Appointment with ISIL (Anthony Provati Thriller) by Joe Giordano

This Ludlum-esque international thriller stars an Italian-American man, east-coast Anthony Provati. His parts of the fast-paced story are told in first-person narrative, as Anthony manages to get himself into a bad situation that quickly escalates into a horrible situation. Third-person limited narration is used for the scenes without Anthony.

Lots of tough guy stuff here, with punchy dialogue, violence, threats of violence, off-scene sex, mobsters, dirty cops, hot chicks, a psychopath, and some truly evil human beings. International terrorism becomes the focus of the book as it progresses. The most interesting part of that, for me, was the discussion of social media's use for recruitment and propaganda.

Napoli, Italia

Just a warning, since the events in this book are very topical: For those touched directly by the evil of terror groups, those who feel raw from all the death and horror, this work of fiction may be something to skip. And the harrowing first chapter, which is chronologically out of sequence in the story, may be too disturbing for some readers. Those are things each reader must determine alone.

The Italian-American protagonist's backstory is told convincingly. The settings of the book range from east-coast USA to the Mediterranean, specifically Italy, Greece and North Africa. Readers familiar with tough-guy novels will recognize the cinematic action-and-dialogue-heavy writing, which is rendered expertly, and edited professionally. This is the first book in a planned series of thrillers featuring Anthony Provati.

Napoli, Italia

From the book's description:

This time, Anthony’s libido threatens his life. Anthony Provati flirts with Russian mob boss, Gorgon Malakhov’s mistress. The Russian deals in death. ISIL, the Islamic State in the Levant, wants the product. Russian Intelligence supplies the means, and an art theft funds the scheme. ISIL’s targets are chilling. The chase across the Mediterranean is on. Can Anthony thwart ISIL? Will he survive?

“The threats feel very real. The plotting and writing throughout are taut and the stakes are very high. Not only are individual lives in peril, but plans are laid for massive attacks and enormous security breaches. Sales of submarines, Strontium-90 (a component of diabolical “dirty bombs”), and shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles are all part of the high-level negotiations. Also mixed into the nefarious loot are massive amounts of heroin and three small, but priceless, Vermeer paintings…. A roller-coaster ride to the finish, this book confirms Giordano as a writer to eagerly watch.” –Kirkus featured review

Here is a direct link to the book at Amazon.com:

Please visit the author's blog site, where he has a special section about Italian-Americans.

The Bone Keepers (Mythmakers Trilogy) by James LePore and Carlos Davis

The Bone Keepers is book three in a historical conspiracy thriller trilogy.  There are no cliffhangers, so one can read each book and get a very satisfying story with each one, independent of the others.  Like many books in this genre, sometimes called the "Dan Brown" genre, the Catholic church plays a central role, as do long held secrets.

The story moves through time to recount the backstory to the main story that unfolds in and around Rome, Italy, in the year 1943.  The reader visits Judea in AD 13 and 60, Italy in the 1930s and then the 1950s, Galilee in the year 33, and Oxford, England, in 1943.  England is where the searchers of the secrets, two British spies, are recruited for their assignment.  In this trilogy, the spies are fictionalized versions of real people:  spies and later authors Ian Fleming and Tolkien.

Tolkien

The books in The Mythmakers Trilogy are:

1. No Dawn for Men
2. God's Formula
3. The Bone Keepers

Who was a bone keeper?  The reader learns that a bone keeper in the ancient world was someone who arranged a burial, then later collected the deceased's bones and put them in an ossuary, a bone box, inscribed with the person's name and family name.  The ossuary was then usually stored by the family.  I'm not giving anything away that isn't in the book's spoiler description, when I can say that the bone keepers of the title, are hereditary keepers of the bones of the Christ.

Yes, Christ rose from the dead, and doubting Thomas felt the proof that resurrected Jesus included his bones.  And the women by the tomb of Christ, that was borrowed from Joseph of Aramathea, attested to the fact that the resurrected Christ left nothing behind in the tomb.  That means that the religious grounding of the book could be considered blasphemy by some, or just a bit weak by others.  Most readers of these books, however, read them with a wink and a nod, forgiving those things in the name of entertainment.

