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Ritual of Fire
From The Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger Winning Author
Series: Cesare Aldo series
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 578 ratings, 73 reviews)
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Ritual of Fire
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Set during a scorching Italian summer in which a series of ritual killings are shocking the city, Ritual of Fire is a historical crime novel set in 1530s Renaissance Florence and is the sequel to City of Vengeance and The Darkest Sin by D. V. Bishop.
Set during a scorching Italian summer, Ritual of Fire is a historical crime novel set in 1530s Renaissance Florence and is the sequel to City of Vengeance and The Darkest Sin.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Ceremonial murder has returned to Florence. Only two men can end the destruction. Featuring Officer Cesare Aldo, Ritual of Fire is an atmospheric historical thriller by D. V. Bishop, set in Renaissance Italy.
'Fast becoming a serious rival to C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris' - Historical Novel Society
'A deft and engrossing historical thriller set in Renaissance Florence' - Anna Mazzola
Florence. Summer, 1538.
A night patrol finds a wealthy merchant hanged and set ablaze in the city's main square. More than mere murder, this killing is intended to put the fear of God into Florence. Forty years earlier, puritanical monk Girolamo Savonarola was executed the same way. Does this new killing mean his fanatical disciples are reviving the monk's regime of holy terror?
Cesare Aldo is busy hunting thieves in the Tuscan countryside, leaving Constable Carlo Strocchi to investigate the killing. When another merchant is burned alive in public, the rich start fleeing to their country estates. But the Tuscan hills can also be dangerous.
Growing religious fervour and a scorching heatwave drives the city ever closer to madness. Meanwhile, someone is stalking those powerful men who forged lifelong bonds in the dark days of Savonarola.
Unless Aldo and Strocchi work together, all of Florence will be consumed by an inferno of death and destruction.
Ritual of Fire is the third Cesare Aldo mystery, preceded by City of Vengeance and The Darkest Sin.
Series: Cesare Aldo series
View all-
City of Vengeance
City of Vengeance was shortlisted for the 2021 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. "An impressive and immersive debut set in a beautifully realized sixteenth-century Florence" - Antonia Hodgson "A first-class historical thriller . . . Bishop's spirited and richly detailed story is a tour-de-force" - David Baldacci "Richly atmospheric . . . transports you to another time and place" -...Hardback$3499Elsewhere:$4499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Ritual of Fire
Ceremonial murder has returned to Florence. Only two men can end the destruction. Featuring Officer Cesare Aldo, Ritual of Fire is an atmospheric historical thriller by D. V. Bishop, set in Renaissance Italy. 'Fast becoming a serious rival to C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris' - Historical Novel Society 'A deft and engrossing historical thriller set in Renaissance Florence'...Hardback$3499Elsewhere:$4799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
A Divine Fury
The Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger Winning Author A religious serial killer is haunting Florence, and only Cesare Aldo can stop them. A Divine Fury is an atmospheric historical thriller by D. V. Bishop, set in Renaissance Italy. 'Fast becoming a serious rival to C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris' - Historical Novel Society Florence. Autumn, 1539. Cesare Aldo...Hardback$3499Elsewhere:$4499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Carnival of Lies
The Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger Winning Author Venice. Winter, 1539. When Cesare Aldo learns of a conspiracy to assassinate Duke Cosimo de' Medici, he is hired to protect the ruler of Florence. With his life if necessary. The deadly attack which follows leads to bodies, bloodshed - and something far more dangerous. Those behind the plot obtain a journal...Paperback$2499Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
The Darkest Sin
Absolutely terrific - Philip Gwynne Jones, author of the bestselling Nathan Sutherland series. D.V Bishop transports you to an utterly convincing 16th century Florence, where the best and worst of human nature constantly circle each other in this tense mystery - S. G. MacLean Florence. Spring, 1537. When Cesare Aldo investigates a report of intruders at a convent in the...Hardback$3499Elsewhere:$4499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Pre-orderShadow of Madness
Tuscany. Winter, 1540. Travelling north into the hills above Florence, investigator Cesare Aldo seeks answers about his past. The trail leads him to Ospedale de' Pazzi, a secure institution for the criminally insane. Soon after arriving, a blizzard engulfs the area, trapping Aldo and his companion, Doctor Saul Orvieto. Even more alarming, their cart driver is found dead. It looks...Paperback$3800Unit price /UnavailableOut 15 Sep 2026Pre-order
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Ritual of Fire by D. V. Bishop is praised as an engrossing historical thriller set in Renaissance Florence, immersing readers in the complex interplay of religion, politics, and human desires. It is lauded for its precise period detail, gripping plot, and the charismatic character of Cesare Aldo. Critics highlight Bishop's ability to rival other notable authors in the genre, offering a book that's both a page-turner and a vivid depiction of the era.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781529096484
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 01 June 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Macmillan
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 42.0mm
Width: 163.0mm
Height: 241.0mm
Weight: 632g
Pages: 416
About the Author
D. V. Bishop is the pseudonym of award-winning writer David Bishop. His love for the city of Florence and the Renaissance period meant there could be only one setting for his crime fiction. The first book in the Cesare Aldo series, City of Vengeance, won the Pitch Perfect competition at the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival and the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Fiction Book. It was also shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. Bishop was awarded a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship while writing that novel. He teaches creative writing at Edinburgh Napier University. Ritual of Fire is the third novel in the Cesare Aldo series following The Darkest Sin.
Also by D. V. Bishop
View all-
City of Vengeance
City of Vengeance was shortlisted for the 2021 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. "An impressive and immersive debut set in a beautifully realized sixteenth-century Florence" - Antonia Hodgson "A first-class historical thriller . . . Bishop's spirited and richly detailed story is a tour-de-force" - David Baldacci "Richly atmospheric . . . transports you to another time and place" -...Hardback$3499Elsewhere:$4499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
The Darkest Sin
Absolutely terrific - Philip Gwynne Jones, author of the bestselling Nathan Sutherland series. D.V Bishop transports you to an utterly convincing 16th century Florence, where the best and worst of human nature constantly circle each other in this tense mystery - S. G. MacLean Florence. Spring, 1537. When Cesare Aldo investigates a report of intruders at a convent in the...Hardback$3499Elsewhere:$4499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
A Divine Fury
The Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger Winning Author A religious serial killer is haunting Florence, and only Cesare Aldo can stop them. A Divine Fury is an atmospheric historical thriller by D. V. Bishop, set in Renaissance Italy. 'Fast becoming a serious rival to C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris' - Historical Novel Society Florence. Autumn, 1539. Cesare Aldo...Hardback$3499Elsewhere:$4499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Carnival of Lies
The Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger Winning Author Venice. Winter, 1539. When Cesare Aldo learns of a conspiracy to assassinate Duke Cosimo de' Medici, he is hired to protect the ruler of Florence. With his life if necessary. The deadly attack which follows leads to bodies, bloodshed - and something far more dangerous. Those behind the plot obtain a journal...Paperback$2499Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Pre-order
Shadow of Madness
Tuscany. Winter, 1540. Travelling north into the hills above Florence, investigator Cesare Aldo seeks answers about his past. The trail leads him to Ospedale de' Pazzi, a secure institution for the criminally insane. Soon after arriving, a blizzard engulfs the area, trapping Aldo and his companion, Doctor Saul Orvieto. Even more alarming, their cart driver is found dead. It looks...Paperback$3800Unit price /UnavailableOut 15 Sep 2026Pre-order
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