Dunant, Sarah

(British, 1950– )

Sarah Dunant has worked in radio, journalism, and as a television presenter. In addition to creating the Hannah Wolfe novels she has written a psychological thriller, Transgressions (1997), and has written for television. Hannah Wolfe is a private eye, cynical and independent with a shrewd view of the world and a witty turn of phrase. Hannah is based in London and works for Frank Comfort, owner of a security firm; her sister Kate and family appear in the stories. In Fatlands (1993) Frank sends Hannah to chaperone teenager Mattie Shepherd but Hannah isn't told that Mattie's father is being targeted by the Animal Liberation Front. Violent death leads Hannah to investigate the hidden side of livestock farming, big business, and terrorism. The novel is fast-paced with some excellent twists and turns along the way.

The Birth of Venus (2003) is a gripping historical thriller set in fifteenth-century Florence. The narrator (herself a talented artist) falls in love with the painter who is decorating the walls of her family Palazzo. On the city streets the fundamentalist monk Savonarola is gathering followers whose violence is directed against the luxury and learning of the Medici state.

Sara Paretsky, Gillian Slovo, Deborah Moggach  CS/JR