The Medici Legacy; Curse or Crime?

     Sometimes when I read a book, I know just the one person the book was meant for. We all have them, don't we? Aunt Sally loves any kind of book about foreign lands, Cousin Tom loves space opera, Mama loves romance with a capital R. Sometimes when I read a book, I simply want everyone else to read it. Sometimes I find books which are both a book to share with everyone because it is exceptionally good and a book I know just that certain someone who will especially enjoy it. Finding such a book is a treasure. So today I bring you a little treasure for your reading pleasure.


The Medici Legacy
By Greg Ahlgren                                                                

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc. (October 15, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 161434485X
• ISBN-13: 978-1614344858

From Greg Ahlgren's website:

     When Antonio Ferrara of the Italian Polizia di Stato discovers that the seemingly random victims of a Tuscan serial killer are all illegitimate descendants of one Giovanni de Medici, a 15th century Florentine banker, his superior scoffs at his theory while the Italian military police caution him to leave the case alone on the basis of "national security." Undeterred, Antonio enlists Medici scholar Rachel Fuller and, together, they travel to America to unlock the secret.

About the book:

       Antonio and his partner Giancarlo are answering a property complaint from a small time coffee shop owner. Just when they believe this is a simple complaint something the shop owner says gets their interest up.  Could it be something more is afoot than that the owner across the street has failed to complete his renovation? Especially when there are people going in and out without seeming to get any work on the property done?

        What Antonio and Giancarlo discover send Antonio on a manhunt to not only find out who is making people disappear but also why.  The people have nothing in common; not age, work, sex, or status. Eleven people have been disappeared in two years from this corner of Italy and nothing can connect the dots between these people, yet they all seem targeted.

       Then, as with the coffee shop owner, a small slip about the Medici curse from a close relative of one of the missing, stirs Antonio to investigate further. And the investigation will carry him across the sea into America as he unravels the mystery behind the missing persons. With the help of his partner Giancarlo, his assistant computer genius Mario and a foreign historian Rachel, Antonio strives to clear up the mystery and save another life or two.

My take:

    The story effortlessly told itself. The characters are well defined and distinctive in their actions and emotions, making this not only a good read but a smooth all the way down read. How can you not love a character who plays  a bass so his mind can relax and work out the problems?
     This is not a deeply complexed story such as, say, The Hunt for Red October, but it is intertwined with the right number of elements to make it full-bodied and meaty.

   The blooming romance is natural, understandable, and does not eat up the reader's attention. The other elements and side plots weave together in a final package that is interesting and satisfying. 

  I loved this book and would highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good intrigue with hidden clues and just a touch of romance. I so enjoyed this book that I am telling those closest to me they should read it.