The Venetian Sanctuary

The Venetian Game is a thriller novel by Philip Gwynne Jones set in Venice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The book follows British private investigator Dominic Vicari, who travels to the island of San Francesco del Deserto to investigate the death of a man at an ancient monastery. The monastery is home to five Franciscan brothers and three pilgrims on retreat, but one of them is dead. Nathan Sutherland, an old friend of Vicari's, is called in to help investigate. The novel is praised for its vivid description of Venice and its intricate plot.

Format: Hardback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 04 July 2024
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

"I devoured all Philip Gwynne Jones' novels and felt transported to Venice with a new intimacy. Val McDermid praised An unputdownable thriller, Gregory Dowling called the plot a masterwork of intrigue, and the Daily Mail praised Gwynne Jones' talent for evoking place and atmosphere. The Venetian Game is a haunting and darkly elegant novel set in Venice, where Dominic Vicari, a British private investigator haunted by loss, travels to the tiny island of San Francesco del Deserto. The ancient monastery there, founded by St Francis himself in the 13th century, is now home to five Franciscan brothers and three pilgrims on retreat. When Vicari's broken body is found at the base of the campanile, Nathan Sutherland is called in to investigate. Nathan reunites with an old friend and an old adversary, and discovers a terrible secret hidden at the heart of the lagoon. The Venetian setting is vividly described, and good, fluid writing makes for easy reading. If you love Venice, you'll love this book because you'll be transported there in an instant. If you haven't been to Venice, read this book and then go. If you like intrigue and a clever plot, you'll enjoy this unputdownable thriller."

Weight: 620g
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781408715352