David Hewson The Four Deadly Seasons

A centuries-old score. A city built on secrets. A melody that kills. When a celebrated music impresario is found dead in Venice-his body slumped in the hot house of a remote palazzo, a cryptic musical interval in his hand-rumours swirl around a rediscovered manuscript: the original score for The Four Seasons, penned in Vivaldi's own hand. But is it a masterpiece lost to time or a masterful forgery? Arnold Clover, a reclusive British archivist seeking peace in the city on the lagoon, is reluctantly drawn into the mystery. Hired to authenticate the deadly manuscript, Arnold finds himself at the centre of a chilling conspiracy that spirals through shadowy music chambers, forgotten archives, and bloodstained Venetian alleyways. As the seasons change, so does the tempo of the killings. With each movement of Vivaldi's immortal concerto, another victim falls. To stop the music, Arnold must unravel a trail of coded messages, heretical symbols, and the unholy legend of the diabolus in musica, a sound once believed to summon the Devil himself. A taut, elegant thriller steeped in music, myth, and murder, The Four Deadly Seasons is perfect for fans of Dan Brown, Robert Harris, and Donna Leon. "Arnold Clover is back in his finest adventure yet. A rollicking, operatic read from a writer who both loves and understands the city." - Philip Gwynne Jones