When a young Englishman arrives in Venice for a summer job, he finds that the city's glittering facade masks a much darker reality. Cataloguing an old library, he discovers a lost musical masterpiece, and is drawn into a game of deception, with its roots in the political minefield of Vivaldi's Venice. Venice 1733: the young Lorenzo Scacchi has just arrived in the city to work for his uncle at the renowned printing press of Ca' Scacchi. Awed by Venice's splendour, Lorenzo discovers a world of possibilities he has never ...
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When a young Englishman arrives in Venice for a summer job, he finds that the city's glittering facade masks a much darker reality. Cataloguing an old library, he discovers a lost musical masterpiece, and is drawn into a game of deception, with its roots in the political minefield of Vivaldi's Venice. Venice 1733: the young Lorenzo Scacchi has just arrived in the city to work for his uncle at the renowned printing press of Ca' Scacchi. Awed by Venice's splendour, Lorenzo discovers a world of possibilities he has never before dreamed of. But he finds a darker side too. Ordered by his uncle to chaperone a beautiful and gifted violinist who cannot openly reveal her identity, Lorenzo is drawn into a dangerous game of deception, with horrifying consequences. More than 250 years later, a young Englishman, Daniel Forster, comes to Venice for a summer job and is immediately seduced by the city's beauty and exoticism. Cataloguing a library in the Ca' Scacchi, Daniel discovers the manuscript of an anonymous eighteenth-century concerto. Soon he has become involved in an elaborate scam, leading to a vertiginous spiral of criminal conspiracy and erotic pursuit. David Hewson brilliantly interweaves two stories of intrigue and corruption, set centuries apart, and eventually draws them together in a stunning double-twist ending. Complex, beautiful, suspenseful, Lucifer's Shadow is Hewson's most tantalising and rewarding novel yet.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine in Near Fine jacket. Size: 6x1x9; We're happy to combine shipping to save you some money. We're also always buying collectible book collections. Contact us for details. We're happy to provide pictures of any and all books for you, please just ask! American first edition, first printing. Contains number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Virtually no wear to jacket. Jacket is NOT price clipped. Jacket is in a Mylar cover. Covers are clean and bright. Edges are sharp. No tears or creases. The book itself is in Near Fine condition. The binding is straight and tight. No remainder mark.
There are two stories between the covers of LUCIFER'S SHADOW. Both stories are set in Venice; the first of which is set in the 18th century at the time of Vivaldi (who plays a role in this story) and the second of which is contemporary. In the first story (which alternates with the modern story) a young man, Lorenzo Scacchi, is an apprentice to his uncle in a printing house. The printing house is somewhat of a vanity press. Lorenzo's adventure starts when his uncle sends him into the Jewish ghetto in the city to pick up a young woman, Rebecca, to play in Vivaldi's orchestra at La Pieta, a church in Venice. Not only is it illegal for Lorenzo to do this, but it is illegal for her to go into the church. If the secret got out, she, her brother and Lorenzo could all face strict punishment. Meanwhile in the present, Daniel Forster has been invited to take a job cataloguing a private book collection of a descendant of the Scacchi family. Daniel becomes involved in some shady business dealings on behalf of Scacchi, but soon discovers that things are not what they seem. The 18th century story weaves in and out of the modern-day story, following chapter by chapter, until they seem to be telling the same story. I cannot begin to do this one justice by telling you about it...you have to read it! I loved, absolutely LOVED this book. My favorite types of stories are those in which something from the past makes an appearance in the present and has a bearing on the course of the present. This book was phenomenal and I highly recommend it.
