Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons

Rating:
Summary: A Small Canvas Seems to Suit Ms. Gellis
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Lucrezia Borgia, Detective?
Review: It is a trend today in the mystery genre to make historical persons into some kind of detective. Now we have LUCREZIA BORGIA AND THE MOTHER OF POISONS by Roberta Gellis. I borrowed this book from a friend because of my interest in Lucrezia Borgia and the Renaissance in general, but having read this book, I don't think I will return to read any more books. It wasn't that it was a bad book, but it wasn't a compelling read. Gellis gives particulars of life in Renaissance, but the pace is slow and extremely repetitious. It is set in Ferrare. She is at this time married to her third husband, Alfonso, the son of the Duke. When a lady-in-waiting Donna Bianca Teobaldo is poisoned, Alfonso d'Este, Borgia's husband announces that Lucrezia had something to do with it in front of the entire court. It takes 77 pages for Lucrezia to tell everyone that she has to solve the murder to clear her name, over and over again. Why the Duke announced this in the first place is not made clear. The reader, on the other hand, knows the murderer by what the culprit does to make money. Nonetheless, the reader must go through tedious and rigorous plot points, because for some reason the intelligent heroine can't deduce that a person who had access to potions might be the murderer. But then sometimes the mystery isn't as interesting as idiosyncratic characters of the detective and her/his partners in solving crime. However, Lucrezia Borgia reads like any average romance heroine. In fact, even though she's an actual historical person, she is less actualized than some romance heroines. The whole books feels like a romance with a mystery overlay. There are endless descriptions of the clothing that the heroine wears and of her relationship with her husband, which are trademark notions in romances, and yet there is nothing in the style of writing that gives the reader genuine heartfelt thrills that a really well-constructed romance can produce. As a historical mystery and romance, it just didn't give me goosebumps.
I think those that like Robert Gellis will enjoy this book, but I'm not sure it will win her new readership. But one can never tell.

Rating:
Summary: Good reading.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Is Lucrezia Innocent?
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: an enjoyable and riveting read
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Historical figure turns detective
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing premise, but needs work
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Bring back Magdelan!
Review: This was an OK book - had to keep pushing through it but I really miss the Magdelan mysteries instead and hope we see more of those. They were much more engrossing and enjoyable and easier to follow.

Rating:
Summary: Queen of Historical Fiction
Review: To escape rumors of incest and poisoning Lucrezia Borgia flees from Rome to Ferrara where she enters into marriage with Alfonso, the duke of Ferrara. After only a few months of approval she is again accused of poisoning, this time of Bianca, one of her ladies in waiting and Alfonso's mistress. To prove her innocence and reinstate her reputation and regain the former approval, she must find the true poisoner. Gellis can be called he queen of historical fiction. She is unsurpassed in her field of renaissance mystery, The research into this period is meticulous. She has successfully evoked the sense of time and place. The plot is well constructed with a unique set of characters. The suspense is well sustained with an unexpected denoement.