The Angels of Venice
I remember picking up Philip Gwynne Jones’s first Nathan Sutherland adventure, The Venetian Game, back in 2016 and being completely charmed by it, as by the time I had finished all I wanted was to enjoy an Aperol spritz and a dish of olives. The crime fiction element running through the book was fun and intricate, but it was the Venetian setting which totally sold it to me. This was armchair travel at its very best. And clearly somebody at Waterstones thought so too as this book became one of their Crime Books of the Month, the paperback hit the bestseller lists… and Philip became a stalwart of the Constable list. And during those dark years of lockdown his books just flourished as readers discovered for themselves that if you couldn’t actually travel to Venice then the best next thing was to read about the place. Philip possesses the gift of immersive writing; you really can imagine yourself there, drinking a Negroni in Eduardo’s bar in the Street of the Assassins, just below Nathan’s flat.
Of course it helps that Philip himself lives in La Serenissima, on the first floor of a grand old palazzo on the banks of a canal, with his wife and cat. Absolutely enviable!
And now, in 2022, for the first time we are publishing Nathan Sutherland in hardback – and The Angels of Venice is out now. Set on the night of 12 November 2019, it was when the worst flooding in 50 years hit Venice, and here Nathan discovers the body of a young British art historian floating in a flooded antique shop on the street where he lives…
If you have never given Philip a go, then do so now. And if you have never been to Venice but want to find out more, reading The Angels of Venice will give you a great overview of the city and its inhabitants in times of dramatic crisis.
Krystyna Green
‘An unputdownable thriller’ Gregory Dowling
‘It is no surprise to find that Philip Gwynne Jones lives in Venice… art and architecture interweave into a story that builds to an almost surreal climax’ Daily Mail
‘Gwynne Jones’s talent for evoking place and atmosphere is clear as ever’ Literary Review
_______________
It’s the night of 12 November 2019. The worst flooding in 50 years hits the city of Venice. 85% of La Serenissima is underwater. Gale force winds roar across the lagoon and along the narrow streets. And the body of Dr Jennifer Whiteread- a young British art historian, specialising in the depiction of angels in Venetian painting – is found floating in a flooded antique bookshop on the Street of the Assassins.
As the local police struggle to restore order to a city on its knees, Nathan Sutherland – under pressure from the British Ambassador and distraught relatives – sets out into the dark and rain-swept streets in an attempt to discover the truth behind Whiteread’s death.
The trail leads to the “Markham Foundation”, a recent and welcome addition to the list of charities working to preserve the ancient city. Charming, handsome and very, very rich, Giles Markham is a well-known and popular figure in the highest Venetian social circles, and has the ear of both the Mayor and the Patriarch.
But a man with powerful friends may also have powerful enemies. And Nathan is about to learn that, in Venice at least, angels come in many forms – merciful, fallen and vengeful…
_______________
Praise for Philip Gwynne Jones
‘I devoured all Philip’s novels and felt transported to Venice with a new intimacy’ Val McDermid
‘Superb – always gripping, beautifully constructed and vivid’ Stephen Glover
‘Clever and great fun‘ The Times
‘Sinister and shimmering, The Venetian Game is as haunting and darkly elegant as Venice itself’ L.S. Hilton, bestselling author of Maestra
‘The Venetian setting is vividly described… good, fluid writing makes for easy reading’ Literary Review
‘Un-put-downable . . . If you love Venice, you’ll love this because you’ll be transported there in an instant. If you’ve not been to Venice, read this book and then go. If you like intrigue, and a clever plot, you’ll love this book’ Amazon reviewer, 5*****
‘The lively, colourful narrative scuds along as briskly as a water taxi…you’ll enjoy the ride‘ Italia Magazine
