Review: Macchiavelli Would be Proud
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 11, 2014
Murder in mind is a mystery novel set in one of this reader’s favorite historical settings, renaissance Florence. Amelia Pasch succeeds in bringing Florence to life with colorful scenes of pageantry, taverns, bordellos, the stews, and the ladies of the night who ply their trade on the Ponte Santa Trinita.The family of Vittorio Venditore expects the arrival of Lady Isabella St. Claire de Loraine with the expectation that she will be a suitable bride for Vittorio, an eminently eligible bachelor and advocate in the Florentine law courts. They are not aware that Lady Isabella is a spy for Duke Rene of Loraine and has come to Florence to uncover a plot to overturn the Republic and reinstate the rule of the Medici. This plot involves the assassination of Piero Soderini, the Gonfaloniere of Florence. Duke Rene is sympathetic to the republic and Lady Isabella’s instructions are that she must unmask the assassin and prevent the assassination and coupe d’etat. She is accompanied by her maid servant, Maria, by her aide de camp, and by a half dozen loyal bodyguards.There are not just one, but two beautiful female spies in the story. The other one is Silvestra Cariponi, mistress of Pope Alexander VI, who has ordered her to Florence to act as his spy. Cesare Borgia, Alexander’s illegitimate son is intriguing against his father and has ordered his henchman, Alfonso, to follow Silvestra and murder her.It is the duty of Vittorio’s friend Alessandro Gironi, the head of the city’s security forces, and his able assistant Tomasso, to solve the murders that keep happening. Alessandro is aware of the identity of one of the murderers he seeks, but is flummoxed about the identity of the other, although he has information that the man is a member of his own security forces.Isabella is thwarted in her attempts to connect with the Venditores by Vittorio’s sister Beatrice, who turns her away from the family’s estate at Empoli. Isabella pretends to depart back to Loraine from Pisa but secretly makes her way to Florence. We are well into the book when Vittorio and Isabella finally meet, but when they do, sparks fly.Murder in mind is a rich and exciting read.