The Venetian Game: a haunting thriller set in the heart of Italy's most secretive city
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By Philip Gwynne Jones
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‘An unputdownable thriller’ Gregory Dowling
‘It is no surprise to find that Philip Gwynne Jones lives in Venice… art and architecture interweave into a story that builds to an almost surreal climax’ Daily Mail
A game of cross and double-cross in Venice, one of the most beautiful cities on earth.
From his office on the Street of the Assassins, Nathan Sutherland enjoys a steady but unexciting life translating Italian DIY manuals. All this changes dramatically when he is offered a large sum of money to look after a small package containing an extremely valuable antique prayer book illustrated by a Venetian master. But is it a stolen masterpiece – or a brilliant fake?
Unknown to Nathan, from a vast mansion on the Grand Canal twin brothers Domenico and Arcangelo Moro, motivated by nothing more than mutual hatred, have been playing out a complex game of art theft for twenty years. And now Nathan finds himself unwittingly drawn into their deadly business . . .
Praise for Philip Gwynne Jones
‘I devoured all Philip’s novels and felt transported to Venice with a new intimacy’ Val McDermid
‘Superb – always gripping, beautifully constructed and vivid’ Stephen Glover
‘Sinister and shimmering, The Venetian Game is as haunting and darkly elegant as Venice itself’ L.S. Hilton, bestselling author of Maestra
‘Clever and great fun’ The Times
‘The Venetian setting is vividly described… good, fluid writing makes for easy reading’ Literary Review
‘Un-put-downable . . . If you love Venice, you’ll love this because you’ll be transported there in an instant. If you’ve not been to Venice, read this book and then go. If you like intrigue, and a clever plot, you’ll love this book’ Amazon reviewer, 5*****
Vengeance in Venice, the second book in Philip Gwynne Jones’ sensational Venice series, is available now
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If you enjoy mysteries with a whiff of jollity about them, the Nathan Sutherland series might be up your street. This is Book 1 (of 9 so far) and introduces us to Sutherland, who is English Honorary Consul in Venice, scratching a living as a translator. His wife has returned to live in Scotland, but he’s becoming more certain by the day that Edinburgh doesn’t have the pull for him that Venice does and he is lingering behind. Enter an urbane Englishman called Montgomery, who asks Nathan to look after a small package for him with the promise that he’ll be paid ten thousand Euros for doing so. Soon Nathan is embroiled in an art forgery racket. This isn’t cosy crime, by the way. It’s a proper mystery, with good characters and the wonderful setting of Venice. I really enjoyed it.
Review by Cornish Eskimo, Oundle Crime
