The Blackest Time
by Ken Tentarelli
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/25/2025
DESCRIPTION:
Set during the most horrific time in our history: the Black Plague. "The Blackest Time" portrays the turmoil of people coping with a devastating epidemic having no known cause or cure. Its exciting action, drama, and emotional depth will translate into powerful performances. The success of "Nosferatu" and "The Decameron" show the market is ready for this exceptional timepiece.
Shortly after Gino Liani leaves his family’s farm to find work in Florence, two years of incessant rain destroy crops in the countryside, causing famine in the city. Gino secures shelter for the displaced and helps others in despair. When the rains end, the Black Plague ravages the city. Gino rescues a girl orphaned by the plague. He aids a woman unjustly accused of witchcraft build a new life in a welcoming village.
In a world teetering on the edge, love blossoms between Gino and a woman he met at the apothecary. "The Blackest Time" is a testament to the human spirit overcoming unimaginable adversity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ken Tentarelli is a frequent visitor to Italy. In travels from the Alps to the southern coast of Sicily he developed a love for its history and its people. He has studied Italian culture and language in Rome and Perugia. When not traveling, Ken and his wife live in New Hampshire. He is a strong advocate for his local library and has taught courses in Italian history spanning time from the Etruscans to the Renaissance.
Ken is the author of a series of six historical thrillers set in the Italian Renaissance that have earned an Elit Silver Book Award, the Indie Reader Discovery Award, a Book Excellence Award finalist, a Publishers Weekly starred review, and the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Award mystery winner, and 2024 Independent Press Award favorite. His latest book, "The Blackest Time," will be released by Black Rose Writing in September.
REVIEWS:
"The complexities and the helplessness of the plague is captured exquisitely in 'The Blackest Time.'” — The Independent Book Review
"Tentarelli’s ability to immerse readers in medieval Florence’s sights, sounds, and struggles makes this a novel worth diving into.” — The Literary Titan
“The historically rigorous description of the apothecary profession, including the guild that regulates it, is impressively presented by the author, whose research is impeccable." — Kirkus Reviews
"This is truly an uplifting and edifying narrative of the inherent ability of mankind to rise above all the worst trials and tribulations. I enjoyed this story immensely and highly recommend it." — Readers Favorite 5 star review
COMPARATIVE FILM/BOOK:
"Nosferatu" and "The Decameron"
CASTING:
Lorenzo Zurzolo
PRIMARY VENUES/LOCATIONS WITHIN THE BOOK:
Medieval Florence Italy
BOOK EXCERPT:
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