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Title details for The Assassin of Venice by Alyssa Palombo - Available

The Assassin of Venice

by Alyssa Palombo
Nicol Zanzarella
Audiobook
57 of 58 copies available
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57 of 58 copies available
Valentina Riccardi is many things: beautiful, cultured, deadly. As one of Venice's famous courtesans, she's perfectly positioned to seduce powerful men, get them alone, and assassinate them. Spies. Traitors. Who they are doesn't matter—only that they made an enemy of the Council of Ten, the shadowy and seemingly omniscient power from which Valentina takes her orders without question. Venice is her home, and after losing everything once before to an invading army, there's nothing she won't do to protect her city, for there's nothing she loves more. Almost nothing. She vowed to never fall in love again, but Valentina can't help but give her heart to Bastiano Bragadin, a fellow assassin. But when Bastiano starts asking the wrong questions, Valentina receives a new assignment: kill him. Yet the more Valentina learns about the Council of Ten, the more she wonders if they're truly acting in the interest of the Venetian state or if they're using her for their own dark ambitions. If Valentina is to save Bastiano, she must untangle their conspiracy—with the help of her fellow courtesans—before it's too late. The Assassin of Venice is a captivating, sensual novel that brings 16th-century Venice to life and draws on the fascinating real history of both Venetian cortigiane oneste—"honest courtesans"—and Renaissance Venice's sprawling intelligence service.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 18, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666661804
      • File size: 282914 KB
      • Duration: 09:49:23

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In an impressive performance, Nicol Zanzarella takes listeners into the beauty, sensuality, and deadly dangers of sixteenth-century Venice. Valentina Riccardi is both a courtesan and a paid assassin. She has no moral qualms about her work, believing that her contract killings are for the good of the Venice she loves. That's true until her employer, Ambrogio Malatesta, presents her with an impossible dilemma: Assassinate the man she loves, or her beloved young daughter will be killed. Zanzarella delivers credible Italian accents and well-rounded personalities. She maintains the high energy needed for this convoluted plot, keeping the story compelling and entertaining. Intrigue, betrayal, secrets and shocking revelations fill this engrossing mystery, and Zanzarella's spot-on narration makes Alyssa Palombo's well-crafted story choice listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      March 7, 2025

      Valentina Riccardi had never questioned the orders she received from the Venetian Council of Ten. A courtesan who offers culture as well as physical intimacy to the Republic's patricians, she is perfectly placed to assassinate powerful men the council deems a threat. When her latest target denies the council's accusations with his dying breath, and her fellow assassin, lover, and the father of her daughter, Bastiano Bragadin, shares his own suspicions of treachery, Valentina is trapped by conflicting loyalties and a lethal web of intrigue. Palombo's (The Borgia Confessions) fourth historical mystery set in Italy stands out for her skillful rendering of period details and characterization of strong women underestimated by men of their time. Narrator Nicol Zanzarella shifts capably between Italian-accented characters, distinguishing adults by affect and tone and Valentina's daughter, Ginevra, by pitch. She offers a rounded, sensuous voice for Valentina, deftly capturing the courtesan's balancing act between calculated performance and genuineness. As the council marks Bastiano for death, Zanzarella intensifies her narration to match Valentina's desperation to save his life from her own blade. VERDICT Romantic Renaissance thrills, perfect for fans of Kate Quinn.--Lauren Kage

      Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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