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Five Kisses from a Blasphemous Nun: A Giallo Mystery Thriller
Giallo (Italian for ‘yellow’): A genre of Italian-produced thriller-horror films popular in the 1960s and 1970s.
They called her the Heretic Nun. Lavinia, a fifteenth century Italian nun who was burned at the stake for diabolical acts of satanism, has become a folk legend. But is there more to her story and was she really guilty of the horrific crimes she was accused of?
As far as Michael, a failed American actor, is concerned, the legend of Lavinia the Heretic Nun is fodder for his fledgling career in the seedy world of fotoromanzi— lurid photo comics with a focus on sex and violence. But when somebody starts brutally murdering members of the cast and crew, he is forced to wonder if the production is cursed or at least the target of a deranged serial killer.
Set in 1970s Florence, Five Kisses from a Blasphemous Nun is a chilling murder mystery with a splash of bloody horror in the giallo tradition.
They called her the Heretic Nun. Lavinia, a fifteenth century Italian nun who was burned at the stake for diabolical acts of satanism, has become a folk legend. But is there more to her story and was she really guilty of the horrific crimes she was accused of?
As far as Michael, a failed American actor, is concerned, the legend of Lavinia the Heretic Nun is fodder for his fledgling career in the seedy world of fotoromanzi— lurid photo comics with a focus on sex and violence. But when somebody starts brutally murdering members of the cast and crew, he is forced to wonder if the production is cursed or at least the target of a deranged serial killer.
Set in 1970s Florence, Five Kisses from a Blasphemous Nun is a chilling murder mystery with a splash of bloody horror in the giallo tradition.
189 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 6, 2025
Truly managed to perfectly capture the giallo vibe in all the good and the bad. Like most giallos this dragged a little in the middle and had some really frustrating Italian police work.
I found couple typos and I wish this had focused more on creative chase and murder scenes instead of the detective work. I wanted more of The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh or Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key vibes instead of the What Have They Done to Your Daughters? vibes this gave.
Overall still really enjoyable experience and I hope the author keeps on writing more giallo inspired books.
I found couple typos and I wish this had focused more on creative chase and murder scenes instead of the detective work. I wanted more of The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh or Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key vibes instead of the What Have They Done to Your Daughters? vibes this gave.
Overall still really enjoyable experience and I hope the author keeps on writing more giallo inspired books.
November 3, 2025
Somewhere between 4 and 5 stars, so I'll round up. If you like Giallo movies, you should read this book. It reads like a novelization of a lost 70s Giallo film. You will probably guess who the killer is, but that did not take away from my enjoyment of it.
December 10, 2025
The first time I’ve read a book that was a Giallo and this pulls it off fantastically. A little predictable? Maybe but the storyline and characters are great and authentic. Highly recommended for fans of the genre. Type to watch some Argento!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews