Philippa Gregory - Dark vizeken

Everyone longs for something: love, wealth, a family home.
But how does this desire turn into a destructive, blind obsession?
And what can a person do to get what he wants?

London, 1670. Two unexpected visitors arrive at a poor warehouse on the banks of the Thames - they don't know each other and have no idea that this meeting will change their lives forever. James Avery, a wealthy nobleman, is looking for his former lover, whom he abandoned more than twenty years ago. Now, however, he would offer everything to the woman: his wealth, his noble title and the king's favor. He is convinced that only his former lover, Alinor, can give him what he desires - a boy who can be his heir.

The other visitor is a beautiful widow from Venice who comes with sad news. Livia claims that her husband - Alinor's son - died, drowned in the dark waters of the Venetian lagoon. The Italian widow soon charms her mother-in-law's family with the promise of a get-rich-quick business. However, there is something about his behavior and the story he tells that arouses Alinor's suspicions. But how could you find out the truth?

The story of the characters we met in The Grass Woman continues in Philippa Gregory's new novel. Set in post-Civil War London and the golden streets of Venice, the story features strong, independent women willing to do anything to thrive in a male-dominated world.