Carnival of Lies (Cesare Aldo, Bk. 5)

Venice, Winter 1539. 

When Cesare Aldo learns of a conspiracy to assassinate Duke Cosimo de’ Medici, he is hired to protect the ruler of Florence — with his life, if necessary. The deadly attack that follows leads to bodies, bloodshed … and something far more dangerous: the plotters obtain a secret journal of the duke’s thoughts and strategies that — in the wrong hands — could destroy all of Florence. 

Aldo must hunt down those responsible and reclaim the journal, or face banishment from the city and everyone he loves. The trail leads him inexorably to the one place he has sworn to never return — a city of masks and lies: Venice. The fate of a dynasty rests on his shoulders … if he can survive.

“A brilliantly entertaining historical thriller that twists and turns like the very calli and canali of Venice itself” — Philip Gwynne Jones (author of the Nathan Sutherland Venice mysteries)

“A swashbuckling masterpiece, laced with intrigue, treachery and unexpected tenderness” — Orlando Murrin (author of Knife Skills For Beginners and Murder Below Deck)