The Courtesan's Secret - (A Venice Beauties Mystery) by Nina Wachsman (Paperback)

About the Book

"When an envoy from the New World comes to Venice, the elite courtesan Belladonna fears the secret of her origins may be revealed. The Spanish are after him, for he carries the map to a great treasure. When the envoy disappears, his enemies shift their pursuit to Belladonna, their only key to his whereabouts. To avoid capture by the Spanish, Belladonna must abandon her luxurious palazzo, and take refuge in the Ghetto with her friend, Diana, the rabbi's daughter. Hiding in plain sight behind the Ghetto walls, she must find the envoy and confront her past. Faced with terrible choices and an uncertain future, Belladonna must decide whether to sacrifice all she has achieved for a love she has always desired."--

Book Synopsis

When an envoy from the New World comes to Venice, the elite courtesan Belladonna fears the secret of her origins may be revealed. The Spanish are after him, for he carries the map to a great treasure. When the envoy disappears, his enemies shift their pursuit to Belladonna, their only key to his whereabouts.

To avoid capture by the Spanish, Belladonna must abandon her luxurious palazzo, and take refuge in the Ghetto with her friend, Diana, the rabbi's daughter. Hiding in plain sight behind the Ghetto walls, she must find the envoy and confront her past. Faced with terrible choices and an uncertain future, Belladonna must decide whether to sacrifice all she has achieved for a love she has always desired.

Review Quotes

"A dashing English spy seeks a lost treasure and an imperious courtesan searches for a beloved brother in Nina Wachsman's electrifying thriller set in 17th century Venice. Wachsman takes the reader on a wondrous tour of the fabled city, from its glittering palazzos to Moorish salons, and the lives of three very different women. A riveting tale that is both high adventure and a vivid portrait of Venice's Jewish community in the late Renaissance." - Mariah Fredericks, author of The Lindbergh Nanny

"The Courtesan's Secret is a captivating story of deception, international intrigue, and love in glittering 17thcentury Venice. In lush, well-researched prose, author Nina Wachsman powerfully evokes a lost and dangerous world of beauty, bigotry, and political rivalry through the series' two protagonists, a rabbi's scholarly daughter and a celebrated Venetian courtesan. I cheered them on as their struggle to save a loved one draws the two unlikely friends into a conflict between England and Spain. A book to savor." - Mally Becker, Agatha Award-nominated author of The Turncoat's Widow and The Counterfeit Wife.

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"This engaging historical mystery features a wonderfully varied cast of characters - an English courtier, a Spanish assassin, an Italian rabbi's daughter, and a Venetian courtesan named Belladonna, Jewish by birth but a convert to Christianity. With impeccable and extensive research, Wachsman immerses the reader in early 1600s Venice - a world of brilliant jewels, secret portraits, lively taverns, flaming torches, and the glimmering waters of the Grand Canal - but also poisoned daggers, the dreaded Council of Ten, and a deathly plague. Against this rich historical backdrop, the forbidden romance between the courtesan and the pirate shines. This mystery will appeal to fans of romantic suspense, as well as those interested in the history of Venice." - Karen Odden, USA Today bestselling author of the Inspector Corravan Mysteries