Perspectives

by Laurent Binet

Florence, New Year’s Day 1557. As dawn breaks, a painter is discovered lying on the floor of a church, stabbed through the heart. Above him, the paintings he laboured over for more than a decade. At his home,, a hidden painting scandalously depicting Maria de Medici, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Florence, as a naked Venus. Who is the murderer? Who is behind the painting? As the city erupts in chaos,, Giorgio Vasari, the great art historian , is picked to lead the investigation.

263 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2026

About the author

Son of an historian, Binet was born in Paris, graduated from University of Paris in literature, and taught literature in Parisian suburb and eventually at University. He was awarded the 2010 Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman for his first novel, HHhH.

Laurent Binet est né à Paris. Il a effectué son service militaire en Slovaquie et a partagé son temps entre Paris et Prague pendant plusieurs années. Agrégé de lettres, il est professeur de français en Seine-Saint-Denis depuis dix ans et chargé de cours à l'Université. HHhH est son premier roman.

Reviews

[Balthazaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of voices, and it was hard to follow them all and hard to care about everyone. But the second half takes off like a rocket and it turns into a picaresque whodunnit. And who did do it? I’m not sure I know which ‘it’ we’re talking about! I found the defence of art hard to engage with, probably because I was listening to this on audio book, and I would have liked to explore it better. Shout out though to the main narrator who was fab. This I enjoyed more than I thought I would at 25% and it is quite an accomplishment I’m writing. Give it a go. Time spent in Florence is never wasted.

I got his book through the library service. Save our libraries. I ❤️ the library.

[Anaïs · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4 A fun read !

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Far too many pov’s whose writing voices sounded exactly the same, plus a preposterous twist towards the end. Disappointing.

[Molly]

ehhhhhhh