Devotion and death

DV Bishop on his gripping new historical novel, The Darkest Sin

Your book is set in Renaissance Florence. Why choose that setting? The Florence of the period is built on beauty and bloodshed. Classical art and architecture are revived and surpassed, ushering Europe toward modernity. But the city is riven by political intrigue, too. It is home to great artists, yet also inspires Machiavelli to write The Prince

– a guide to keeping power at any cost. That duality makes it a perfect setting for historical thrillers.

Much of the action takes place in a convent. How did you research the history of such institutions in the city? I visited Florence before lockdown, but no convents from 1537 – the year in which my book is set – remain as they were; spaces where nuns lived were not deemed worth preserving. So I went to San Marco, a convent that is now a museum. Floorplans from lost convents helped fill in the gaps, and I read all I could find about convent life in this period.

Were you inspired by any real people? Yes. One such figure was the archbishop of Florence of that time, who spent years fleecing the city’s faithful. Another was Virginia Galilei, illegitimate daughter of astronomer Galileo Galilei. Considered unworthy for marriage, she took the veil to became Sister Maria Celeste.

This is a sequel to City of Vengeance, also set in Renaissance Florence. What drew you back there?

Nearly 500 years ago, Florence had a criminal justice system comparable to a modern police force, with investigating officers and courts. That enables my detective, Cesare Aldo, to move between all levels of Renaissance society. I can write about people who are often left out of history, telling their stories in fastpaced novels that also respect the past.

The Darkest Sin

by DV Bishop

(Pan Macmillan, 432 pages, £16.99)