THE HOLY CITY IS NO PLACE FOR MERCY
'Matthew Plampin should rank with the best' Sunday Times
'Plampin is heartbreakingly good' The Times
'Gripping, immersive, at times very funny and beautifully written, this is historical fiction of the highest quality' Elizabeth Fremantle
Rome, 1650.
The streets are teeming as thousands of pilgrims flood in for the Holy Jubilee, but behind the gilded façade of the Vatican, power is unravelling.
Donna Olimpia Maidalchini has long kept Pope Innocent X under her thumb, but as loyalties shift, her enemies close in. And her most dangerous opponents may be those she deems too weak to matter.
Two destitute nuns arrive, fleeing the ruined city of Castro and each carrying secrets that could destroy them.
Meanwhile, the assistant to the famed Spanish artist Diego Velazquez is drawn into a perilous conspiracy - one that could bring Italy to its knees, and against which his own desperate ambitions seem to count for nothing.
As the sweltering summer heat rises, survival, not salvation, becomes the ultimate goal - and in this world of sin, saints almost never survive.
In this latest work by Matthew Plampin, the heritage and cultural aspects of 1650 Rome are vividly brought to life. The religious undertones and biographical elements of the story add depth to the narrative, making These Wicked Devices a top pick for any fiction enthusiast.
For fans of Joan Aiken (Hate Begins at Home), Nicole Trope (The Truth about the Accident), Amita Trasi (The Color of Our Sky), Maggie O'Farrell (Hamnet), and Robert Harris (Conclave).
HarperCollins 2025