Ian Fleming

The authors have done their research on the real people who are the inspiration for their fictionalized spies, Tolkien and Fleming.  They use the truth to bring entertaining verisimilitude to the fiction.  They also use the men's fiction to add familiar elements to The Bone Keepers relating to the two men.

There are sexual scenes in the book, which is for adult readers.  The female character reads at times realistically, but also at times she stretched my credulity as a female reader.  The writing is fluid, and the editing is well done.

There is much invention and entertaining suspense in the book, which will surely please lovers of this genre.  The use of Tolkien and Fleming as characters in the book(s) is something that fans of those men's fiction might enjoy.  The authors provide a satisfying ending to this spy, buddy adventure, romance and religious story, all wrapped up in the historical conspiracy genre.

Jerusalem Mount of Olives burial cave with ossuaries

From the book's description:

It is Rome, 1943. The war in Europe is at a tipping point, but the direction in which it will tip is terrifyingly unclear. For either side, one dramatic initiative could change everything. It is under these conditions that the Nazis discover a secret that has been maintained for nearly two millennia – that the bones of Christ have been guarded in a cave in Italy by a small, secret group. If the bones can be uncovered, Hitler believes he will be able to use them to topple Christianity and turn the war irreversibly in his favor.

The clues to the location of the bones or the people protecting them are scarce. MI-6 agent Ian Fleming and scholar J.R.R. Tolkien – working in tandem once again at the behest of the British government – must spearhead a hastily assembled team, including an alluring prostitute, to piece the clues together before the Nazis try to turn humanity on its head.

The conclusion of the stunning trilogy that began with the national bestseller NO DAWN FOR MEN and continued with GOD'S FORMULA, THE BONE KEEPERS is literary entertainment of the first order.

Ossuary of Caiaphas the high priest who presided over the trial of Jesus of Nazareth

Here are direct links to the books at Amazon.com:

Please visit author James Lepore's website.

The Lost Catacomb by Shifra Hochberg

The author of The Lost Catacomb embraces her genre of historical-conspiracy thriller with gusto.  The modern melodramatic style of the genre requires much research to plant the story within plausible ground, much plotting to create the evil plan that the antagonist has in motion, and academic characters to move the plot forward while informing the reader of what is being uncovered and its significance.

It is not an easy genre to write, and some readers find it cumbersome to read.  I like to just dive in and enjoy the fun, while excusing away any awkwardness inherent to the genre.     

The historical-conspiracy novel has enjoyed a boom since the success of Dan Brown's novels, foremost of which is The DaVinci Code, and their adaptations to films starring Tom Hanks.  If you'd like a comparison between this historical-conspiracy novel and those of Dan Brown, I'd point out that The Lost Catacomb's protagonist is a woman, and the book is written by a woman.

The strong female protagonist, Nicola, is an academic who can think for and take care of herself.  Her male sidekick, Bruno, is handsome, helpful, and eventually a love interest.  The role reversal may be most enjoyable for female readers.

 

As expected, the protagonist learns much about herself in the course of unwinding the evil plans of the antagonist.  One thing she learns is how strong she really is:

I never thought I'd have the strength, the courage, to do what I've done tonight.

The young professor has to face down pure evil, and come through it in one piece.  She comes away from it all slightly hardened, and full of purpose, and anger.

...anger at a world in which people conspired to kill others imply because they worshipped differently or had different ethnic origins.

That brings me to another Dan Brown comparison, or more accurately a contrast.  The protagonist uncovers not just a vast historical conspiracy, she also learns about herself, her family's history, and much more about her Italian roots.  She is a hyphenated Italian whose Italian grandmother never shared much of her culture with her American family.  So, being in Rome, Italy, working with Italians, falling in love with an Italian, awakens Nicola's interest in her roots.

I could make two other comparisons to Dan Brown's novels.  The author presents the necessary convoluted plot very well, just like Dan Brown.  She also has the sometimes unnatural sounding dialog as in the Dan Brown books.  That's a result, in both authors' books, of the genre requiring much explanation, exposition in book terms.  The most interesting way of presenting that information is through dialog, but all that information coming from people, even if they are university professors, can make for some awkward reading at times.  It is a hazard of the genre.

