A Bolt from the Blue (A Leonardo da Vinci Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Diane A. S. Stuckart (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Leonardo da Vinci Mystery | Publication Date: January 5, 2010

Third in the intriguing Leonardo da Vinci mystery series known for "capturing the essence of 15th-century Milan".

As court engineer to the Duke of Milan, Leonardo da Vinci turns his superior mind to many pursuits- from outlandish contraptions to the odd murder...

With war looming ever closer, the iron-fisted Duke of Milan calls upon Master da Vinci to invent the deadliest weapon ever-a flying machine. So da Vinci calls in a craftsman who happens to be father to his star apprentice, Dino.

But da Vinci does not know that Dino is actually the craftsman's daughter, Delfina, who keeps her gender a secret to serve as apprentice. But as Delfina worries that her father will prove her undoing, someone murders another apprentice. Now, as her master works his brilliance, Delfina can only pray that no other apprentice- including herself-will fall victim

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Diane A.S. Stuckart is a native Texan. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and has been a yoga teacher, biker chick, purchasing agent, farm girl, and martial artist. Under pen names, she has published several historical romances as well as numerous works of fiction. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (January 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425232174
• ISBN-13: 978-0425232170
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

DIANE A.S. STUCKART, who also writes as ALI BRANDON, is a member of that proud breed, the native Texan. She was born in the West Texas town of Lubbock, home to Buddy Holly, prairie dogs, and Texas Tech University, where her mom once taught. Most of her formative years, however, were spent in Dallas with her parents and siblings: one younger sister and three younger brothers. And then, when she was fifteen, her dad's work took them north of the Red River and into Oklahoma, settling just outside Oklahoma City.

Diane stayed in the Sooner State long enough to finish high school and obtain her degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma (where she met her husband, Gerry) before returning home to Texas again. Then, like countless others with a brand new Liberal Arts degree, she promptly took a job in retail.

To her parents' relief, however, she eventually put that diploma to good use by publishing several critically acclaimed historical romances written as ALEXA SMART and ANNA GERARD, as well as numerous works of short fiction and fantasy under her own name. Her first published novel--MASQUERADE, written under the name Alexa Smart--was a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award finalist. She also contributed to several DAW anthologies, including A CONSTELLATION OF CATS, FAMILIARS, and SORCERER'S ACADEMY.

Now, however, Diane has moved into the mystery genre with two new series. The first is a historical series featuring Leonardo da Vinci as a crime solver. Leonardo is assisted by his trusty apprentice Dino, who has secrets of "his" own! The first installment was THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT, still available in hardcover from Berkley Prime Crime. The second book in the series, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, was published January 2009 and won the Florida Book Awards Silver Medal for Popular Fiction. The third book, A BOLT FROM THE BLUE, was published in January 2010.

Coming December 2011 will be the first novel in Diane's new contemporary series, written as ALI BRANDON. The fun new BLACK CAT BOOKSHOP MYSTERIES feature Hamlet the cat, whose unwitting new owner, transplanted Texan Darla Pettistone, runs an Brooklyn bookstore she inherited from her great-aunt. Diane also has published a collection of her short fiction on Kindle. Look for WHO'S BEHIND THE DOOR? for some great tales of mystery and suspense.

And genres is not all that Diane recently changed. Life beyond the Lone Star State continued to beckon. Succumbing to a momentary impulse, Diane finally pulled up stakes and left the plains of North Texas for the beaches of South Florida. There, accompanied by her husband, four dogs, and two cats, she now is finding new sources of inspiration among the sand and palm trees. Though she has eagerly embraced life in the Sunshine State, Diane hasn't quite accepted the fact that apparently a girl can own too many black t-shirts...at least, when she lives in West Palm Beach.

When she's not writing or working at her day job, Diane spends her time doing yoga (she's a registered yoga teacher at the 200 hour level), gardening, and making sure the pets don't get eaten by stray gators. She is also a founding member of the Gold Coast Paranormal Society, a group dedicated to searching out ghosts in the South Florida area, as well as a board member of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America. And, as if she didn't have enough going already, her latest passion is belly dancing, though she admits to being pretty bad at it so far. But who can resist those great costumes! And so she keeps practicing.

Diane loves to hear from her fans, so feel free to email her and let her know what you think about writing, Leonardo da Vinci, yoga, belly dancing, ghosts, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Solidly Good Leonardo da Vinci Mystery, April 28, 2010

By 

J. Avellanet "author of Get to Market Now!" (Williamsburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Bolt from the Blue (A Leonardo da Vinci Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really enjoyed Stuckart's first Leonardo da Vinci book, The Queen's Gambit, and if you are new to the series, I encourage you to pick that up first. It really lays out all the characters splendidly, and in reading this book, there are several references to the story in The Queen's Gambit and the second in the series, Portrait of a Lady. It's not necessary to read the others, but I think it will enhance your enjoyment of the book just a fraction more.

