DNA Code & Other mysterious tales from the Middle Ages: Conspiracies, murders, breathtaking intrigues Four stories in the magnificence of the Italian Middle Ages by Marcella Nardi

by Marcella Nardi

Between the 12th and 14th centuries, just as today, corruption for political and commercial power raged in the fledgling cities of Italy. In this period of splendor, the protagonists of four short tales are involved in a myriad of intrigues. The first story’s title is the original Latin name of the medieval town where the events take place, Grata Aura. A young woman secretly catches sight of a handsome young man who has come to her father to negotiate a marriage pact. It is love at first sight. However, she soon discovers he is not there on his own behalf, but that of his brother, an old man well known to be ugly and vicious. Meanwhile, two homicides disrupt the castle and the lives of the two young lovers. The famous Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, first told their story, albeit in a very different way. The second tale, even more intriguing, "Revenge gets served up cold" features the beautiful Angelica and the famous Venetian explorer Marco Polo. Their story… is unique! The protagonist of the third story is Thomas Aquinas, perhaps poisoned by order of Charles I of Anjou. The reason? He knew the truth about the origin of human beings. The story, which begins at the dawn of civilization, alternates between the year 2005 and the year 1270 and involves the journey through time of manuscripts that speak of a mysterious code of life. Slavery is the theme of the final story. Lucilla Capeleti, born to parents who had given up hope of having children, is kidnapped and made a slave. Her teenage life ends and a new terrible one begins. Hidden in a cart and transported first to a miserable castle cell and then to Rome where her blackest hell begins. Finally, after months of suffering and humiliation, she regains her freedom, but with it, the terrible discovery of the truth behind her kidnapping.

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Reviews

[George Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcella Narda has let her imagination run wild in creating tales of conspiracies and strategies, combining her excellent writing skills with her deep knowledge of the Middle Ages culture in Italy, a country where corruption comes reputedly with an order of a cappuccino: the infamous medieval Medici and the Borgia families (now popularized in TV series) and the modern Godfather ‘mafia’ novels/movies immediately spring to mind.

In the first tale, Grata Aura, skullduggery keeps two lovers apart (a play on Dante’s story); in the second, Revenge Gets Served Up Cold, a diabolical plot involving the famous Marco Polo; in the third, DNA Code, is remarkably inventive, connecting the death of Thomas Aquinas with the meaning of a strange symbol found in ancient manuscripts; in the fourth, Lucilla, Prisoner of Slave Trader, has the eponymous girl at the centre of a slave trade for the benefit of rich men.

The author’s highly descriptive writing placed me with the vivid characters in Italy in the Middle Ages. I highly recommend you read the stories too and stay a while to taste the intrigue and perhaps have a cappuccino. If only the author’s detective novels were in English.

[Andrea Nicaretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

una "storia" costruita con una certa accuratezza, lettura veloce e piacevole (che si creda o meno all'"invasione")