A Divine Fury

An immersive historical thriller set against the backdrop of the Medici dynasty in 1530s Renaissance Florence, A Divine Fury is the fourth book in the Cesare Aldo crime series from CWA Historical Dagger Winner D. V. Bishop.

Florence. Autumn, 1539. Cesare Aldo is back in his beloved city working for its powerful criminal court, the Otto di Guardia e Balìa. But he remains demoted to constable, enduring the purgatory of curfew night patrol when only the drunken, deceitful and the dangerous are outside.

Pursuing a fugitive in the rain, Aldo discovers a garrotted male body near Michelangelo's statue of David. The corpse is posed as if crucified, with ashes smeared across the forehead and the dead man's tongue cleft in two. This is no ordinary killing.

Aldo wants to solve the case himself but instead is ordered to assist officer Carlo Strocchi, a reversal of their former roles. Believing the victim was targeted for sleeping with other men, Aldo pursues his own investigation - much to Strocchi's frustration.

Soon a second body is found, much like the first: garrotted, in a crucifixion pose, with the tongue divided. But this corpse has the Latin word Patrie, meaning Father, written on its forehead with ash, and a page torn from an exorcist's manual clutched in one hand. As All Souls' Day approaches, one thing is clear: an unholy murderer is stalking the streets of Florence.

The fourth thrilling and atmospheric Cesare Aldo mystery, A Divine Fury follows City of Vengeance, winner of the 2022 NZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Fiction, The Darkest Sin, winner of the 2023 CWA Historical Dagger Award, and Ritual of Fire, longlisted for the 2023 McIlvanney Prize.