Customer Reviews

Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Probably the main reason I would recommend this book is for David Bowers' beautiful cover illustration. However, the story isn't that bad either, although it was really not as involving as it could be. I did like Lucrezia Borgia as the sleuth. To me, her characterization was the strongest aspect of the novel, and her participation in the mystery of the death of one of her ladies-in-waiting is quite believable. Lucrezia is a convincing Renaissance Italian princess; unlike another reviewer, I did not find her to be a typical romance heroine. A typical romance heroine would be some fiesty Mary Sue type, running around the countryside barefoot and helping urchins and oldsters, whereas Lucrezia is a canny, hard-eyed courtier who possesses an excellent idea of the nuanced behavior required at the Ferrarese ducal palace. This is a relief, after having recently plodded through one of Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mysteries where Jane behaves like a Regency Trixie Belden and the mysteries are so contrived that I found myself rolling my eyes on every other page. Gellis is too much of a class act for that, and she understands her period too well to have her characters behaving anachronistically.

However, my major problem is that there is too much telling, and not enough showing. Several of the main figures surrounding the murder are only described; we never meet them. For example, this one fellow, Pelagio, is described as an insufferably bad poet, but we never get to see first hand what he is like. The same holds true for the murder victim herself, Bianca, who is constantly referred to as silly and flighty. Although the announcement of her murder makes for a gripping opening, it really would have been nice to meet her as well, even if it had just been in a flashback. By the time the denoument arrives, the reader is not sufficiently invested in the outcome to really care what happens. But, at least Lucrezia is an intriguing and well-drawn protagonist, and I for one will be interested in seeing where Gellis takes this series. Hopefully the next installment of the series will feature less exposition, and Lucrezia Borgia will be able to figure out more quickly why people have the disturbing habit of dropping dead around her.

I had some real doubts when I first read on a historical mystery list that Ms. Gellis was going to be doing a series of mysteries with Lucrezia Borgia as the detective. Even though in past decades writers have sent a great many famous historical figures off sleuthing after murderers, Lucrezia Borgia has a couple of strikes against her. One is that the popular image of her as a serial poisoner still lives. Another is that even if this image was the work of her enemies (as it was) she still lived a very circumscribed life as the daughter of a Pope and the wife of a Duke's heir.

However Roberta Gellis has very neatly got around both of these problems. High born women were watched closely if there was no legitimate heir yet and Gellis does a great job of showing how she could have coped with a life I would describe as claustrophobic. She places the murder in the Duke's court but also within Lucrezia's sphere. She further keeps the cast to a manageable size by concentrating on a few trusted companions and servants and keeps the time period where the story occurs into a few days. Meanwhile there is a sense of urgency because there is always the fear that if she does not act fast her father or her brother might step in to solve her problem (and incidentally make it worse.)

This is a very pleasant read, although I do have to say that Lucrezia's relationship with her husband is a little-- well, peculiar, although it's not outside the bounds of possiblity.

While it has a satisfying ending there are some loose ends that hopefully will be tied in later books in this seris.

Roberta Gellis is always a good author, whether she is
writing mysteries, romances or fantasy. She is also not an
author to be lightly taken up at will, for a pleasant few minutes. Her writing requires concentration and time.
Here she is starting on a new series featuring Lucrezia
Borgia and it is an engrossing opener. We are launched
directly into both the poisoning murder of one of her
ladies in waiting and her confusing, tentative relationship
with her husband Alfonso.
She realizes immediately that she must solve this murder,to
clear her name and be able to continue this new life that
she has found so much more pleasant than her former fraught
life in Rome.
There is a good deal of period detail that convincingly establishes the background, without becoming a history lecture.
The tortuous life of the Ferrara court is revealed through
the relationships between the characters. They all obviously have a life of their own, independant of the main plot.

Occasionally the dialogue is too wordy, the conversations sag to a too-distant point, but this does not distract permanently
from the story.
The relationship between the politically married couple, however, is far more fascinating and often I wanted the mystery to disappear, so that more would be revealed about Alfonso.
He is far more of an engrossing mystery to both the reader
and Lucrezia. The final paragraph scene between husband and wife is a dreadful teaser.
I shall definitely be reading the next installment - for just this reason.

Lucrezia has but recently returned to court from the Convent of Corpus Domini when her husband, Alfonso d'Este, publicly accuses her of having had a hand in poisoning Bianca Tedaldo -- one of the unwanted ladies that her father-in-law, the Duke, had installed as her ladies-in-waiting, and Alfonso's (or so he claims) latest mistress. At first, Lucrezia is devastated at the accusation; but then she begins to reflect: Bianca was hardly the type of lady that Alfonso would ever be attracted to, even if she was rather pretty -- Alfonso prefers his women coarser and cleverer, and Bianca wasn't exactly bright. So why was Alfonso accusing her of murder? Realizing that people were going to start whispering about her all over again (because of who she is and all the scandal attached to her name) and suspecting her of murder (and worse), Lucrezia is determined to discover who murdered Bianca and why. And if she can discover exactly what her enigmatic husband (who she has began to develop unexpected feelings for) is up to, so much the better...

"Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons" proved to be a fascinating read. With vivid descriptions and well chosen phrases, Roberta Gellis brings to life the vivid colour and pageantry of the d'Este court at Ferrara. Ms Gellis's grasp of what was going on (both historically and politically) was very evident as well. And these were the bits of the book that I really enjoyed and what made reading this book such a pleasure. However, while the pacing was fairly tight and the suspense level rather high, mystery-wise, things only really picked up about three-quarter way through the book. But this is definitely something that will not trouble too many people, unless, that is, you're someone who tries to solve the mystery at hand before the authour reveals all. However, "Lucrezia and the Mother of Poisons" was an engrossing and riveting read, worth touting as a worthwhile read.

Lucrezia Borgia. Her very name evokes images of evil incarnate, but are they accurate? Author Roberta Gellis believes not. In this mystery, set in the Renaissance court of Duke Ercole d'Este, Lucrezia's new husband, Duke Ercole's eldest son, publicly accuses her of poisoning one of her unwanted ladies-in-waiting. Shocked by the accusation and to prove her innocence, Lucrezia sets out in search of the culprit. Lucrezia's many relationships-with her husband, his family, her own family, and her ladies-in-waiting-are well-drawn.

The author's previous mysteries, like many of her romances before them, were set in medieval England, and brought that time and place clearly to life. This new mystery, hopefully the beginning of another series, does the same for Renaissance Italy. I enjoyed this book very much, and recommend it to readers of historical mysteries.

First, it is only fair that I state that I am not a huge fan of "whodunnits." However, I am a huge fan of historical fiction. I found this book to be boring and uninteresting throughout. The characters aren't well developed, the daily routines of Lucerzia Borgia and her two close ladies in waiting and the rest of the court are uninteresting and repetative, and it seems such a shame considering all of the real life drama, mystery and intrigue which surrounded this woman's actual life. The mystery element was uninteresting as well - I felt I was reading a book written for an adolescent audience. I was sorely disappointed in the book.

This is a good mystery yarn. The clues were interspersed with the usual clutter of irrelevant facts and you did have the opportunity to try and figure it out.

The details of the life of a court lady in that time frame with the restrictions and demands upon her were equally as interesting. To find a murderer, Lucretia Borgia must walk a fine line of getting the information she needs in order to clear her name without using the power of her husbands name or guardsmen too much. That could shut down avenues of information and turn the people against her just as she was starting a life that wasn't filled with whispers and conjecture about her life.

Lucretia as the main character is probably a bit too good to be believed, everyone has personality flaws but her. She is written as intelligent, kind, dutiful but that wasn't really believable to me. For a woman of her standing to survive and prosper, in that era, a bit more steel and savviness would seem to be called for.

The details of the daily life and intrigue really are a part of the murder mystery that needs to be resolved so you don't feel as though the information is out of place. And the details are fun even with some of the phrases being a bit too modern for the timeframe. But most readers won't even notice that as they're taken for a good read.

Lucrezia Borgia and her dubious family remain some of the most fascinating historical figures. While there have been many great biographies written about the Borgia family, it has taken some time for these pivotal figures in italian history to truly be brought to life in the popular historical fiction genre.

"Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons" throws the character of Lucrezia Borgia into a grisly murder mystery in which she must discover the identity of the killer in order to clear her own name of the crime she was accused of commiting. With a baby on the way and mixed feelings about her husband, it is doubly hard for Lucrezia to keep up with her life at court, while at the same time playing detective.

One of the things I liked most about this novel was the fact that it *wasn't* a simple retelling of all the historical facts. I've said it many times before, but I'll say it again...this is *fiction*. If you're looking for nothing but historic facts composed into a vaguely fictional story, then this probably isn't the book for you. This novel has enough historic facts to appease the average reader, while at the same time taking what is known and turning it into something new and different. I like how the author, Roberta Gellis, was thinking a little outside the box when she chose to write a historical fiction murder mystery.

Bottom line: This is a great book, and I could hardly put it down. I enjoy mysteries, and I love historical fiction, so it was a real treat to stumble upon this novel that incorporates both! If you're a stickler for nothing but the facts, then go ahead and pass on reading this book. If you're not...then have a blast!

Lucrezia is accused by her husband, heir to the duchy of Ferrara of poisoning one of her ladies-in waiting. In her life prior to her marriage to Alfonso, Lucrezia had already lived through rumors of her being a poisoner. She does not want to live with people looking at her strangely and always wondering about her, so she sets off to find the real poisoner.

Roberta Gellis has written a well-constructed atmospheric novel set in the Italian Renaissance evoking a sense of time and place with a delightful heroine It was a little confusing at first to get used to the many characters introduced at the beginning at the novel. Hopefully, most of them will stay around for the next Lucrezia Borgia mystery so it won't be a problem again. The premise was a fairly straightforward whodunit plot, but was very suspenseful. This looks to be another outstanding series from Roberta Gellis.

Lucrezia Borgia has heard a voice from her past saying, "Poisoner!" Chased out of Rome by that accusation, she sought refuge in her new home and her new husband. Now the last thing she expected to hear was that fateful word uttered again, especially from her husband's lips.

Lucrezia is now determined to clear her name. She and a few of her close friends must solve the mystery surrounding the death of her lady-in-waiting. Only then can she finally put the label of Poisoner on the correct person's head.

**** Wonderfully written! I got so wrapped within the pages that I sometimes felt as though I was actually with Lucrezia, so long in the past. Great reading. ****

Reviewed by K. Blair.