A Party in San Niccolo

By Christobel Kent

Book Overview

'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 . . .

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 075157113X
• ISBN13: 9780751571134
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Sphere
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.9" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Want to absorb the spirit of Italy ?-

It is quite some time since I read this absorbing literary novel - yet whenever I think of Italy this cleverly crafted tour de force comes to mind . The English author has somehow gotten under the skin of the ancient place and has managed to put into words the very special feeling one gets when visiting the place . Since producing this novel , her amazing talent for putting into words the essence of any place she sets her stories has led to a string of international best sellers . Gradually her genre has become one of placing women like herself in scary and life altering situations - thrillers . But this first novel stands alone in its evocative depiction of ex- pats floating like an alien species on the surface of local , Italian life . While somewhat uncomfortably realistic - unlike so many of the string of My House in Umbria type yarns - more than any contemporary writer I have come across , Kent’s version of life in Italy lingers in the mind in a mysterious fashion . So much so that I plan to go back to the beginning of this brilliant word smith’s oeuvre and read SAN NICCOLO once more . It is , like REBECCA , or even TESS OF THE DURBERVILLES , worth the effort . I recommend this first novel to any aspiring writer - look and learn from a mistress of the craft . It doesn’t get much better than this - especially now when all travel is via the armchair .

A party in San Niccolo

Christobel Kent is an English author. I accidently purchased one of her mysteries while in Europe and since then have purchased and read all three of her books..the other two are: "The Summer House" and "Late Season". She has a 2006 book which is yet to be available. Her books have a lot of description of charactors and details of location. I highly recommend reading her books.