A Party in San Niccolo

'In the far distance, the great terracotta dome of the cathedral appeared, like a mirage shimmering in the heat haze . . .'

Gina Donovan arrives in Florence on a beautiful spring morning to stay with an old friend. She is hoping for nothing more than a break from her demanding young family, but as she soon finds out, this most ancient and beautiful of cities has its dark side.

Within hours of her arrival, Gina meets the elegant Frances Richardson, who invites her to her birthday party. As Gina learns, Frances' party is the highlight of the expatriate calendar. This year it is to be held in the gardens beneath the city's medieval wall.

However, as Gina's week in Florence unfolds and the party draws near, a terrible discovery is made. And no one in this close-knit community is free of suspicion . . .

“Kent is an extremely fine writer and makes terrific use in particular of the Fens' waterlogged, empty landscape in which secrets can be easily buried if never quite forgotten...Terrifyingly good - MetroAtmospheric and psychologically acute throughout - Sunday TimesChristobel Kent is one of our most assured thriller writers. The Loving Husband is a perfectly paced and plotted novel - Good HousekeepingBrilliant...A spooky, gripping and affecting story - Louise DoughtyAtmospheric and eerily menacing, this cracking psychological thriller demands to be read with all the lights on - Psychologies on The Crooked HouseChristobel Kent is a brilliant writer - India Knight”

Kent is an extremely fine writer and makes terrific use in particular of the Fens' waterlogged, empty landscape in which secrets can be easily buried if never quite forgotten...Terrifyingly good - Metro

Atmospheric and psychologically acute throughout - Sunday Times

Christobel Kent is one of our most assured thriller writers. The Loving Husband is a perfectly paced and plotted novel - Good Housekeeping

Brilliant...A spooky, gripping and affecting story - Louise Doughty

Atmospheric and eerily menacing, this cracking psychological thriller demands to be read with all the lights on - Psychologies on The Crooked House

Christobel Kent is a brilliant writer - India Knight

Christobel Kent was born in London and educated at Cambridge. She has lived variously in Essex, London and Italy. Her childhood included several years spent on a Thames sailing barge in Maldon, Essex with her father, stepmother, three siblings and four step-siblings. She now lives in both Cambridge and Florence with her husband and five children.

'In the far distance, the great terracotta dome of the cathedral appeared, like a mirage shimmering in the heat haze . . .'Gina Donovan arrives in Florence on a beautiful spring morning to stay with an old friend. She is hoping for nothing more than a break from her demanding young family, but as she soon finds out, this most ancient and beautiful of cities has its dark side. Within hours of her arrival, Gina meets the elegant Frances Richardson, who invites her to her birthday party. As Gina learns, Frances' party is the highlight of the expatriate calendar. This year it is to be held in the gardens beneath the city's medieval wall.However, as Gina's week in Florence unfolds and the party draws near, a terrible discovery is made. And no one in this close-knit community is free of suspicion . . .

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