The Bologna Vendetta

By Tom Benjamin

'Steeped in atmosphere and intrigue, The Bologna Vendetta burrows under the skin of contemporary Italy. Intelligent, incisive and compelling.' - Orlando Murrin, author of Knife Skills for Beginners

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'Instead of escaping reality to this fantastic city, this city of phantoms, I was rushing towards it - hard fate awaited me in the soupy shade of this place...'

Amid the oppressive heat of a Bologna summer, English detective Daniel Leicester relives his beloved wife's final days. Vivid memories are awakened by the sight of her bicycle - missing since the accident that killed her - being ridden by a stranger through the city's tight medieval streets.

As unfinished business bleeds - quite literally - into the present, the sickening realisation Lucia's death wasn't an accident begins to dawn on Daniel. As he embarks on a quest for the truth, this most personal of crusades leads him to two very different worlds: the secretive, ancient realm of freemasonry he encountered during his first Bologna winter, and the 'Reclaim Bologna' activists he stumbles across this blistering summer.

What links these contrasting factions? Is there a chance Lucia wasn't the woman Daniel believed her to be? And will the truth be too painful, or too perilous, to bear?

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A dark and atmospheric crime thriller set in the beautiful Italian city of Bologna, perfect for fans of Donna Leon, Michael Dibdin and Philip Gwynne Jones.

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Praise for Tom Benjamin:

'Full of dazzling descriptions, fascinating cultural insights and a brilliant mystery, I loved the latest instalment of the series ' - Philippa East

'A fascinating excursion to Bologna with added mystery, plus some very significant appearances by characters from Daniel Leicester's past, both dead and alive. Highly recommended ' - Louise Hare

'An atmospheric, intelligent crime novel that is an intricate portrait of the heart of Bologna. Beautiful, gripping, and very clever' - Victoria Dowd

'The locale is brought to life . . . the plot keeps you guessing' - The Times

'Slow-burning, tense and brooding' - The Herald Scotland

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1408715546
• ISBN13: 9781408715543
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Constable & Robinson
• Length: 336 Pages