Before the Tudors, there were the Borgias. More passionate. More dangerous. More deadly.
From the author of Poison, called "stunning"* and "a fascinating page-turner," comes a new historical thriller, featuring the same intriguing and beautiful heroine: Borgia court poisoner, Francesca Giordano.
In the summer of 1493, Rodrigo Borgia, Alexander VI, has been pope for almost a year. Having played a crucial role in helping him ascend the chair of Saint Peter, Francesca, haunted by the shadows of her own past, is now charged with keeping him there. As court poisoner to the most notorious and dangerous family in Italy, this mistress of death faces a web of peril, intrigue, and deceit that threatens to extinguish the light of the Renaissance.
As dangers close in from every direction, Francesca conceives a desperate plan that puts her own life at risk and hurls her into a nightmare confrontation with a madman intent on destroying all she is pledged to protect. From the hidden crypts of fifteenth-century Rome to its teeming streets alive with sensuality, obsession, and treachery, Francesca must battle the demons of her own dark nature to unravel a plot to destroy the Borgias, seize control of Christendom, and plunge the world into eternal darkness.
"A nice accompaniment for this spring's The Borgias TV series, Poole's hypnotic, richly detailed historical provides an illuminating portrait of Italy's most powerful Renaissance family. . . . [An] aromatic elixir of political power plays, seductive romance, and dark derring-do."
Publishers Weekly
"Poole's second historical title continues seamlessly from where Poison left us. . . . The characters are well drawn and the evocation of Renaissance Roman life is full of detail. The conclusion promises more conflict and adventure in the next book. . . . a good read. For historical fiction and romance readers."
Library Journal
"Oh, those Borgias, the first family of crime, seem to leap from the pages of this sequel to Poison that reintroduces Francesca Giordano, poisoner for Pope Alexander, aka Rodrigo Borgia. Suspenseful, action-packed and fascinating, Poole's novel is replete with the atmosphere of the Renaissance."