There are five parts to The Lost Catacomb, as the era of events changes.  Each part is entertaining in its own right, as if it were a short story.

1. The Present
2. 253 A.D.
3. The Present
4. 1943-44
5. The Present - Endings

Most of The Lost Catacomb is set Rome, Italy, and the Vatican.  It has Neo-Nazis, an international conspiracy of evil, some ancient Roman scenes, and some scenes set in WWII Rome that portray what some of Rome's Jewish citizens suffered then.  Rome's Jewish community is the oldest continually existent Jewish community in the world, dating to many centuries B.C.  The survival of that community during the war was no small event. 

I hope by now that readers of historical-conspiracy novels know that the history cited in the books is not fact, but fiction, created for the convenience of the plot.  In The Lost Catacomb that is the case with more than one date and fact.  If you are curious about the history mentioned in the book, and the historical figures mentioned, I suggest a trip to Wikipedia.com, where you can read up on the events and people.  That is just part of the fun of historical thrillers and novels, in my humble opinion, the sparking of interest in learning new things.

The book is well-edited and very attractively presented.  There is one short titillating sex scene, one short explicit sex scene, and a strong vulgarity here or there.  The narrative style is third-person limited, putting us in Nicola's mind whenever she is in the scene.  When she isn't in the scene, we are put into the mind of one of the other characters.

I enjoyed most of all the parts of the book set underground in Rome, in the catacombs, since they put the reader into another realm completely.  The reader can feel like a tomb raider at times, and memories of Indiana Jones III may come to mind.  The author has her academics use the correct terms underground, bringing great realism to their discussions.

This is one for fans of historical-conspiracy thrillers, and for readers who like female protagonists.  A suspension of disbelief is necessary, of course, and to take the history presented as not written in stone.

From the book's description (spoilers):

An intoxicating blend of Vatican thriller and heart-rending love story, THE LOST CATACOMB is a stunning debut novel set against the backdrop of the Holocaust in Italy. 

At its heart is Nicola Page, a beautiful young art historian who flies to Rome to assess a newly discovered catacomb of enigmatic provenance. Its magnificent frescoes hold the clues to a centuries-old murder and the existence of a fabled treasure from the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. 

Assisted by a handsome Italian archaeologist, Nicola is quickly drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and peril, masterminded by a powerful priest who is determined to destroy those who would reveal the dark secrets of the past. 

And as Nicola uncovers layer after layer of this deadly past, she is brought face to face with shocking facts about her own family history—facts that will forever change the course of her life.

Here is a direct link to the book at Amazon.com : 

Please visit the author's website.

Ontreto by Peter Crawley

This murder mystery suspense novel transports the reader to present-day Lipari, one of the volcanic islands off the north coast of Sicily.  By the end of the book, this reader felt as if she'd been to Lipari with the protagonist, and had actually met all of the local characters he'd met.  I found it to be a wonderful escapist tale, full of mysteries, discoveries and atmosphere.

One short chapter in the beginning (there are many short chapters, by the way) sets the stage for the events in the present, by presenting a life-changing event in the past, suffered by a man from Lipari, an ancestor of the book's protagonist.  Learning more about that ancestor, pushes Ric, and Anglo-Italian, to undertake his journey to first Corsica (in the previous Ric book, Mazzeri), and now to Lipari.

Both the past and present in Italy are portrayed realistically, with a sharp eye for history and character and how the two can shape each other.  The mysteries come quickly at the beginning of the novel, then the author unravels them carefully throughout the text, along with a few more mysteries along the way.

What happened to Ric's ancestor?  Why is Ric suffering a form of PTSD?  What happened in Corsica, and who is the mysterious woman he pines for (if you haven't read Mazzeri)?  And then there is the murder, which is presented in a very unique way, soon after an erupting volcano jolts Ric awake.

The text is dotted with Italian words, adding verisimilitude.  The characters are each distinct, but not exaggerated into caricatures.  The dialog is well done.  There are action scenes and some in-scene violence.  The present tense, which is used quite often these days, brings the story forward in time, creating a feeling of immediacy.  And we get into Ric's head via the 3rd person limited narration.

The beginning is especially fun, since the author very convincingly puts us aboard a sailboat that traverses the waters between Sardinia and Sicily, a route traveled since antiquity in a very similar manner.

