Cheating Death

by John Drake

Even the Black Death has a lighter side. A street-side conman becomes embroiled in high politics when his scheme to relieve the doge of Genoa of a sizable portion of his wealth backfires. He is conscripted to deliver a message to The Cutler, a mysterious figure in the papal city of Avignon. Two English pilgrims are also making their way to the pope, seeking repentance for their sins. Their journey takes a debauched turn, however, and their arrival is one of a pair of wandering drunkards rather than pious pilgrims. Meanwhile, a Germanic woman leaves her homeland, intent on killing the pope as revenge for the church’s involvement in her brother’s death. There’s just one small problem; she’s not a natural murderer. Their worlds converge on the Palais des Papes amid the ravaging gloom of the plague as the shadows of the doge’s network are brought into the light to save the papacy and the brittle hope of the people.

Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2020

About the author

John Drake is originally from the Wirral, England but has lived in Dublin since 2005. His writing style was inspired primarily by Douglas Adams and Sir Terry Pratchett. Having identified a dearth of similar styles available to fans of these authors he resolved to stop being one of those people who ‘have a book in them’ and decided to write the book he wanted to read. The upshot of which is Making Man, a witty comedy about a Neanderthal engineer, which has escaped from his mind and settled down for good in the comfort of a paperback with its slippers on and a pipe in its mouth. It has been joined on the sofa of improbability by Cheating Death (a Black Death satire), Killing Chance (a Genghis Khan comedy) and Zoomers (a sci-fi comedy).

Reviews

[Karen Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this novel after reading, and thoroughly enjoying, Making Man and wasn't disappointed. Full of historical high jinks and sassy conversation, it had me laughing right through to the end. John's quick wit and hilarious characters ensure an enjoyable read and I needed to get to the end to see what happened. If you're looking for a good laugh, this is the right book for you.