The debut novel in a series featuring Cesare Aldo, former soldier, now an officer in the city's most feared criminal court, CITY OF VENGEANCE is set during the winter of 1536 in Florence, Italy. At that time Florence was a wealthy and influential city, ruled over by the Duke Alessandro de Medici - volatile and dangerous in his own right. When a prominent Jewish moneylender is murdered in his home Aldo is directed to solve the murder before the feast of Epiphany, in four days time. What the edict doesn't take into account is the plot that Aldo uncovers to overthrow de Medici.

Not only was Florence wealthy and influential at this time, it was also rife with intrigue, gossip, political machinations, inequality and sexual excess. The extreme wealth of many contrasted starkly with desperate poverty. (Felt way too familiar to be honest). The murders of Levi, a Jewish moneylender who lived in fear, dying at the hands of a murderer despite repelling attacks by murderous bandits before, occurs around the same time as a young man is also brutally murdered, his body discovered clothed in beautiful, and very expensive, women's clothing. With that investigation led by Constable Carlo Strocchi, Aldo and he soon find their cases intersecting and they combine resources to find the killer, in the face of some very determined resistance.

Whilst CITY OF VENGEANCE is obviously going to appeal greatly to fans of historical crime fiction, this is such a strong debut it's one that should be sought out by all fans of the wider genre. It's atmospheric to the point of sensory overload, cleverly plotted, perfectly paced and absolutely riveting. The settings in which the characters move about provide really vivid pictures of the extremes - from the great wealth to the grinding poverty; and the sexual excesses that become the bordellos and sex worker's daily lives. There's also plenty of moral ambiguity with one victim being the sort of man nobody could bring themselves to say anything positive about, from a family riven with problems of their own.

At the heart of it all though, especially as a debut novel in a character based series, Cesare Aldo has to have potential, and he's got it in spades. Larger than life in some ways, charismatic, yet believable, and accessible, there's something memorable about this character, and CITY OF VENGEANCE. Definitely a series to watch out for.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/city-vengeance-dv-bishop ( )

1536 Travelling to Florence, Cesare Aldo, law enforcer, and Samuels Levi, are attacked but survive. Although late Levi is murdered in his home and Aldo is given four days to find the guilty party. But this is not the only murder the Otto need to investigate. But political intrigue and secrets seem to be everywhere.
A entertaining and well-written historical mystery, I found the characters to be likeable in the main especially that of the complex Aldo. A good start to the series which I look forward to reading the next.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This book is a good start to what could turn out to be a terrific series. The story is well-researched and is firmly rooted in the history of Florence, in this case, the assassination of Alessandro de’ Medici, Duke of Florence. There are beatings, stabbings, bribery and betrayal. The mystery is multi-layered and well-developed; it was not obvious to me what was really going on and who was responsible for what murders until towards the end of the book. There are many, many characters with a few standing out. I can see being some of these characters being further developed in future books especially for Cesare Aldo since only bits of his past have been revealed.

Well done and highly recommended. ( )

1536 and Florence is cold. Cesare Aldo has been tasked with escorting a Jewish moneylender from Bologna back to Florence and the precaution of hiring Aldo is proved right when the two are attacked. However, it is not until they are parted back in the city that the Jew is murdered. In addition, one of Aldo's informants, a cross-dresser, has also been murdered and Aldo discovers a plot against the Medici Duke of Florence. In violent times where Church and state co-exist uneasily, Aldo and the loyal men of the city must try to discover the truth.
This is the first in a purported series of novels set in Renaissance Florence and it is a strong start. There is a multilayered plot, a wide cast of characters and enough intrigue to keep the reader hooked. My only quibble was the over-emphasis on the homosexual nature of the protagonist and, especially, the very clunky 'romance'. Other than that this is a well-researched and thoroughly entertaining book. ( )

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
Well written and researched with an excellent mix of real and fictional characters built around an actual historical event in Florence. This is an absorbing atmospheric intriguing debut and hopefully the start of a series, Entertaining and engaging from first to last page. A clever descriptive imaginative debut.
Recommended. ( )