Hawkwood: Diabolical Englishman
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This is the hugely acclaimed, best-selling life of Hawkwood, one of the outstanding figures of...
Italian Ways: On and off the Rails from Milan to Palermo
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"All Italy is here". (Sunday Times). From the bestselling author of Italian Neighbours, An Italian...
Vittorio the Vampire (New Tales of the Vampires, #2)
8.5
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With Pandora, Anne Rice began a magnificent new series of vampire novels. Now, in the second of her...
Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan
Luke Syson, Larry Keith, Antonio Mazzotta and Minna A. Moore Ede
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Leonardo da Vinci's reputation as an inventor and scientist, and the complexity of his creativity...
The City: A World History
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The City: A World History tells the story of the rise and development of urban centers from ancient...
Where's Karl?: A Fashion Forward Parody
Stacey Caldwell and Ajiri A. Aki
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Find Karl Lagerfeld in fifteen fashion-filled illustrated scenes! Always on the go, Karl Lagerfeld...
A Room with a View
6.0
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The Penguin English Library Edition of A Room with a View by E. M. Forster '"But you do," he went...
A Bold and Dangerous Family
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Mussolini was not only ruthless: he was subtle and manipulative. Black-shirted thugs did his dirty...
History Politics
ClareR (5950 KP) rated Ritual of Fire in Books
Sep 24, 2024
I’m addicted to the world of Cesare Aldo and 16th Century Florence with all of its richly described sights, sounds and smells. I love the characters, their relationships (Aldo, Saul the Jewish Doctor, Strocchi and the obnoxious Bindi) - just the whole package!
From the title you can guess that there’s going to be some unpleasant murders this time, and the first death is set up in the same way as that of a renegade monk, Savanola, 40 years previously. Burning.
Aldo had been banished in the last book, but he manages to become embroiled in the mystery (thank goodness!), and Strocchi has to work with him (after a word or two from his wife!).
This series is well worth becoming deeply involved with (ahem…me!). Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
ClareR (5950 KP) rated A Divine Fury in Books
Jul 15, 2025
Typical.
I quite happy with my Aldo-Addiction, and I honestly think that more people should join me.
I love the historical detail, and how the Catholic Church have a stranglehold on every aspect of life in Florence (well, everywhere Catholic, really). Aldo is just a thoroughly lovely character, as is Officer Strocchi, his wife and Saul (a Jewish doctor).
It’s a fine line these officers have to walk when they find a murdered man, set up in a clearly religious tableau. And the murderer doesn’t just stop at one victim.
There are other issues for Aldo and Strocchi to deal with, but the story never seems over-stuffed with information.
I absolutely love these stories, and I’m REALLY looking forward to getting stuck in to the next one!