Ric unfurls the Genoa and hauls up the mainsail.  The breeze through the islands is even and holds enough weight for three or perhaps four knots.  He grabs a bottle of water from the cabin and swings the helm over to port:  the promise of a square meal in Lipari appeals.

The author brings the reader to Lipari, introduces him, along with Ric, to many locals, then leads us all on a winding trail to resolutions of the mysteries.  The pictures the author paints with his words are vivid and memorable.  This murder mystery novel is a wonderful escapist tale for any Italophile.

From the book's description (some spoilers):

Richard Ross rubs his fingers over his scalp. His eyes sting from the salt and the hours of concentration and his ears buzz with silence. He can hear someone shouting. No, not one man, but two. They are arguing in Italian and their argument develops an angry, threatening edge. One of the men begins to scream and plead, “No, per favore, no, Ci–”, followed by a muffled choking and scuffling of feet. And then, silence: both profound and chilling, and pressed beneath the enormous weight of the fog.

Arriving on the unspoiled island of Lipari, off the coast of Sicily, Ric Ross carries with him a letter of introduction to Valeria Vaccariello, an aging star of Italian cinema who lives alone in the House of Strangers; a woman known locally as la strega – the witch. Ric is also befriended by Il Velaccino, a sailmaker who seems to know everyone and everything that goes on in the island. But when a politician is shot dead, Ric’s search for his family’s history soon grows into a quest to prove his innocence...

Ontreto is a contemporary crime thriller, told through the eyes of a young man who comes to the island of Lipari in search of his forebears. It is the standalone follow-up to Peter Crawley’s first novel, Mazzeri.

Here is a direct link to the two Ric books at Amazon.com:

And here is a short interview with the author about his book Mazzeri:

 

Please visit the author's website.


This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, the author of the crime-romance novel THE HAGUE, a traditional murder mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.

Summer of Fire by Kitty Pilgrim

Beautiful Capri, Italy, and southern Italy's volcanoes are the settings for many of the events in Summer of Fire, an International Romantic Thriller.  The reader gets to jet-set along with the characters through Italy, with stops in England, Norway, Iceland and France.  Good guys, bad guys, lovers, adventurers all come together for an exciting finish.

It all begins in Capri, which the author describes thus:

There was a magical timelessness to Capri  A special atmosphere, and a sense of history. ...  Nowhere on earth was more romantic.

And Capri turns out to be a retreat for many of the book's characters, a place to escape the world, a romantic retreat.

This is the book's exciting trailer:

We get lots of threads as the book builds its plot:  a forbidden love affair, a death that is possibly a gangster hit, a policeman determined to keep Capri mobster-free, a Camorra boss and his killer/burglar, teen boys seeking adventure, priceless jewels, and a loving couple who might make a deeper commitment if given a moment's peace.

The author weaves all the stories together creating dangerous situations galore.  There is some in-scene violence, and a handful of vulgarities.  The writing is smooth (I always like more past-perfects than many writers use), and the story flows well.  The voice is third-person limited, allowing us into the heads of various characters over the course of the book, but only one per section.

This is a European crime story with lots of romance and some thrills and chills. I liked that the author had our heroes feel horrible when they had to take a life to save themselves or others, showing the difference between them and the sociopathic bad guys.

I know there was no real choice.  But it's still hard to kill a man.

The author adds into the mix information on the active volcanoes in Europe, even putting us over one as it erupts, and on another as the lava starts to flow.  This International Romantic Thriller is a fun read for a holiday, or when you just want to feel like you're on holiday, perhaps just to enjoy the fantasy of being in the Capri villa along with the book's characters.  Magari!

There are actually three books to feature the main protagonists in Summer of Fire, an archeologist and an oceanographer:

1. Explorer's Code
2. The Stolen Chalice
3. Summer of Fire

Award-winning CNN journalist Kitty Pilgrim turns her talents to print in The Explorer’s Code, an exciting international thriller that revolves around the quest for a land deed valuable enough to kill for.

