Ascension (Alvise Marangon Mysteries, 1) - Hardcover

"[A] promising series... readers will want to see more of Marangon and his vibrant city."-- Publishers Weekly

"A special thriller set in the Venetian past - its colours and intrigues so vividly described." -- Francesco da Mosto

"Alvise is a terrific character, the murder mystery is absorbingly ingenious and, if you are a sucker for Venice, the sights, sounds and smells of its streets and canals ooze up from the page."
--Daily Mail

"Wonderful ... I loved being transported to my favourite time in my favourite city."--Andrea di Robilant

"Blends a laconic, amused style informed by American Detective literature with a profound knowledge of Venetian geography and history. Stylish, clever and gripping." --The Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month

When a young tour guide, Alvise Marangon, offers to help an English Grand Tourist, little does he know that it will lead to his being embroiled in blackmail and conspiracy. To add to his woes, he is then forcibly recruited into the city's powerful secret service to investigate a murder case. A reluctant spy he may be , but he is a gifted one.

Amidst the world of gambling dens and courtesans, something momentous is being planned for the Feast of the Ascension, Venice's most important and spectacular holiday, and it seems that only Alvise can prevent the day turning into bloody mayhem.