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The Four Deadly Seasons

Venetian Mysteries, Book 3

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The Four Deadly Seasons

By: David Hewson
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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About this listen

A centuries-old score. A city built on secrets. A melody that kills.

When a celebrated music impresario is found dead in Venice—his body slumped in the hot house of a remote palazzo, a cryptic musical interval in his hand—rumours swirl around a rediscovered manuscript: the original score for The Four Seasons, penned in Vivaldi's own hand.

But is it a masterpiece lost to time or a masterful forgery?

Arnold Clover, a reclusive British archivist seeking peace in the city on the lagoon, is reluctantly drawn into the mystery. Hired to authenticate the deadly manuscript, Arnold finds himself at the centre of a chilling conspiracy that spirals through shadowy music chambers, forgotten archives, and bloodstained Venetian alleyways.

As the seasons change, so does the tempo of the killings. With each movement of Vivaldi's immortal concerto, another victim falls.

To stop the music, Arnold must unravel a trail of coded messages, heretical symbols, and the unholy legend of the diabolus in musica, a sound once believed to summon the Devil himself.

A taut, elegant thriller steeped in music, myth, and murder, The Four Deadly Seasons is perfect for fans of Dan Brown, Robert Harris, and Donna Leon.

"Arnold Clover is back in his finest adventure yet. A rollicking, operatic read from a writer who both loves and understands the city." - Philip Gwynne Jones

©2025 Richard Armitage (P)2025 W.F. Howes Ltd.
Historical Mystery Crime Fiction Scary Italy
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I loved this third book in the series as much as the other two. Another brilliant story full of twists and turns in the plot, beautifully narrated by Richard Armitage.

Twists & Turns

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I love the Arnold Clover series and this one doesn’t disappoint. It can be read as a stand alone but it is wonderful to revisit some of the characters from previous mysteries. This book is well structured, gives those of us that write a lesson in novel craft and above all, it is a great story.
This time we are learning about Vivaldi and international espionage/ crime gangs. David Hewson takes us to places in Venice (and a little bit of Vienna) which are not on the normal tourist trail and he brings them to life. His commitment to writing for people to listen to the story is at the forefront. Richard Armitage then brings the story to life - he is one of the best in the business.

Excellent - just excellent

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I always enjoy David Hewson's writing which is brought to life so well by Richard Arbitage. The Seven Deadly Seasons was a delight

Outstanding combination

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I found this very entertaining, and more engrossing than the previous two in this series. The musical background involving Vivaldi was particularly interesting to me as a former music student. I didn't get very much done at all after I started listening to this, until I finished it - in the middle of the night!

As always, David Hewson's intimate knowledge of the lesser known areas of Venice, and particularly of the best places to eat the genuine local food, was fascinating, and really brought the story to life.

Richard Armitage was, as ever, just wonderful to listen to. Sadly, Arnold Clover's South Yorkshire accent seems to be getting a bit flattened out (it comes and goes a little bit) - not at all an unrealistic thing to happen though, after the character has spent years working in London, then a few more living in Venice. (I have many friends and relatives from Yorkshire who have all but lost their accent while studying and working away from home, to have it reappear every now and then for various reasons.)

The best of David Hewson's Venetian mysteries yet

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Following on from the previous adventures of Arnold Clover I was really looking forward to this latest instalment and boy did it deliver. Great story from David Hewson and wonderful descriptions of Venice all performed by the best there is in story telling Richard Armitage. Rich’s accents are brilliant and his Italian is delicious. Hope mr Hewson is working on the next episode.

Another outstanding Hewson/Armitage Partnership

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