Synopses & Reviews
Before the Tudors, there were the Borgias. More passionate. More dangerous. More deadly.
From the author of Poison, called “stunning”* and “a fascinating page-turner,” comes a new historical thriller, featuring the same intriguing and beautiful heroine: Borgia court poisoner, Francesca Giordano.
In the summer of 1493, Rodrigo Borgia, Alexander VI, has been pope for almost a year. Having played a crucial role in helping him ascend the chair of Saint Peter, Francesca, haunted by the shadows of her own past, is now charged with keeping him there. As court poisoner to the most notorious and dangerous family in Italy, this mistress of death faces a web of peril, intrigue, and deceit that threatens to extinguish the light of the Renaissance.
As dangers close in from every direction, Francesca conceives a desperate plan that puts her own life at risk and hurls her into a nightmare confrontation with a madman intent on destroying all she is pledged to protect. From the hidden crypts of fifteenth-century Rome to its teeming streets alive with sensuality, obsession, and treachery, Francesca must battle the demons of her own dark nature to unravel a plot to destroy the Borgias, seize control of Christendom, and plunge the world into eternal darkness.
*Booklist
+Lauren Willig
Review
Praise for The Borgia Betrayal
“A nice accompaniment for this springs The Borgias TV series, Pooles hypnotic, richly detailed historical provides an illuminating portrait of Italys most powerful Renaissance family. . . . [An] aromatic elixir of political power plays, seductive romance, and dark derring-do.”—Publishers Weekly
“Pooles second historical title continues seamlessly from where Poison left us. . . . The characters are well drawn and the evocation of Renaissance Roman life is full of detail. The conclusion promises more conflict and adventure in the next book. . . . a good read. For historical fiction and romance readers.”—Library Journal
“Oh, those Borgias, the first family of crime, seem to leap from the pages of this sequel to Poison that reintroduces Francesca Giordano, poisoner for Pope Alexander, aka Rodrigo Borgia. Suspenseful, action-packed and fascinating, Pooles novel is replete with the atmosphere of the Renaissance.”—RT Book Review (4 stars)
“Working through this complex story, Poole weaves her tale like a fine piece of cloth, pulling the reader into the threads of Renaissance Rome. Here the Church is enveloped in corruption and foreign monarchs vie for the control of Christopher Columbuss newly discovered Novi Orbis, the New World. The novel, conveniently timed with the release of the HBO series 'The Borgias,' is Pooles second book with this cast of characters.”—Historical Novel Society
Praise for Sara Pooles Poison
“A stunning debut . . . deftly mixing historical fact and fiction.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Francescas a genuine firecracker of a heroine, and her dilemma plays out in a riveting fashion. Vivid, suspenseful, and capped with an ending that begs a sequel, this is a great first step on the way to the historical fiction A-list.” —Publishers Weekly
“A historical thriller brimming with intrigue, action, and enough double crosses to stump even the most venal of Renaissance popes . . . a fascinating page-turner.” —Lauren Willig, bestselling author of The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
“A riveting historical thriller . . . Sara Pooles brilliant debut novel presents a race to the finish between good and evil that will leave you breathlessly awaiting what is surely the birth of a series.”—Sandra Worth, award-winning author of The Kings Daughter
“Five hundred years before the Sopranos and their hit men, there were the Borgias and their poisoners. . . . The heroine Francesca may be the mistress of poisoning, but in my book, Sara Poole is the new queen of historical suspense.”—Robin Maxwell, author of the award-winning The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
“Poison presents the most unique heroine I have ever seen in a mystery series (a complex, angst-filled Renaissance Dexter). . . . The plot is as much a fast-paced thriller as a compelling mystery.”—Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Boleyn
About the Author
Sara Poole lives in Connecticut, where her discovery of the abundance of deadly flora growing just beyond her doorstep prompted her interest in the poisoners art.
Reading Group Guide
1. Francesca Giordano lives at a time when civilization is being revitalized by new perceptions and ideas that threaten the existing power structure. How does the struggle between the two shape this story and the challenges that Francesca faces? 2. A s official poisoner serving the House of Borgia, Francesca has saved Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, from numerous attempts on his life, but the threat against him continues to grow. What are the consequences of living in such an intense, high-stress situation where life and death constantly hang in the balance? 3. I n the course of this story, Francesca takes a desperate gamble with her own life. What does her willingness to do so say about her mental state? Is she genuinely tempted by suicidal thoughts?
4. While she yearns for the glassmaker, Rocco, and the life she could have had with him, Francesca does not hesitate to pursue a relationship with Cesare Borgia that is sexual and more. Why is she unable to give up her feelings for Rocco even as she tells herself that there is no possibility of a future with him? What continues to draw her to Cesare?
5. I n modern terms, Francesca suffers from posttraumatic shock related to an event early in her life. In a time before psychoanalysis, she can understand her condition only as the act of a supernatural agent, either God or the Devil. What factors in her life may prompt her to look elsewhere for the true cause of her distress as well as the path to resolving it?
6. Francesca belongs to a secret group of scholars and alchemists known as Lux. Like other such groups of the time, they are forced to work in secret. Why did the Catholic Church—which had nurtured such scholars as Thomas Aquinas, William of Occam, and Roger Bacon—resist new scientific discoveries? Was the new learning really a threat to the authority of Rome, or could the Church have chosen to embrace it?
7. Francesca regards the priest Bernando Morozzi as the embodiment of evil, yet she also fears that they are alike in some ways. Is she right in either regard? In both? What does this story reveal about how far each is willing to go in order to stop the other? Can conclusions be drawn about which of them is ultimately more dangerous?
8. Lucrezia Borgia claims to be resigned to being used by her father as a pawn to further his ambitions. Yet she also seeks ways to have at least some control over her own life. Is she deluded in thinking that is possible, or did women of her time find means to circumvent the oppressive traditions under which they lived?
9. A s Rodrigos son, Cesare Borgia has access to great power, yet he cannot use it to claim the life he truly wants. Instead, his younger brother, Juan, receives all that Cesare believes should be his. How dangerous is the rivalry between the brothers likely to become? How far may Cesare go to supplant Juan in their fathers love and trust?
10. T hroughout this story, poison appears as a metaphor for the stain of corruption running through the highest levels of society. Is a similar metaphor appropriate in our own time, and if so, where?
11. What role do you think the corruption of the popes and other high-ranking prelates of this time played in triggering the rebellion against Catholicism that we know as the Reformation? Were there internal reforms the Catholic leadership could have taken that might have prevented the Reformation from happening?
12. I f Rodrigo Borgias dream of a papal dynasty controlled by his family had succeeded, what would have been the implications for his time? For ours?