Portrait of a Conspiracy: Da Vinci's Disciples - Book One

One murder ignites the powder keg that consumes a Florence under the iron rule of the powerful Medici family. Amidst the chaos, five women and one legendary artist weave together a dangerous plot that could bring peace, or get them all killed. Seeking to wrest power, members of the Pazzi family draw blades in church and slay the beloved Giuliano. But Lorenzo de' Medici survives the attack, and seeks revenge on everyone involved, plunging the city into a murderous chaos. Bodies are dragged through the streets, and no one is safe. Five women steal away to a church to ply their craft in secret. Viviana, Fiammetta, Isabetta, Natasia, and Mattea are painters, not allowed to be public with their skill, but freed from the restrictions in their lives by their art. When a sixth member of their group, Lapaccia, goes missing, and is rumored to have stolen a much sought-after painting before she vanished, the women must venture out into the dangerous streets to find their... One murder ignites the powder keg that consumes a Florence under the iron rule of the powerful Medici family. Amidst the chaos, five women and one legendary artist weave together a dangerous plot that could bring peace, or get them all killed. Seeking to wrest power, members of the Pazzi family drew blades in church and slew the beloved Giuliano. But Lorenzo de' Medici survives the attack, and seeks revenge on everyone involved, plunging the city into a murderous chaos. Bodies are dragged through the streets, and no one is safe. Five women steal away to a church to ply their craft in secret. Viviana, Fiammetta, Isabetta, Natasia, and Mattea are painters, not allowed to be public with their skill, but freed from the restrictions in their lives by their art. When a sixth member of their group, Lapaccia, goes missing, and is rumored to have stolen a much sought after painting before she vanished, the women must venture out into the dangerous streets to find their friend. They will have help from one of the most renowned painters of their era - the peaceful and kind Leonardo Da Vinci. It is under his tutelage that they will flourish as artists, and with his access that they will infiltrate some of the highest, most secretive places in Florence, unraveling one conspiracy as they build another in its place. Historical fiction at its finest, Donna Russo Morin begins a series of Da Vinci's disciples with a novel both vibrant and absorbing, perfect for the readers of Sarah Dunant As Renaissance Florence descends into mayhem, Leonardo da Vinci is recruited into a daring conspiracy in this “page-turner unlike any historical novel” (C. W. Gortner, author of The Confessions of Catherine de’ Medici). Florence ,1478. Seeking to take power by force, the Pazzi family draws blades in church and slay the beloved ruler Giuliano de’ Medici. But Giuliano’s brother and co-ruler Lorenzo survives the attack. And his campaign to exact revenge on everyone involved plunges the entire city into murderous chaos. Amidst the bloodshed, a secret group of female artists enlist Leonardo da Vinci in a dangerous plot that could bring peace—or get them all killed. Under his tutelage, they will flourish as artists. And with his access, they will infiltrate some of the most elite places in Florence, unraveling one conspiracy as they build another in its place. But when one of the women goes missing, they must risk everything to find her. “A 15th-century Florence of exquisite art, sensual passion and sudden, remorseless violence comes vividly to life in Donna Russo Morin's new novel.”—Nancy Bilyeau, author of The Crown