Description

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The third instalment in a prize-winning series charting the rise of the House of Medici as they become Masters of Florence and progenitors of the Renaissance.

Fontainebleau, 1536. Francis II, Dauphin and heir to the French throne, is dead. Poisoned. And the royal court believe Catherine de' Medici to be the murderer. Catherine's husband Henry will now be the next King of France – and the Medici are known to stop at nothing in the pursuit of power.

But not yet queen and without an heir of her own, seventeen-year-old Catherine cannot be sure of securing her family's legacy. To ensure the conception of an heir, she will need to seek help from an unexpected ally: Nostradamus, the reclusive astronomer and purported seer. Dismissed by most as a charlatan and a heretic, Catherine knows he will be her only hope in becoming a mother to the future king.

Amid court intrigues, betrayals, and humiliations, Catherine waits. She awaits the death of her father-in-law, King Francis, and the birth of a son to carry her name. For once she is queen, Catherine de' Medici's power will only grow.

But that power comes at a heavy cost, one she might ever regret.

'Strukul has a brilliant style and a rare imagination' Tim Willocks

'Matteo Strukul has arrived with a bang. His historical saga, Medici, is a worldwide success' Il Venerdì

About the Author

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Matteo Strukul was born in Padua in 1973 and has a Ph.D. in European law. His novels are published in twenty countries. He writes for the cultural section of Venerdì di Repubblica and lives with his wife in Padua, Berlin and Transylvania.

Praise For…

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“PRAISE FOR MATTEO STRUKUL:

'Strukul has a brilliant style and a rare imagination' Tim Willocks, bestselling author of Green River Rising.

'Matteo Strukul is one of the most important new voices in Italian crime fiction' Joe R. Lansdale, Edgar Winner for The Bottoms.

'Matteo Strukul has arrived with a bang. His historical saga, Medici, is a worldwide success' Il Venerdì.

'The story of a important dynasty, one made of conspiracy and betrayal. But also the story of the great cultural revolution of the Renaissance' La Repubblica.

'Writing that lives, pulsates and excites. This is a novel full of thrills and realistic dialogue, as well as a solid historical narrative'” —La Stampa