Instead of escaping reality to this fantastic city, this city of phantoms, I was rushing towards it – hard fate awaited me in this soupy shade of a place…
In the oppressive heat of summer in Bologna, English detective Daniel Leicester is reliving his beloved wife Lucia’s final days. Vivid memories have been awakened by the sight of her bicycle, missing since the accident that killed her, ridden by a stranger through the city’s tight medieval streets.
As unfinished business bleeds – quite literally – into the present, the sickening realisation that Lucia’s death wasn’t accidental dawns on Daniel. He embarks on a quest for the truth, and this most personal of crusades leads him to two contrasting worlds: the secretive, ancient realm of freemasonry, and the revolutionary ‘Reclaim Bologna’ activist movement.
What links these two opposing factions? Is there a chance Lucia wasn’t the woman Daniel believed her to be? And will the truth be too painful, or too perilous, to bear?
———-
Praise for Tom Benjamin:
‘Bologna is perfectly captured… I found myself totally immersed and swept through this stunner of a story in 24 hours. Highly, highly recommend’ – Philippa East
‘An atmospheric, intelligent crime novel that is an intricate portrait of the heart of Bologna. Beautiful, gripping, and very clever’ – Victoria Dowd
‘A brilliant, involving crime novel’ – Louise Hare
‘Clever and beautifully written… his best yet’ – Louise Fein
‘The locale is brought to life… the plot keeps you guessing’ – The Times
In the oppressive heat of summer in Bologna, English detective Daniel Leicester is reliving his beloved wife Lucia’s final days. Vivid memories have been awakened by the sight of her bicycle, missing since the accident that killed her, ridden by a stranger through the city’s tight medieval streets.
As unfinished business bleeds – quite literally – into the present, the sickening realisation that Lucia’s death wasn’t accidental dawns on Daniel. He embarks on a quest for the truth, and this most personal of crusades leads him to two contrasting worlds: the secretive, ancient realm of freemasonry, and the revolutionary ‘Reclaim Bologna’ activist movement.
What links these two opposing factions? Is there a chance Lucia wasn’t the woman Daniel believed her to be? And will the truth be too painful, or too perilous, to bear?
———-
Praise for Tom Benjamin:
‘Bologna is perfectly captured… I found myself totally immersed and swept through this stunner of a story in 24 hours. Highly, highly recommend’ – Philippa East
‘An atmospheric, intelligent crime novel that is an intricate portrait of the heart of Bologna. Beautiful, gripping, and very clever’ – Victoria Dowd
‘A brilliant, involving crime novel’ – Louise Hare
‘Clever and beautifully written… his best yet’ – Louise Fein
‘The locale is brought to life… the plot keeps you guessing’ – The Times
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Reviews
Another brilliant addition to the Daniel Leicester series, in which yet another present-day twisty intrigue is movingly woven into a past narrative of Daniel's relationship with his late wife Lucia. Full of dazzling descriptions, fascinating cultural insights and a brilliant mystery, I loved the latest installment of the series just as much as all the others!
A fascinating excursion to Bologna with added mystery, plus some very significant appearances by characters from Daniel Leicester's past, both dead and alive. Highly recommended!
