Florence, 1539, and Cesare Aldo has returned to his role working as an officer for the criminal court – well, he has been demoted to night patrol, when all of the miscreants come out to play.

When a body is found in the rain, beneath Michaelangelo’s David, Aldo finds himself involved in an investigation that is going to shake the city. The dead man has been posed as if he were Christ on the cross – and his is only the first such body.

A serial killer is walking the streets of Florence – and catching the killer is going to change Aldo’s life once again…

The fourth in the Cesare Aldo series – and another apology for not reviewing the new one yet. NetGalley got the release date wrong and I was a bit behind on the series. I could have skipped straight to Book Five – Carnival of Lies, out now – but this is very much a series that benefits from being read in order. I don’t think anything outright spoils what has gone before, but it’s not just Aldo’s story that develops over the series, it’s everyone’s story – multiple characters appear in more than one book with important roles, and the reader will get much more out of this one if you’ve read what has gone before – and you really should.

Hand on heart, this isn’t a book that you’d necessarily read for the whodunnit element. As the story approaches the climax, there is a very small pool of suspects and I wasn’t remotely surprised as to the killer’s identity. But that’s not the point of the book.

The depiction of sixteenth century Florence, the people, the attitudes is spot on. As an historical thriller, this is spot on – well worthy of the CWA Historical Dagger that it earned for the author. Aldo is a fascinating character, as are all of the support characters, and the political intrigue side of the story is a fascinating addition. Italy at this point didn’t exist as a single country, merely a collection of city states, and it seems that the tensions between Florence and Venice are building up nicely (especially as the next book is set there.

Another great read – a series definitely worth looking for the stunning recreation of a place and time past.