The Botticelli Secret: A Novel of Renaissance Italy

In this exhilarating cross between The Da Vinci Code and The Birth of Venus, an irrepressible young woman in 15th-century Italy must flee for her life after stumbling upon a deadly secret when she serves as a model for Botticelli...
When part-time model and full-time prostitute Luciana Vetra is asked by one of her most exalted clients to pose for a painter friend, she doesn't mind serving as the model for the central figure of Flora in Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece "Primavera." But when the artist dismisses her without payment, Luciana impulsively steals an unfinished version of the painting--only to find that somone is ready to kill her to get it back.
What could possibly be so valuable about the picture? As friends and clients are slaughtered around her, Luciana turns to the one man who has never desired her beauty, novice librarian Brother Guido. Fleeing Venice together, Luciana and Guido race through the nine cities of Renaissance Italy, pursued by ruthless foes who are determined to keep them from decoding the painting's secrets.
Gloriously fresh and vivid, with a deliciously irreverent heroine, The Botticelli Secret is an irresistible blend of history, wit, and suspense.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 03/30/2010
ISBN: 9780312606367
Pages: 544
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 1.40d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2009
Library Journal 01/15/2010 pg. 90
Publishers Weekly 02/08/2010 pg. 28
Booklist 02/15/2010 pg. 40
Romantic Times 04/01/2010 pg. 81 - Very Good