Blog Tour: An Extract from The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman
Today I am taking part of the blog tour for The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman by sharing an extract from the novel! This one was just released last week on August 13th.
Book Description:
A young Englishman captured by slavers must survive the snakepit that is seventeenth-century Venice.
1604. As pirates seeking slaves to sell in the markets of North Africa terrorise the coasts of Europe, headstrong Richard Sheriff and his sister Elizabeth are torn from their Devonshire home and thrust into a waking nightmare.
Richard’s skills as a blacksmith see him fetch a high price, but the pirate captain has other plans for Elizabeth and once they are separated, Richard has no idea of his sister’s fate. They must both learn to survive on a deadly voyage into the unknown.
Sold into servitude in Venice: glittering, vicious city of secrets, he is apprenticed to a knife maker. Richard’s talents soon win him renown… but haunted by his sister’s absence, he vows never to stop looking for her, knowing she would do the same for him.
First he must survive that city of ghosts. Will the siblings live to see each other again, or will they join the myriads lost to Venice, where life is cheap, profit is all, and escape nigh-on impossible?
A powerful historical adventure perfect for fans of Kate Mosse, Ken Follett and Robert Harris.
Buy Your Copy Here:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Extract:
Her life before being captured had been lived on her own terms. Her plain-speaking manner had served her well in the company of others less straightforward, who used words that teased, chastised, cajoled or enticed. This manner, together with a similar plainness of dress, had kept most suitors at bay. And Challenor had always kept a respectful distance whenever he visited Dartmouth, while still making his feelings known.
Elizabeth’s desire to protect her younger brother had never faltered and she allowed no one to come between them. Had she permitted her heart to soften and allow a man to enter her life, there was a risk that brother and sister would be parted, for her responsibility would then be to her husband. It had been Challenor’s understanding and acceptance of her love for Richard that allowed her to agree to his proposal, before Challenor went missing.
She embraced the lessons learnt from her early life. Peasant children like Elizabeth would often be traded into a marriage for the benefit of their family. But when her mother died after Richard’s birth, although he was wet-nursed by a woman in the town, he soon became Elizabeth’s responsibility. She not only looked after him, but also their father when he was not at sea. The care she gave the infant never wavered. In her mind the affection she bore for him was that of a mother’s love from beyond the grave. Despite the grief of her mother’s death, her brother’s birth was Elizabeth’s salvation.
About the Author:
David Gilman has enjoyed many careers, including paratrooper, firefighter, and photographer. An award-winning author and screenwriter, he is the author of the critically acclaimed Master of War series of historical novels, and was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for The Last Horseman. He was longlisted for the same prize for The Englishman, the first book featuring ex-French Foreign Legionnaire Dan Raglan. David lives in Devon. Follow David on @davidgilmanuk, www.davidgilman.com, and facebook.com/davidgilman.author.
Contact David:
Website
X @davidgilmanuk