Murder and Love in Historic Italy
Bella Donna--A Renaissance Mystery Novel by Barbara Cherne takes place in Italy of 1494, in a villa outside Florence. A noble lady is murdered, and her sister-in-law, Bella, is taken prisoner, sure to be found guilty of the crime. It's an open-and-shut case: Bella and Emilia were hot enemies, after all, and Bella's necklace was found beside the body. No one--not even her own husband--makes a move to help Bella; no one, that is, except Guiditta, the family cook who loves Bella for her kindness and for securing her position in the household.
Guiditta, the heroine and sleuth of Bella Donna, sets out to prove the innocence of Bella, and in the process finds more than any family's fair share of dark secrets and hidden alliances. Guiditta is an especially effective detective--strong-minded, big-hearted, intelligent, and sexy--and she goes where only a person in her position of employment can go, talking with people from all classes and all walks of life.
While following Guiditta's trail, Bella Donna also takes us on a historic journey through Renaissance Florence and the Tuscan countryside. With information and insights into the customs of the place and time, we're introduced to Renaissance Florence with all our senses as Guiditta walks the cobblestoned streets, smells the city odors, tastes the cooking, hears the music, and sees the paintings.
And there's mysterious romance in Bella Donna: Guiditta and an artist hired by the family begin an affair; Bella's husband takes a mistress while Bella is conveniently behind bars; and Emila's daughter, Antonia, fights an arranged marriage designed by her now-dead mother and meets a lover in secret. With so many family members acting from hidden motives and dangerous desires, the murderer could be anyone. But Guiditta has a secret admirer who gives her a clue that leads to the motive for murder.
Bella Donna is a novel full of family secrets, danger, chases, laughs, neurotic family members, and passionate conflict. But this mystery is also full of love, and the actions--both benevolent and malevolent--that people take to preserve and possess what they love.
Barbara Cherne is a former journalist and the author of three novels. She is a member of the National Writers Union, Sisters in Crime, and the Women's National Book Association. She lives in Los Angeles, where she is writing her fourth novel. |
