As befits the story of a poisoner for the infamous BorgiaPope Alexander VI, Sarah Poole’s TheBorgia Betrayal begins with murder, as the protagonist forces one of the Pope’senemies to end his own life quickly. What may be unusual about this novel isthat the poisoner who deals in death so easily is a woman, Francesco Giordano. She is an interesting heroine, operating in themale-dominated world of the Catholic Church with a reckless bravado and cunningthat matches that of the Borgias.
In this sequel to Poole’s Poison, Francesca serves the Pope’s interests as well as her own. Sheis part of a secret society called Lux, whose purpose contravenes the Church’sdogma and takes great risks to keep Lux and its members safe. Her activities donot escape the Pope, who uses her as a pawn to draw out one of their mutualenemies, Bernando Morozzi. He threatens the Pope’s hold over Rome, but moreimportantly, he is responsible for the death of Francesca’s father. Francescadevises a bold plan to draw out her father’s killer, placing her own life in thebalance.
Francesca’s daring earned my admiration for Ms. Poole’stalents as a writer, but there were times where I questioned the wisdom ofcertain actions. It seemed almost as if the heroine had a death wish, yet shefought so valiantly at the end of the story. While I had difficulty reconcilingsome of the extremes of her personality, Francesca is a memorable character andI hope to read more of her adventures in Ms. Poole’s novels.
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