Exploring Resilience Through History: A Conversation with Ken Tentarelli

Ken Tentarelli never set out to become a historical fiction author. A longtime engineer with little initial interest in history, it wasn’t until a transformative trip to Italy that everything changed. Immersed in the art, architecture, and atmosphere of Renaissance Florence, Tentarelli found himself inspired to imagine what life was like centuries ago—and eventually, to write about it. That curiosity led to the creation of his Nico Argenti historical mystery series, bringing to life a young Florentine lawyer navigating the politics and perils of the 14th century.

In his latest novel, The Blackest Time, Tentarelli turns his focus to one of the darkest chapters in human history: the Black Plague. But rather than focusing solely on tragedy, the novel highlights the resilience, compassion, and complexity of the people who endured it. In this insightful Q&A, Tentarelli shares the inspirations behind the book, the real-life historical research that shaped his storytelling, and the timeless relevance of themes like fear, superstition, and hope.

Tell us a bit about your background and career.

My professional career as an engineer left me with little time or interest in history. That changed when my wife and I took a tour of Italy. Witnessing the places and things that shaped lives hundreds of years ago was awe-inspiring. We made annual trips to Italy, exploring different regions each time, but always including Rome and Florence in our itineraries.

I became captivated by Renaissance Florence, imagining what life must have been like. Envisioning the past prompted me to try writing. My debut novel featured Nico Argenti, a young man newly returned to Florence after graduating from the University of Bologna law school. Life in Florence, as I read about it, was new to me and, to a degree, it was new to Nico as well, because he’d been sheltered for six years in an academic community.

A Publishers Weekly starred review motivated me to keep writing. I was getting to know Nico and eager to learn more about him. That meant delving into his world by doing more research, which culminated in five more books in the Nico series.

Extending my research took me back further in time to when the Black Plague devastated Florence. The incredible events of that era form the core of my latest book, The Blackest Time.

The Blackest Time explores the endurance of the human spirit amid one of history’s darkest periods. What inspired you to set the story during the Black Plague in Florence?

The mid-fourteenth century was arguably the most horrific period in human history. Two years of incessant rain destroyed farm crops resulting in famine in Florence. The famine had barely ended when the Black Plague descended and claimed forty percent of the city’s inhabitants.

The people of Florence reacted in different ways to the disasters.

Compassionate people helped their neighbors through their suffering by offering food, shelter, and comfort. Wealthy businessmen fled the city with their families. Doctors tried unsuccessfully to treat the afflicted. Government officials found innovative ways to bring grain from northern Italy and Sicily to feed the hungry. Carefree men spent their time in taverns and brothels. Gamblers wagered on societal disruptions. Religious souls prayed for God’s mercy. It wasn't the plague itself, but the response of the people that inspired me to write The Blackest Time. I saw so much happening and felt their story needed to be told.

The book tackles fear, superstition, and scapegoating—issues that still resonate today. Was that a deliberate choice, and how do you hope modern readers will relate to these themes?

Themes such as fear and superstition reflect the historic reality drawn from my research. With no medical understanding of the illness, medieval people invented reasons and blamed others for the sickness.

Through the ages, women have been falsely accused of practicing witchcraft. We see this in The Blackest Time, when Roman monks are sent to Florence as prosecutors to pursue heretics and witches. Protagonist Gino helps a woman healer accused of witchcraft to flee the city.

Although priests frequently blamed secular groups, the opposite was also true. The story illustrates this with lumberjacks who blame priests’ lavish lifestyles for provoking God’s wrath. The plague, they claim, is divine retribution.

Readers can find parallel behaviors in our society during the recent Covid pandemic. Before the Covid strain’s origin was understood, people wrongly blamed others for spreading it. Ineffective and even dangerous remedies were touted during the pandemic.

In contrast, uplifting themes show the reader there was light even in that darkest time. With Gino as their central figure, they serve as a counterpoint to the suffering. To ease the burden on his family’s farm, Gino brings his sister to Florence, where she grows from a young girl to a woman. Gino meets and falls in love with Gabriela. He aids a woman displaced from her flooded farm and he rescues a girl orphaned by the plague.

What do you hope readers take away from the book?

I hope readers will understand that seven centuries ago, people lived in a primitive world lacking science and technology, but the people themselves weren’t primitive. Like us, they had good qualities: compassion, love, ambition, and courage. And undesirable qualities: jealousy and greed. They were influenced by superstitions, unfounded beliefs, and fears, as are we.

Rather than viewing The Blackest Time as a depressing tale, I hope readers will find it inspiring—a testament to the strength of the human spirit in overcoming unimaginable adversity.

What are you working on now, and what can we expect from you next?

I expect to return to the Nico Argenti series, but right now I’m taking a break from historical fiction. My current project is a cyber-thriller series fueled by my longstanding interest in technology. The female protagonist is a member of the Cyber Security Agency.

Where can people learn more about you and your work?

Readers can learn about me and my books on my website at KenTentarelli.com There they can find a synopsis and video trailer of The Blackest Time.  They can also contact me via the website. I love hearing from readers.

For more information on Ken and his books please visit: https://kententarelli.com/