The Queen's Gambit: A Leonardo da Vinci Mystery (Leonardo Da Vinci Mysteries)
Starred Review. Leonardo da Vinci, the epitome of the Renaissance man, turns to solving mysteries in Stuckart's impressive debut. Ludovico Sforza, the duke of Milan, asks Leonardo to organize an elaborate live chess game to settle a dispute between the duke and the French ambassador to Milan. All goes well until the duke's ambassador to France, who was playing a white bishop, is found murdered by the duke's knife. Fearing severe political repercussions and possible threats from within the court, the paranoid duke commands Leonardo, one of the few outsiders he trusts, to investigate. The mystery unfolds with vivid details of 15th-century Milanese royal life, the political intrigues of the time and the elaborate preparations for Leonardo's frescos. Narrated by Dino, an apprentice who serves as a rather excitable Watson to Leonardo's coolly analytical Holmes, the mesmerizing plot moves swiftly to a dramatic conclusion that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next volume.(Jan.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.