When the renowned young oceanographer Cordelia Stapleton receives an invitation to accept an award on behalf of her great-great-grandfather, a famous Victorian polar explorer, she has no idea her life is about to change dramatically. John Sinclair—a dashing, wealthy archaeologist and philanthropist—presents Cordelia with the award at the glamorous Oceanographic Institute Ball in Monaco.

He also gives her a journal that her great-great-grandfather wrote in 1908. An orphan with very few family belongings, Cordelia is amazingly touched to have this precious heirloom. Once the journal is in her possession, Cordelia learns that she is heir to the land on which the Global Seed Vault in Norway sits. The valuable deed for this land, or at least a clue to its whereabouts, may be hidden in the journal.

The Explorer’s Code is a satisfying blend of historical detail, fast-paced action, scientific discovery, and the thrill of exploration that informs as well as entertains. The breathtaking ending in the high Arctic is as chilling as a polar breeze.

CNN veteran Kitty Pilgrim returns with her second novel featuring the beautiful young oceanographer Cordelia Stapleton and the dashing, urbane archaeologist John Sinclair. Set in the international art world, The Stolen Chalice takes readers across the globe. Bombings, kidnappings, and Sinclair’s old love conspire against the couple as they search for valuable Egyptian art.

The black-tie gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art promises to be a star-studded evening. Cordelia Stapleton and John Sinclair have flown in from Alexandria, Egypt, to help celebrate ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian culture with New York’s elite. The influential crowd of artists, collectors, scientists, and New York society dine and dance at the museum’s historic Temple of Dendur, unaware that terrorists are planning to attack. Fortunately, museum security and police stop the terrorists, but the evening is a disaster.

The next morning, Cordelia and Sinclair learn that an art theft ring struck New York while they were at the museum. All over the city, pieces of Egyptian art have been stolen. Ted VerPlanck—a pillar of New York society whom Cordelia met the night before—discovers that his penthouse apartment was robbed and the legendary Sardonyx Cup, an ancient Egyptian chalice, is missing. Ted asks John Sinclair to help him recover his precious artifact.

When nature takes charge, sparks fly.

 On the beautiful island of Capri, a royal princess begins a secret love affair, oblivious to the dangers that surround her. Internationally renowned novelist Kitty Pilgrim chronicles a modern thriller based in the historic volcanic region of Southern Italy. Her characters, archaeologist John Sinclair and oceanographer Cordelia Stapleton, team up once again for a tale of glamour and romance that spans every level of society—from the dangerous criminal underworld of Naples to the jet set of Europe.

  

Here are direct links to all three books at Amazon.com:

Please visit the author's website where she has many videos showing the research she does for her books.

This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, the author of the crime-romance novel THE HAGUE, a traditional murder mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.

Hotel Caruso (Victor Barnier Series) by Carina Sanfey

Victor Barnier is a super-spy in the James Bond tradition, but with a difference:  he is Anglo-Italian, and he works not for a government agency but for a private security firm.  Hotel Caruso, the bad guys' stronghold that is just outside of Taormina-Sicily, is the name of Book One in the growing Victor Barnier Series. 

Victor works for SORN and he is known as:

...one of the Seniors, a group of ten agents tasked with the most top-secret and dangerous missions.

All the elements of a Bond espionage book are present.  We have the baddies, the secretive good guys, the expert assassinations, the evil mastermind, and the protagonist who is subjected to horrible suffering before finally winning out in the end.  There is some disturbing violence in the book, pretty much on par with the James Bond novels.

The writing style reminded me of John LeCarre's espionage book style, with a subtle shifting between an omniscient narrator and a 3rd-person limited narration.  The prose is smooth and expert, with a few lingering typos that will certainly be weeded out soon.

Victor Barnier gets a great intro at the beginning of the book, and he grows in depth as the book progresses.  He is a damaged man, or he wouldn't be a professional killer, and he has a very surprising manifestation of his damaged nature, that I won't reveal, but which is sure to surprise readers.  We get explanations of some of the causes of his damaged nature, and there are hints of more causes that are left for development in future books.

Like all espionage books, Hotel Caruso begins with the our spy, then his mission, then the bad guys, scuffles, bigger scuffles, near defeat, then a resurgence of our hero, who wins in the end but at a cost to his sanity and health.  He lives to fight another bad guy, another day, but life does not get any easier for our hero.  All is accompanied by some cool techno-gadgets!

