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The Magus of Sicily

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The Magus of Sicily

By: Philip Gwynne Jones
Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
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About this listen

 'If this book is not popular with fans of The White Lotus, something is definitely awry . . . [a] sumptuously set mystery' Daily Mirror

'Invokes Italy's most exquisite island as a setting for myth and murder . . . Truly evocative' Financial Times

'Tension that keeps us rooted to the page' Daily Mail

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An island of myth, legend . . . and murder?

As the summer sun beats down on the ancient town of Acitrezza, a folk festival plays out in the picturesque harbour. Music, laughter and the aroma of local delicacies fill the air, and a traditional pantomime draws a crowd.

For rookie journalist Nedda Leonardi, it's just another day's reporting in a calendar of unremarkable events. Until that is, the performers dive in the sparkling Ionian Sea for their finale... and emerge with a corpse. Could this be Nedda's big break?

After one trick too many, Calogero Maugeri, self-styled Magus and con artist, is a wanted man. But his attempts to clean up his act and keep a low profile are thwarted when it's revealed he has a suspicious connection to the dead man pulled from the sea.

A young reporter keen for a scoop and a reformed swindler desperate to clear his name... can this improbable pair solve the most unusual of murders?

Discover the first mystery in your new favourite crime series set on Italy's most beautiful island: Sicily. A gripping and atmospheric story, perfect for fans of Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series.

©2025 Philip Gwynne Jones (P)2025 Hachette Audio UK Crime Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Crime Italy Magic Users Murder
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Such a letdown after the Honorary Consul series which was so good. It didn’t seem like the same writer and the characters were not nearly so engaging.

Disappointing

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Struggled a bit with the Italian names. Didn't like the reader's voice. The characters lacked the charm of Nathan Sutherland and the locations didn't resonate. I won't be listening to any others in the series (if there is one) like the reader's voice.

Disappointing.

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I love Philip Gwynn Jones Venetian novels and looked forward to this story set in Sicily, but was very disappointed. The story was ok, though I found the writing rather pedestrian, but was made really irritating by the very peculiar stilted narration. The determination to pronounce all the Italian names “correctly” was signalled by a pause before every name, but even then the name “Stefano” was not pronounced correctly. All the male characters sounded more or less the same and the overall effect was to make me long for the end.

Not a patch on the Venetian novels

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I really enjoyed this ! Having read all of Philip’s “Nathan Sutherland “novels set in Venice it was a joy to meet a new set of characters set in my other most favourite place in the world , Sicily. A mysterious plot with twists and turns , engaging characters with moments of humour even in the most dangerous situations. I felt myself transported from my Scottish garden to the heat of a Sicilian summer and the slopes of Etna. I hope there are more Sicilian novels to follow !

An intriguing story in the backdrop of a Sicilian summer

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I’ve rather under-read Gwynn Jones previous novels. Set in Venice, They’re fun and easy to like without much effort. This has a different tone and took me a chapter or two to get into and much longer to empathise with the characters. (Why do clever in women in books always have to live with a career-harming older parent!!). Still, we got there and it’s thoroughly enjoyable.

Complex and at times frustrating in a good way

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