The Venetian Sanctuary

'I devoured all Philip's novels and felt transported to Venice with a new intimacy' Val McDermid 'An unputdownable thriller' Gregory Dowling 'The plot is a masterwork of intrigue' Daily Mail 'Gwynne Jones's talent for evoking place and atmosphere is clear as ever' Literary Review What lies beneath? Venice, June 2020. The city has returned to the Venetians during a merciful pause in the Covid pandemic, and few overseas visitors are to be seen. Yet Dominic Vicari, a British private investigator haunted by loss, has travelled across Europe to the tiny island of San Francesco del Deserto. The ancient monastery there, it is said, was founded by St Francis himself in the 13th century. Its population now consists of five Franciscan brothers and three pilgrims on retreat. Or, rather, two pilgrims and a dead man. Nathan Sutherland is called in when Vicari's broken body is found at the base of the campanile, his death seemingly nothing more than a terrible accident. But Nathan isn't so sure and