Much of the action in the book takes place in Sicily, just outside of beautiful Taormina in the shadow of Mount Etna.  The bad guys' stronghold is actually a resort hotel overlooking the bay of Taormina.  Illegal arms traders along the Mediterranean Sea set off the story, but with nice surprises and twists the story quickly builds into a mission to save the capitals of many nations.  Hotel Caruso is for spy-novel fans!

The books in the Victor Barnier Series so far are:

1. Hotel Caruso
2. Symphonic Murder
3. Rosean Revenge (coming soon)  

From the book's description:

Victor Barnier is an experienced field agent working for SORN, an independent intelligence organisation based in London's financial district. SORN is trying to avoid being taken over by MI6; Barnier, who lives and usually works alone, is trying to avoid social interaction as much as possible.

Sent to investigate an apparently corrupt hotelier on the eastern coast of Sicily, he doesn't expect to have to do anything more than a routine investigation, but he soon finds himself in his own personal hell as Robert Cole, a supposedly deceased arms smuggler and vicious killer from his past, comes back to haunt him with a shocking revelation about Victor's own childhood that will turn Victor's life on its head.

The second book in the series is Symphonic Murder:

Victor Barnier, a secret agent working for SORN, London's unofficial intelligence agency, is sent on a mission to Shanghai which very nearly destroys his career.  Can he redeem himself and, more importantly, stay alive?

Here are direct links to the two books in the Victor Barnier Series at Amazon.com:

This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, and the author of the cozy-murder-mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.

The Contessa's Vendetta by Mirella Sichirollo Patzer

Are you in the mood for some Gothic romantic revenge fiction set in the mid sixteen hundreds in Italy?  Even if this is not your favorite genre, the author's lyrical and lovely writing style may capture your heart.  We are treated to a first-person memoirs written by a woman who has voluntarily sequestered herself in a convent after a tumultuous young life.

Now, long after my ordeal is over, I want to narrate the events of one short year; the most agonizing year in my life...

Carlotta Mancini of Vicenza, Italy, was an extremely innocent woman, and dangerously wealthy, too.  She attracted cads and rakes, and one rake in particular, the sociopathic man she married.  The older Carlotta warns us of her shortsightedness along the rocky road, hinting at events to come in her tale.

Without doubt, he was the most majestic looking man I had ever encountered, and I, his late wife, still trembled in the wake of his splendor.

Carlotta offers many warnings to her female readers that they make their own messes with men, by allowing the men to abuse their emotions.

Woe the blindness of women.  With all our abilities; with all the world before us to conquer, we crumble at an abusive word or rude gesture by a man...

This is escapist fare of 370+ pages transports the reader to another world, Vicenza and Venice, Italy, in the 1600s.  We get high drama, Gothic horrors, death, ghosts, cunning plots galore, and the central vendetta is the story of extreme innocence turned to extreme hate. 

There were multiple moments when I mentally yelled at Carlotta to stop her deadly plot and turn to living life, but that was not to be.  She lost her mind early in the book because of a severe trauma, and became monomaniacal about her vendetta, not seeing the chances that were before her for a second chance at happiness.

From the book's description (some spoilers):

To be buried alive is everyone's worst nightmare, and when faced with the ultimate betrayal, a murderous vendetta is one woman's only solution.

A deadly plague is raging, killing thousands in 17th century Vicenza Italy.  Carlotta Mancini struggles to protect her family and servants, but despite her precautions, she is the one who falls prey to the deadly illness.

Her body is tossed into a coffin and swiftly buried in the underground, dank confines of her family’s vault.  But Carlotta is not dead; she is merely unconscious because of the illness.

She returns home to her beloved husband, her best friend, and her darling daughter.  But before she reveals herself to her loved ones, she learns of an endless series of lies, deceits, and betrayal.

As she unravels the labyrinth of shocking treachery, her wrath breathes life to an overwhelming need for vengeance.  Slowly, meticulously, she launches her diabolical vendetta.

The Contessa's Vendetta is a historical fiction thriller ripe with suspense from first page to last. A tale of betrayal and revenge that will hold you spellbound until the shocking ending!

