The Darkest Sin

A great insight into Renaissance Florence. What I love about these books is the seamless weaving of factual history with a great story – Abir Mukherjee, bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee seriesHe is fast becoming a serious rival to C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris with his page-turning novels. Highly recommended * Historical Novel Society *Pretty much everything I want in an historical thriller - an absolutely terrific read, in a series that’s clearly going from strength to strength – Philip Gwynne Jones, author of the Nathan Sutherland seriesA real pleasure. A lavender-scented, sun-drenched convent hidden among the backstreets of Florence is the absorbing setting for Cesare Aldo’s latest investigation. The conflicting ambitions and ideals of its cast of interesting women make this an engrossing mystery – Leonora Nattrass, author of Black DropD. V. Bishop transports you to an utterly convincing sixteenth-century Florence, where the best and worst of human nature constantly circle each other in this tense mystery – S. G. MacLean, author of The SeekerMy first encounter with the investigator Cesare Aldo was immersive and rewarding. The author’s knowledge of sixteenth-century Florence - both ecclesiastic and civil - drew me effortlessly into his tale of bloodshed and murder. Thoroughly recommended – A. D. Swanston, author of The Incendium PlotHistory, mystery and the eternal mystique of Renaissance Florence in perfect harmony! * Lancashire Evening Post *A first-class historical thriller with echoes of The Name of the Rose. Bishop’s spirited and richly detailed story, layered with issues of humanity that still bedevil society today, is a tour de force – David Baldacci, author of The 6:20 Man, on City of VengeanceAn impressive and immersive debut set in a beautifully realized sixteenth-century Florence. Investigator Cesare Aldo is a fascinating and charismatic protagonist. Highly recommended – Antonia Hodgson, author of the Thomas Hawkins series, on City of Vengeance

D. V. Bishop is an award-winning screenwriter and TV dramatist. His love for the city of Florence and the Renaissance period meant there could be only one setting for his crime fiction debut. City of Vengeance won the Pitch Perfect competition at Bloody Scotland 2018, and he was awarded a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship by the Scottish Book Trust while writing the novel. When not busy being programme leader for creative writing at Edinburgh Napier University, he plans his next research trip to Florence.