SECRETS IN THE PALAZZO

In Reid’s novel, a young American artist in Rome uncovers a clue to what might be a long-lost work by Leonardo da Vinci.

Rose Maning quit her secure teaching job in Virginia to pursue her artistic passions as a painter in Florence, Italy: “Her passion for the Renaissance was rewarded daily,” readers are told, “as she lived and painted in the city where the true geniuses of history had once resided.” She also has a passion for her fiance, a charismatic Italian man named Lyon who’s supportive of her burgeoning creative career. As the narrative progresses, the smooth progress of their relationship becomes tangled as Lyon reveals that he may not be able to father children and shows signs of possible infidelity, which drives Rose temporarily back to the United States. These dark clouds gather over another developing plotline involving The Battle of Anghiari, a painting commissioned for the Palazzo Vecchio in 1505 and thought by art historians to be yet another of the many projects that Leonardo never actually completed. As Rose investigates with the help of her friend Beatrice and an enterprising cardinal, she comes to suspect that the work was not only completed, but also may be right under their noses. Over the course of this novel, Reid stirs all of these elements into an inviting and easygoing story—one that feels like a version of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code(2003) with cozier chats and artisanal tea blends. Her characters are only sketchily developed, but they're friendly and enjoyable, making for feel-good fiction with a Renaissance flair. Reid adds liberal amounts of art history along the way, with figures such as Michelangelo, da Vinci, and especially painter and writer Giorgio Vasari feeling like full-fledged characters. Readers interested in the Renaissance era will appreciate the author’s efforts to bring it to life on the page.

A personable and intriguing novel of love and art history with a touch of mystery.