The furies are at home in the mirror.

Gavin Freedman, travelling under the assumed name of Colin Roper, is attacked by gang members even before he has left the ajrport. He had been sent to Venice by MI7's Sir Christopher Dunn to find a young female artist who had dissapeared. It was thought she alone might know the whereabouts of the mysterious Constantine Zopa, a scientist believed to be developing biochemical weapons. Gavin was to gain her confidence and locate him for MI7.
Meanwhile, Venice was in a state of tension, on the verge of a vote to leave Italy to become a separate republic.Crime had escalated and civil unrest was rife, in part formented by the banning of an exhibition of her modernist paintings by the young artist in question, an exhibition entitled The Fear of God. Her paintings, six in total, and never get seen, had also vanished.

With The Vengeance of San Gennaro, James Ward has again written a tightly interwoven story of betrayal and violence, conspiracy, murder, love, rape and solid detective work, mostly set in and around Venice itself. The book is well written, the action seen from the perspective of several of the protagonists, and the whole is very atmospheric as it moves between different locations. Despite the intricacies of the plot and the plethora of Italian, and other, names, it is not difficult to follow once the story begins to develop. Jack Wynter's narration greatly adds to the enjoyment of the book. His vocal tone is pleasant, the reading nicely nuanced and appropriately Eng!ish. Non English names and phrases are read with panache and each protagonist is given his or her own distinctive voice. A fine performance.

This is only the second of this excellent spy series, Tales of MI7, that I have read and I am very grateful to the rights holder of The Vengeance of San Gennaro, who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you. The book demands concentration but is well worth the effort. Definitely recommended to any reader of spy stories, and I personally look forward to another in the series soon.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!