The Queen's Gambit
A Leonardo da Vinci Mystery
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2.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“A welcome way to spend an adventurous time in Renaissance Italy.”—Margaret Frazer
As Court Engineer to the Duke of Milan, Leonardo DaVinci turns his superior mind to a variety of pursuits—from advances in painting to the invention of war machines. And with his favorite apprentice Dino to aid him, his keen intellect is perfect for sleuthing. . . .
1483. Milan, province of Lombardy. On a royal whim, Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, orders a living chess game to be enacted by members of his court. DaVinci conjures the spectacle in a single night, but his latest success turns bitter when one of the “pieces” is murdered.
With even the Duke’s closest advisors suspect to treachery, DaVinci is the only man Sforza can trust to conduct the investigation. With his scrupulous eye for detail, DaVinci uncovers a vile nest of secrets—and danger—but the most surprising secret of all may be the true identity of his most talented, most trusted apprentice. . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Leonardo da Vinci, the epitome of the Renaissance man, turns to solving mysteries in Stuckart's impressive debut. Ludovico Sforza, the duke of Milan, asks Leonardo to organize an elaborate live chess game to settle a dispute between the duke and the French ambassador to Milan. All goes well until the duke's ambassador to France, who was playing a white bishop, is found murdered by the duke's knife. Fearing severe political repercussions and possible threats from within the court, the paranoid duke commands Leonardo, one of the few outsiders he trusts, to investigate. The mystery unfolds with vivid details of 15th-century Milanese royal life, the political intrigues of the time and the elaborate preparations for Leonardo's frescos. Narrated by Dino, an apprentice who serves as a rather excitable Watson to Leonardo's coolly analytical Holmes, the mesmerizing plot moves swiftly to a dramatic conclusion that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next volume.
