{"product_id":"these-wicked-devices","title":"These Wicked Devices","description":"\u003cp\u003eMatthew Plampin\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn extraordinary literary historical novel, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel or Sarah Perry\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTHE HOLY CITY IS NO PLACE FOR MERCY\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Matthew Plampin should rank with the best'\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Plampin is heartbreakingly good'\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Gripping, immersive, at times very funny and beautifully written, this is historical fiction of the highest quality' Elizabeth Fremantle\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRome, 1650.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe streets are teeming as thousands of pilgrims flood in for the Holy Jubilee, but behind the gilded façade of the Vatican, power is unravelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDonna 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo destitute nuns arrive, fleeing the ruined city of Castro and each carrying secrets that could destroy them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, the assistant to the famed Spanish artist Diego Velázquez 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the sweltering summer heat rises, survival, not salvation, becomes the ultimate goal – and in this world of sin, saints almost never survive.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":50143858262302,"sku":"9780008538798","price":25.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0669\/3584\/9246\/files\/BNCImageAPI-2025-09-14T092004.061.jpg?v=1757856050","url":"https:\/\/www.cedarcanoebooks.com\/products\/these-wicked-devices","provider":"Cedar Canoe Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}