✍ Scribed by Herman, George
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Booklist review: “Herman’s characters are delightfully drawn and his depiction of Renaissance Italy is right on target… Another fine blend of history and mystery…”
A Missing Necklace * A decadent court in Renaissance Italy * A Reluctant Detective
“Yes, this man is sent to kill me.” The courier, transporting a fabulous necklace, wisely decides to break his journey at an Inn to assess the situation. Indeed he is being followed and reasons he is safer here than on the open road. However he and his mission are doomed and the necklace is lost.
Meanwhile the beautiful but devious Isabella d’Este, Marquesa of Mantua, invites Leonardo to paint her portrait. The Mantuan Court is famous for its moral depravity which gives Leonardo reason to hesitate. But, artists need patrons so he reluctantly accepts the commission. Even so he resolves to stay vigilant against a treacherous motive.
When Leonardo and Niccolo arrive they learn a fabulous necklace, “Tears of the Madonna” has mysteriously disappeared. The Marquesa had sent the necklace to Venice as payment for a loan. Both the necklace and the courier have vanished. Isabella is furious and suspects a conspiracy among her agents.
Isabella’s pet dwarves, act as spies in the castle and they are directed to discover which of her agents may have kept the necklace. Soon one of the agents is found dead, a supposed suicide; another has apparently “jumped” from a tower window; and a third Ser Ottaviano Cristani, Isabella’s Janus assassin, is stricken with fever and a terrible cough. Ottaviano comes to Leonardo for help and is given herbs to help the cough. When he doesn’t get better Leonardo discovers that the herbs he gave to Ottaviano had been poisoned. Someone searched his rooms and knew exactly what poison to use and which herb to add it to. Leonardo is now under suspicion.
But this is a court of lavish entertainments and a very special raucus, decadent, and perverted amusement is planned which would target Ser Johannes Vendramm, a guest at court and Madonna Maddalena d’Oggiono a lady in waiting to Isabella. The amusement is lewd and embarrassing for the young courtier and the lady. Leonardo is puzzled by this vicious display and ponders how they could have drawn such attention. In the meantime, Niccolo has befriended the female dwarf, Lizette, and is enjoying amusements of his own.
Ser Johannes and Madonna Maddalena, still reeling from their embarrassment during the recent “amusement” and a near mortal “accident” while hunting, noticed their rooms had been searched. Not knowing who to trust the couple turn to Leonardo. He acknowledges that the incidents are definitely troublesome. Leonardo asks where they come from and how they came to be at court. Their answers confirm his suspicions.
When a decomposed head is found buried in the Mantuan gardens, Leonardo uses his forensic skills to rebuild it and make a sketch. Piecing together clues gathered in the court and armed with the sketch, Leonardo journeys to Venice to visit a banker, who was to have received the necklace, and who identifies the victim as his courier. In Murano Leonardo discovers how and why the necklace disappeared and verifies the connection of Ser Johannes and Madonna Maddelena.
This knowledge implicates the Marquesa and threatens to embarrass and ruin her. She must rid herself of anyone who could destroy all she holds dear – money and power. Her pet assassin is directed to kill both Leonardo and Niccolo.
Escape seems impossible until...
This second book in the Leonardo adventure mystery series continues the biographical sketch of Leonardo’s life which began in Milan with the first book, “A Comedy of Murders.” Mr. Herman combines the artistic brilliance of the renaissance with the social decadence, political intrigue and religious fanaticism in the “Tears of the Madonna.” If you are fascinated by historical figures showcased in a good story, this series is for you.
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