The Peril

How do you escape Cesare Borgia, the most feared man in Europe? After double-crossing Borgia, The Subtlest Soul’s Matteo da Fermo is sent to Paris on a secret mission, disguised as a friar in one of the strictest religious orders of Renaissance Europe. From there, following a series of improbable adventures, Matteo makes his way to the glittering and treacherous French court at Blois, and then back to Italy, where he resumes his breakneck career of intrigue and subterfuge, and his convoluted, star-crossed love life. The Peril continues the gripping narrative of The Subtlest Soul, while broadening its historical canvas from Italy to Northern Europe, and dramatizing the prehistory of the Protestant Reformation and the story of the spread of Italian Renaissance culture north of the Alps. Praise for The Subtlest Soul "Hypnotically readable ... A remarkable achievement, highly recommended." - The Historical Novel Society Review (Editor's Choice) "The characterization is stunning ... I sincerely hope that Virginia Cox is writing a sequel." - Elizabeth Chadwick (The Summer Queen) "The best novel ever written about the Italian Renaissance." - "The Art of the Tale" blog