The Return of the Courtesan

Venice in 1576 is a city ravaged by plague. Most have fled but the beautiful and formidable Tullia Buffo, once the most desired courtesan of the age, has returned home. Facing ruin, Tullia must now fight for her life and protect her secrets.

As the beautiful and formidable Tullia Buffo, once the most desired courtesan of the age, returns home to Venice, she faces ruin. It’s 1576 and most have fled the plague ravaged city. But now Tullia must fight for her life and protect her secrets.

The gondolier Sebastiano, a keeper of secrets, has plied his trade on the canals of Venice his whole life, soaking up gossip and scandal. As a boy, he saved his family from destitution after the terrible wrong the painter Titian’s son did to his father. Now, with Titian dead and his son in Venice to claim his inheritance, the time has finally come for Sebastiano’s revenge.

In the present day, events from centuries earlier suddenly engulf the lives of ordinary people as far distant as London and New York as they are touched by the enduring legacy of Tullia, a lost Titian masterpiece and the secrets of old Venice…


What readers have been saying about The Return of the Courtesan:

'Travelling across time and place, this compelling intrigue captures the beauty of several Venices and the essence of Titian the city's most scandalous genius.'
– FRANCESCO DA MOSTO

‘With fine, elegant brush-strokes, Victoria Blake has created a rich and enchanting novel.’
– RORY CLEMENTS, author of Sunday Times bestseller Holy Spy

'A joy to read, as much for the fascinating characters and historical what ifs?, as the setting – both London and Venice.'
– TRIP FICTION

'This compelling, unputdownable book will absorb you... This is a book that you will not just read from cover to cover, but a book that you will take into your heart, and hold dear, long after you have read that final word.'
– WHISPERING STORIES


The Return of the Courtesan was previously published as Titian's Boatman in Hardback, January 2017.