Perspectives, 9781529926972
Paperback
Renaissance Florence: Art, murder, scandal. Who painted the deadly truth?
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  • Paperback

    272 pages

  • Release Date

    11 May 2026

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Summary

Florence, 1557. As dawn breaks, a painter is discovered lying on the floor of a church, stabbed through the heart.

Above him, the paintings he laboured over for more than a decade. At his home, a hidden portrait scandalously depicting Maria de Medici, daughter of the Duke of Florence, as a naked Venus. Who is the murderer? Who made the painting? As the city erupts in chaos, Giorgio Vasari, the great art historian, is picked to lead the investigation.

Letters fly back and forth…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781529926972
ISBN-10:1529926971
Author:Laurent Binet, Sam Taylor
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Imprint:Vintage
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:272
Release Date:11 May 2026
Weight:196g
Dimensions:197mm x 129mm x 19mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

One of the most successful French writers of his generation… a wild romp of a book that turns history on its head * Guardian on CIVILISATIONS *Glorious, funny and profound * Daily Telegraph on CIVILISATIONS *A bold and thrilling experiment in counter-factual history from a masterful storyteller * Financial Times on CIVILISATIONS *Characteristically ambitious, brilliant… Combining all the pleasure of a period romp with vital questions about our shared origin stories… a triumph * i on CIVILISATIONS *A hugely entertaining novel, taking delight in its own twists and turns * Spectator on THE 7TH FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE *HHhH is a highly original piece of work, at once charming, moving, and gripping * Martin Amis on HHhH *Lively, earthy, experimental, ambitious, clever and endlessly entertaining… Smart, witty, direct, cool * The Times Literary Supplement on THE 7TH FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE *A very well-done [thriller]…with surprising twists and a satisfying denouement… Historical fiction doesn’t get much better than this * Sunday Telegraph *A brainy page-turner… Witty and engrossing * Mail on Sunday *A dazzling romp * Guardian *

About The Author

Laurent Binet

Laurent Binet lives and works in France. His first novel, HHhH, was an international bestseller which won the prestigious Prix Goncourt du premier roman, among other prizes. The 7th Function of Language won the Prix de la FNAC and Prix Interallie. Civilisations is a bestseller that has won the Grand Prix de l’Academie francaise.

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