Poison

Poison

By Sara Poole

St. Martin's Press, 2010

ISBN 978-0-312-60983-2

I was provided a copy of the book pre-release date in exchange for my review.

There are few books that gather my attention more sharply than this has in recent years!

Poison is the story of Il Cardinale Rodrigo Borgia, in the summer of 1492, and the events both prior to and immediately following the death of Pope Innocent VIII on July 25th of that fateful year. And it is the story of Borgia's own poisoner.

We are introduced to the ruthlessness of Rodrigo Borgia and his desire to ascend to the papal throne, as well as that of his offspring, the infamous Lucrezia, and the warrior, Cesare.

This entire story is told through the eyes of the poisoner, Francesca Giordano, who has followed her murdered father's path into the career of Borgia's poisoner.

Murder, mayhem, sex, and bribery run rife as the rivalry for the papal office draws nearer. And only Francesca, and the career her father has trained her for, can bring calm to the day.

Based on fact, the fiction work is superb in every sense.

I give this a five star rating.