Alastair Muir

Hope restored in Florence Alastair Muir

It is the opportunity of a lifetime, all she has ever dreamed of, the chance for Lucrezia Sims to study art restoration at the Palazzo Moretti in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. But even before she gets there, her life is devastated by the sudden separation of her parents. And once she arrives in Florence, she soon becomes the suspect in a violent crime, and betrayed by the one woman she had come to trust, whilst at the same time believing herself to be the victim of an odious assault. Her father, Jeffrey, who flies to be by her side, is himself soon a murder suspect as the full extent of the criminal network headed by Tommaso Rialo becomes shockingly clear. Jeffery must find a new sense of purpose as he works alongside ex-intelligence officer Marco di Luca, frustrated by a population in thrall to the criminal magnate and ignored by a police officer too scared or too corrupt to act against him. Together, they pull apart the threads of a sophisticated network of forgery and money laundering, risking their very lives to uncover the truth. Alongside this dark mystery, we are shown some of the lesser known beauties that Florence possesses, celebrating its women artists, those involved in the conservation and restoration of its many treasures and the Mannerist artists, who advanced art beyond the epoch of the High Renaissance. And we celebrate the life of Eleanora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo the First, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Their life long fidelity was unusual for their time, as was Eleanora's determination to emerge from the shadow of her husband and be recognised in her own right. Her story has echoes of that of Lucrezia, as past and present mirror each other.