Sinners

The electrifying tale of rage and resistance of young noblewoman Beatrice Cenci, now in paperback

A young noblewoman accused of murder, awaits execution. Imprisoned in the Corte Savella, she has captured the hearts and sympathy of all Rome. . .

This is the true and tragic tale of Beatrice Cenci.

Murder most foul or vengeance most just?

Helpless victim or resolute heroine?

Rome, 1599.

Beatrice yearns to escape the clutches of her abusive father and determined to find a way back to Rome, enlists the help of Olimpio, the castle’s keeper. Soon the love that grows between them will transform Beatrice’s fortunes, for better and for worse. . .

History has sold her short. She is no doe-eyed victim of her father’s brutality, nor the cunning murderer who plotted her father’s demise. No, this Beatrice - a woman pregnant by her lover, incarcerated in a remote castle by her father, and brim-full of white-hot rage - is both innocent and guilty, saint and sinner.

And she will stand tall in the face of the violence of men, no matter the cost.

Praise for Sinners:

An evocative tale of misplaced love and lust at a time when, saint or sinner, no one wins. A gripping read which gallops to a crescendo of an ending - Melanie Cantor

A sensationally powerful novel with a rollercoaster of a story that has the dark logic of Greek tragedy - Andrew Taylor, bestselling author of The Ashes of London

I was spellbound by this wonderful book and had to neglect everything else to finish it. Truly, it's one of the best historical novels I have read in a long time. Elizabeth Fremantle evokes so beautifully and convincingly the Italy of the late sixteenth century; her characters are compellingly drawn and her prose is magnificent. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough - Alison Weir, acclaimed historian and novelist

A dark and brilliant historical novel that reads like a cross between a murder mystery, a true crime drama, and a Jacobean tragedy. You can almost feel the heat and the horror of the sixteenth century. One of the best historical novels I have read in a very long time - Garth Russell, acclaimed historian of Queen James

A transporting historical thriller – 16th century Rome, a heroine (kind-of) and a murder trial - Erin Kelly, bestselling author of He Said, She Said

© Elizabeth Fremantle 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025