Dark Dante unfolds in Florence in the spring of 2000, exactly seven hundred years after Dante Alighieri set his Inferno there; disgusted with the corruption of his contemporaries, the poet decides to punish the ill-doers of his day in his magnificent poem. In this engaging and evocative mystery thriller, a string of horrendous murders is committed in quick succession. Seeing that the Italian police are making little headway finding the culprit, Maria Farrell, the niece of the first victim, Peter Farrell, decides to investigate. Because of a family feud, she never met Peter, a specialist in art history, who lived in Florence most of his life. A theatre director from Manchester, Maria shrewdly exploits her professional skills and knowledge of Shakespeare’s theatre in her attempt to solve the murders. 

Caught in a web of mystery and grappling to understand the mindset of the Italians she encounters, this unusual detective follows “the Dante trail”, in the conviction that somebody in Florence, obsessed by Dante, may have decided to mete out the punishments described in the Inferno all those centuries before. Maria’s investigation reveals much about her uncle Peter and the fascinating medley of friends in his inner circle. And importantly a growing friendship with one of the detectives on the murder case leads Maria to reconsider her priorities in life. About to leave for England, she resolves to return to Florence very soon to see her new friend and hopefully discover more about the enigmatic figure of ‘Dark Dante’