Too bad. Dunant, who’s written eight thrillers, shines in her foray into historical fiction. Her background as a mystery writer helps; the story’s a page turner. (It opens with the examination of a deceased nun, revealing a scandalous tattoo of a snake that curls around her torso and ends at her groin.) But Dunant is at her best when she blends her brains with beauty, describing her heroine’s fascination with the creative energy of Florence’s Renaissance.
The book’s U.S. success has Dunant’s countrymen coming around. The paperback version has sold 80,000 copies in the United Kingdom within the last two months. Smart move.
