Michael Ennis

I will admit a soft spot for historical mysteries. Anything that combines real and fictional characters in an authentic way will always get my attention. This book is no different. In 1502, according to historical record, Nicciolo Machiavelli and Leonardo Di Vinchi found themselves at the court of Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander, who now goes by Duke Valentino, in Imola Italy. These are the facts. Damiata, a prostitute who was the lover of Cesare's brother, the murdered Juan, is despached by the Pope when new evidence come up in Juan's murder, holding her son hostage until she completes her task. What she find is a seriel killer. I loved the story, and the narriation was excellent, but I guess I live in too modern an age to have a letter that is hundreds of pages long. Still, a small complaint for a good story.… (mehr)

With a Masters in Political Science I spent quite a bit of time reading Machiavelli. I found him brilliant and brutally honest. I think it was Fahrenheit who said something to the effect of: Machiavelli does not tell us how rulers should rule, but rather how the actually rule. I liked Machiavelli (who also wrote plays besides writing the Prince). I was really excited about this book. However....

The Machiavelli in this book reminded me more of Socrates in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventurer than the Machiavelli I came to know. If Leonardo said "science" once more in dialog I think he would have repeated the word more times than Thomas Dolby did throughout the 1980s. That and the story line seemed to be an odd mix of Scooby Doo meets CSI.

Sorry, I really had high hopes for this book. Maybe my familiarity with one of the primary characters created unrealistic expectations. It did remind me again that I need to re-read my complete works of Machiavelli again.… (mehr)