Of the three, A Bolt from the Blue is the second strongest (behind The Queen's Gambit). If you are looking for good "beach reading" or a solid historical mystery, this is it. You can easily read this book in a day or two, and like all of Ms. Stuckart's books in this series, about halfway through the book, you'll be hard-pressed to put it down. Ms. Stuckart writes beautifully - words just flow naturally in her hands - and this makes reading A Bolt from the Blue all the more of a guilty pleasure.

The book follows Dino (aka, Delfina, a female apprentice to Leonardo da Vinci). Dino masquerades as a teenage boy because, as one character points out during the book, "But, girls can't paint!". Dino is our narrator, as she and her friends must work together to solve several mysteries - a kidnapping, a murder, and a theft - all seemingly somehow linked together. The ending is a definite surprise, but Stuckart has so masterfully put in little hints and tidbits throughout the story that you do not see it coming (or at least, I didn't), but when the revelation arrives, it's as if you strike yourself in the forehead with a loud, "Duh! How did I not see that coming?!"

Everything makes sense and that's the mark of a good mystery writer - a solution that you simply did not see even though you had just as many opportunities to match wits with the protagonist.

The book's setting, its characters, their dress, their views on things, etc., are well-researched, and thus, for the reader, the story is very immersive. There are no anachronisms that I could find (and I've read a lot of historical fiction). It's yet another Stuckart piece of good work in this very likeable, very enjoyable series. And I have to admit, the whole concept of Leonardo as actually somehow - at least tangentially - being involved or associated (or at least nearby) with court intrigues, murder, and the like in Renaissance Italy is extremely plausible; it's a wonder no one else thought of this before.

And that, I think, is what makes A Bolt from the Blue - and the other Leonardo da Vinci mysteries - such enjoyable reads: an innovative take on historical settings and figures, with solid mysteries and characters propelling the book - and the reader - happily forward to a nice little surprise ending.

I look forward to the next in the series. And if you've not yet started the series, it's about time to try.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite a boy-- no! girl!, March 22, 2010

By 

Story Circle Book Reviews - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bolt from the Blue (A Leonardo da Vinci Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Delfina is quite a girl. She can keep a secret. In fact, she can keep a lot of secrets. Delfina, who loves to paint and draw dreams of becoming an artista just like her Master, Leonardo da Vinci. She is clever, very good at figuring things out and at fooling people.

She has put all of these together; she has persuaded the great Master da Vinci that she is Dino, a boy, and further, that she should become his apprentice. She doesn't have to persuade him of her talent with a brush; he is a master at recognizing that.

This is the third in Diane A. S. Stuckhart's series of the adventures and sleuthing of da Vinci and his protégé. The earlier ones will show up on my reading list soon. The books are carefully researched and Stuckart does a fine job of working in the details fifteenth century Milan and the intricacies of both da Vinci's art and of his mechanical inventions. The war machine is terrifying, and I hope that if I run across a war machine such as that, there will be flying machine on my castle.s battlements, so I will be able to hop on and pedal away safely into blue air.

The story is cleverly, if sometimes predictably, crafted. The adventures (and it is as much of an adventure story as a mystery) are believable, as are the supporting characters. The father is drawn sympathetically. This easy reading book will have a wide appeal. Clearly, lovers of historical fiction will want to make an Italian meal, and then dig right into the book and dinner. Travelers, too, will enjoy the story. I've visited modern Milan, and it was a treat for me to visualize, through Stuckhart's excellent descriptions, the city's ancient buildings thriving in their glory days.

While the book is described as adult fiction, it will certainly have appeal to adventuresome young readers, especially those who love history and art. Any girl reading it will appreciate that, in her life, she doesn't have to pretend to be Dino to have her talents and intelligence appreciated and to have adventures of her own.

by Patricia Nordyke Pando
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem!, July 8, 2010

By 

Peregrine - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Bolt from the Blue (A Leonardo da Vinci Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm crazy about really good mystery stories, and Diane Stuckart's books rank among the very best. Unlike so many authors with interesting plots but flat, dry characters, she weaves together intriguing hold-your-breath adventure with engagingly vivid characters you must either love or hate. To top it off, she makes renaissance Italy and the world of a genius artist and inventor come alive. "A Bolt from the Blue", along with her other Leonardo da Vinci mystery books, is a winner.