The Contessa's Vendetta is a retelling of the classic novel, Vendetta by Marie Corelli.  Inspired by this epic classic novel; a new and captivating tale in a new setting, a new century, and with new plot twists while remaining faithful to key story elements.

Here is a direct link to The Contessa's Vendetta at Amazon.com:

 

This author is an established Indie author, with several quality books to her name, each with an attractive cover and book design.  Here are all her historical novels set in Italy, with direct links to the books at Amazon, through the images.

The Orphan of the Olive Tree
(click on the image to go to the book's Amazon.com page)

AWARDED THE B.R.A.G.G. MEDALLION for Indie Fiction

A compelling historical romance and family saga.  A blood oath, a dreadful curse, and the evil eye. A dark family secret that will shatter lives and the woman who must risk everything to keep it buried.

From two neighbouring villas in the heart of the Tuscan countryside to the elegance of Siena; from a world steeped in ancient superstitions to a culture where family honour is paramount comes, this multi-layered novel of the lives, loves, secrets and strivings of two women and their families in the 13th century.

The Contessa's Vendetta
(click on the image to go to the book's Amazon.com page)

The Contessa's Vendetta is a historical fiction thriller ripe with suspense from first page to last. A tale of betrayal and revenge that will hold you spellbound until the shocking ending.

The Contessa's Vendetta is a retelling of the classic novel, Vendetta by Marie Corelli. Inspired by this epic classic novel; a new and captivating tale in a new setting, a new century, and with new plot twists while remaining faithful to key story elements.




The Novice (reviewed on this site)
(click on the image to go to the book's Amazon.com page)

In 10th century Naples, Saracens run rampant, annihilating villages, murdering women and children.  Death and despair is everywhere.  Alone in the world, Sara is a young novice plagued with doubts about taking her final vows to become a nun.  When her convent is attacked, she flees for her life straight into the arms of a group of Saracens who leave her to die alone in the woods.  An honorable cavaliere named Nicolo comes to her rescue and offers to take her to the safety of Naples. 

As they journey together, they are irresistibly drawn to each other.  Believing Sara to be a nun, the honorable Nicolo is torn between love and duty to respect her vows.  Heartbroken, he does what honor demands and sets her free before she can tell him the truth that she is not a nun.  In her search to reunite with Nicolo, she encounters Umberto, a dark and dangerous man who will stop at nothing in his obsession to possess her.  With her sharp intellect, and her heart, Sara must rely on her own courage and strength to escape her abuser and find the only man she will ever love.

The Betrothal
(click on the image to go to the book's Amazon.com page)

Two young lovers bound by their love for each other. A dreadful overlord who will shatter lives to possess the woman he loves, and the dark secrets that one woman will risk everything to keep buried. An absorbing novel about wicked intentions, murder, obsessive love, undisclosed secrets, unstoppable destinies, and the woman whose secret will either destroy or restore lives.

The Betrothal is a retelling of the classic novel, The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) by Alessandro Manzoni. Inspired by this epic Italian classic novel; a new and captivating tale in a new setting, a new century, and with new plot twists while remaining faithful to key story elements.

The Pendant
(click on the image to go to the book's Amazon.com page)

A medieval tale about a lost ancient treasure. A 100 year family feud. And a woman with a passion richer than the bloodstone pendant she wears around her neck.

This Italian historical romance novel with a Gothic flare has it all - an ancient mystery, a bloodstone pendant with a secret, murder, vengeance, and a love story to take your breath away.  An historical Gothic romance of murder, desperation, and true love.

Italian Historical Box-Set
(click on the image to go to the book's Amazon.com page)

Please visit the author's website and blog, and her historical novel review site.

This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, and the author of the cozy-murder-mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.

The Devil Will Come by Glenn Cooper

The Devil Will Come is a conspiracy thriller for adults, laced with historical fact and fiction.  The present-day setting is Rome, Italy, where a young nun and her family become the focal point of the culmination of a centuries-long plot to end Catholicism and replace it with an evil-worshiping group of psychopaths. 

Okay, yes, historical-conspiracy thriller plots can sound absurd, but with a skilful writer in charge, they can be very entertaining, and little bit edifying. This author is skilled in the art of conning the reader into accepting the unbelievable premise.  He has experience, with several historical-conspiracy thrillers to his name.  Readers get what they expect, and more.  Unlike some authors in the genre, this writer has big issues in the background of all his books.

