City of God

Italy, 1943. Irish detective Stefan Gillespie leaves the chaos of Nazi-occupied Rome for neutral Switzerland on a mission his government knows nothing about. Waiting for a late-night connection in Zurich he sees a train that shouldn''t be there. The train''s SS guards, who shouldn''t be there either, beat him to within an inch of his life. But Stefan''s perilous journey begins in Rome with the barbaric murder of an idealistic young Irish priest. The Eternal City is a place of vengeance, duplicity and betrayal that has even infected the City of God itself, the Vatican. In a war that is everywhere, not even neutrals, can escape the surrounding darkness.

Praise for Michael Russell

''In The City of God, Michael Russell again captures wartime Europe''s uncertainties through his richly drawn Garda inspector Stefan Gillespie'' Irish Times

''Complex but compelling . . . utterly vivid and convincing'' Independent on Sunday

''A superb, atmospheric thriller'' Irish Independent

''A thriller to keep you guessing and gasping'' Daily Mail

''Atmospheric'' Sunday Times