The Priest and the Gondolier

The Priest and the Gondolier is a fascinating new novel by Mervyn Nel. Venice experiences a series of art heists. Paintings are stolen from museums and art galleries. Chief Superintendent, Gina Rossi of the Italian Police and Harry Wilson, an art expert who does freelance work for Interpol in the United Kingdom are commissioned to investigate.As their investigation deepens, Harry suspects that someone within Gina’s department is providing the thieves with confidential information. Though they are often in agreement on how to take the investigation further, at times they see things differently. They receive help from two unlikely sources. The first is from Father Mancini, an elderly priest who translated an ancient manuscript from Latin into Italian and the second is from a middle-aged gondolier, Sergio Alfano, who in his youth was Europe’s foremost art forger. Together they devise an ingenious plan to trap the thieves.Destined to be a literary classic, The Priest and the Gondolier will take your imagination on a fascinating journey through the beautiful city of Venice. The author will guide you through its intricate lanes and canals, letting you see the real, 'La Serenissima' or as stated in his own words, a means to experience Venice from a perspective that is anything but ordinary. Mervyn Nel graduated from the University of Johannesburg with a national diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Psychology. He has since become a full-time South African author who after the successful publication of his most recent novel, ’Theft from Delos’ he left the corporate world to pursue his passion for writing. Mervyn has penned several articles for mainstream magazines, in addition to which, between 2005 and 2012, he wrote short stories, plays and poems for learners between the grades of two and twelve whose home language was not English but who wished to be taught in English as their first language.When he is not writing, Mervyn takes pleasure in being out in nature or enjoying time with his two beloved two cats in his garden in Weltevredenpark, the place he calls home.