Florence, 1498, and the city gathered to see the execution of Girolamo Savonarola, the once de-facto ruler of the city, burned to death on a funeral pyre.

Florence, 1538, and the city is suffering from a terrible heat wave, Worse, however, is the wealthy merchant who is hanged and burned alive in the same place that Savonarola was killed. And messages appear around the city – “FRATE SAVONAROLA LIVES!”

As Constable Carlo Strocchi struggles to find a murderer while the city comes close to an explosion of madness, Cesare Aldo investigates another death by fire in the Tuscan hills. When the cases prove to be linked, it is clear that Aldo and Strocchi must put aside their differences – otherwise many, many more people will burn…

Blimey, you wait ages for a mad monk to turn up and then three turn up at the same time – and weirdly, it’s the same one! First of all, I was playing Assassin’s Creed II and found myself having to, well, assassinate him. Then The Rest Is History podcast were dealing with the de Medicis and spent an episode and a bit talking about him. And now he, or at least his memory, plays a big role in this, the third Cesare Aldo mystery.

I should say, by the way, that I was hoping to get to the fifth book in the series, Carnival Of Lies, in time for its release in two months’ time. However, NetGalley got the release date wrong, and it’s out on June 26^th – sorry David, but no chance I can get through book four and that in time. I will be getting to it soon, however, as this is a series that I’m really invested in.

Bishop is one of those authors who definitely knows their stuff, regarding the history and, indeed, the geography of Florence. Certain historical events are woven into the story, in particular in the climax, and it really helps the feeling that you are witnessing events that could have happened. The murders are woven into the narrative seamlessly – it’s one of the most effective historical portraits that I’ve read.

While this is a standalone, I think the reader will benefit from having read what’s gone before. Aldo and Strocchi’s story has continued from what has gone before and their relationship, along with their connections to the other characters, holds more weight if you’ve seen what has gone before, especially in The Darkest Sin, book two in the series, which is also well worth your time.

As for the mystery element, I thought this was the best realised of the three books to date. Hand on heart, I did guess what was coming, but the character work that Bishop had put in made it a very satisfying resolution. By making the effort to make the reader care for the characters, it gives the event a much bigger kick.

All in all, a very satisfying read. A trip into an unknown world with flawed characters that you nonetheless want to spend time with. Looking forward to the next two – the next, A Divine Fury has been nominated for two CWA daggers! Good luck, David!