learning how people lived, loved, dressed and treated others. Really interesting.

For me, reading City of Vengeance was a completely immersive experience. Vivid scene setting, gripping storyline and engaging characters who I was totally invested in. Can't wait to move on to The Darkest Sin.


The Author

DV Bishop writes the award-winning Cesare Aldo mysteries set in Renaissance Florence. The first, City of Vengeance, received the New Zealand Booklovers Award for best novel, and was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. The second, The Darkest Sin, was published in March 2022, and Cesare Aldo returns in Ritual Of Fire in June 2023.

Bishop was awarded a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship while writing City Of Vengeance. The novel won the Pitch Perfect competition at the 2018 Bloody Scotland international crime fiction festival, and was a Sunday Times Crime Club Pick of the Week.