The first scene in the book is at the Pope's palace in Rome in the Middle Ages

In The Devil Will Come, the nature of evil is examined.  Is it learned?  Is it a throwback to an earlier human era when a lack of conscience was an asset?  Do sociopaths play any positive role in society?  They hide in plain sight.  They sit on company boards.  They teach at universities.  They play sports professionally.  They hide their evil, but they are adept at spotting the like-minded.  At the heart of the all the scary bits in The Devil Will Come is the fact that people who seek out power are rarely good-hearted.

The author takes the reader from Rome in the present-day, to Rome in the first century A.D., to Rome in the Middle Ages.  Each period is credible, with historical facts to back up the author's depictions.  An ancient prophecy of the supremacy of evil is at the heart of the plot.  As always, there is a group that supports the evil, and there is a group that defends against the evil.

...there are men who are ancient and determined enemies of the Church of Rome who live in perpetual hope of its destruction.

The book takes us to Nero's Rome, where he has St. Peter crucified, Christians martyred, and possibly even the city burned down to allow him to build his monumental palace over the ruins

Our hero, or heroine, which is quite unique for this genre, is all that stands between good and evil.  Well, not quite.  The Italian nun has help from her uniquely helpful Italian family.  And she has help from unexpected sources along the way to the climactic ending.  The author pulls all the strands together in the end and creates a satisfying conclusion to the story.

The writing is clear and direct, with an unobtrusive omniscient narrator.   The story flows smoothly, weaving together the stories from the past and present so we understand all there is to know, in the end.  A special storyline set in Elizabethan England adds to story's uniqueness.  I would have liked line breaks between scene changes, and fewer periods in place of commas, for greater clarity, but they may be added in future editions.  There are some vulgarities, sex and nudity.

Are you interested in learning about Ancient Roman superstitions, early Christians, Roman astrology, Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe, the Roman Emperor Nero, and the source of human evil?  If you are, then The Devil Will Come will keep you entertained. 

Central to the plot is a prophecy by Irish St. Malachy. Read more at Wikipedia.

From the book's description:

Elisabetta Celestino, a brilliant young archaeologist at work in Rome’s ancient catacombs, has discovered a unique pattern of astrological symbols on an underground wall. She feels sure that evidence of a previously unknown pre-Christian sect lies in an adjacent chamber where the untombed skeletons bear a strange anomaly, and is devastated when the Vatican refuses to support her excavation project.

Ten years later, a cave-in damages the vault, and a shocking discovery is made. Following a violent and traumatic event, Elisabetta has left has left archaeology behind for the serenity of prayer and teaching, but the young nun unexpectedly finds herself in a race to solve the secret of the catacomb and prevent an apocalyptic event that threatens not only the Vatican but the future of mankind.

Moving between present-day Europe, 1st-century Rome, and Elizabethan England, The Devil Will Come is an exhilarating tale of a battle between good and evil that has been fought in the shadows through the centuries and across continents—and that both sides are willing to kill to keep secret.

This book's frontispiece is key to the plot of The Devil Will Come.  The book begins with a quote from this play by Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe.  Here is a clearer representation of the image. 

The Devil Will Come is published by Lescaux Media, a film group run by the author.  Please visit the author's website for his books.

Here is a direct link to The Devil Will Come at Amazon.com:

If you understand Italian, here is a brief interview with the nun who inspired Glenn Cooper's protagonist in The Devil Will Come, which in Italian is Il Marchio del Diavolo.  Cooper's books are translated into many languages, and are very popular in Italian.

The author has written other historical-conspiracy thrillers.  Here are links to them at Amazon.com:

The latest release by this author is the entertaining Holy Grail quest book The Resurrection Maker.

 Amazon.com link to the book: The Resurrection Maker

This review is by Candida Martinelli, of Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site, and the author of the cozy-murder-mystery novel AN EXTRA VIRGIN PRESSING MURDER, and the young-adult/adult mystery novel series THE VIOLET STRANGE MYSTERIES the first book of which is VIOLET'S PROBLEM.