287 Pages
You can buy The Venetian Game...Here
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This Review is by Adele Powell
- The Blurb...
From his office on the Street of the Assassins, Nathan Sutherland enjoys a steady but unexciting life translating Italian DIY manuals. All this changes dramatically when he is offered a large sum of money to look after a small package containing an extremely valuable antique prayer book illustrated by a Venetian master. But is it a stolen masterpiece - or a brilliant fake?
Unknown to Nathan, from a vast mansion on the Grand Canal twin brothers Domenico and Arcangelo Moro, motivated by nothing more than mutual hatred, have been playing out a complex game of art theft for twenty years. And now Nathan finds himself unwittingly drawn into their deadly business . . .
- My Review...
Having become slightly bored of the bog-standard murder mystery I asked the fountain of knowledge that is grumpy old man books for a recommendation. He suggested The Venetian Game, an exciting story about art theft in Venice. As a self-confessed Italophile this sounded right up my street!
We meet Nathan Sutherland in his office working as a British Consulate. I found this to be a nice change from the usual retired detective vibe usually found in mystery books. Immediately I warmed to Nathan and his grumpy cat Gramsci (old man would approve!). I can see that Nathan working as a consulate not only opens the avenue for the premise of this story, but also potentially lends itself to other weird and wonderful characters walking into his office in the future.
The mysterious Mr Montgomery arrives, and the adventure begins. A priceless book of the life of the virgin, supposedly illustrated by world famous Giovanni Bellini, is left with Nathan. Nathan, with the help of his two good friends, Dario and Federica, take on the perilous task of figuring out where this book came from, why it was left with him and if it truly is the work of Bellini. Federica is helpfully an art historian which makes understanding the intricate details of the art world easier to understand
through her explanation.
Federica and Nathan have a budding romance storyline, which personally I
felt wasn’t necessarily needed and didn’t add anything to the story. However, this is just personal preference, the character of Federica herself is very well rounded and believable. I just think it would have been a nice change to have a strong female character that was credible in her own right and not used as a love interest.
As you can imagine the journey winds its way all over Venice and the descriptions of the streets and architecture are exquisite. It feels like you’re stood right alongside Nathan taking in the breath-taking scenery. The excellent description of the setting suits the grandeur of an art theft story wonderfully.
The story delivers us at the Mansion of Domenico and Arcangelo Moro, brothers who have been locked in a game of art theft for 20 years. The twist at the end is brilliantly executed, no spoilers here but I for one, did not see it coming. Make sure that once you hit this point in the book you have nothing else planned, because you will not be able to put it down until you finish the entire thing!
Overall, this book has everything, excellent characters, a wonderfully defined setting, a well thought out plot to go along with plenty of action and edge of your seat moments. I would definitely recommend this book. Reading The Venetian Game inspired me to look into visiting Venice and as a result I cannot wait to be immersed in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
I just hope the Moro brothers don’t find me!
- Selected Quotes...
“I ran from the room. You can make people do anything if you frighten them enough”
“I leafed through it again. It seemed disrespectful, blasphemous almost, not to spend the proper amount of time looking at each one; as if I were a tourist scurrying through the Uffizi to take a selfie with the Birth of Venus then be on my way. I turned it over in my hand, felt its weight. I lifted it to my face and sniffed it. The smell of old libraries mixed with clean leather”
“The church glowed with old gold, and smelled of wood and incense. San Nicolo felt special, even in a city of over one hundred churches. There was something Byzantine about it, something ancient. The covered porch was a reminder that this had once been a place for the poor and needy to seek shelter from the elements. Directly inside, a sign on a table covered with tins of food and bags of dried pasta bore the legend Per i poveri; a reminder that we had not, perhaps, moved on as much as we should. Oh holy St Nicholas, pray unto God for us.”
- If You Liked This Then You May Like...
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
- About The Author...
Philip Gwynne Jones first came to Italy in 1994 when he spent some time working for the European Space Agency in Frascati, a job that proved to be less exciting than he had imagined. He spent twenty years in the IT industry before realising he was congenitally unsuited to it, and now works as a writer, teacher and translator. He lives in Venice with his wife Caroline and a modestly friendly cat called Mimi.He enjoys cooking, art, classical music and opera; and can occasionally be seen and heard singing bass with the Cantori Veneziani. His first novel, “The Venetian Game”, was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month and reached number 2 in the Times paperback fiction charts. “The Venetian Legacy”, the fifth in the Nathan Sutherland series, was published in April 2021 and reached the Times Top 10. Further titles are scheduled for 2022 and 2023.
“To Venice with Love”, a non-fiction account of moving to and living in La Serenissima was a Reader’s Digest Book of the Month. He has written for both the Sunday Times and the Big Issue, and is a frequent guest on BBC Radio Wales. Philip is published by Little, Brown under the Constable imprint. He is proud to be a member of the Society of Authors, the Crime Writers’ Association and the Welsh crime writing collective Crime Cymru
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