A thoroughly fun "history mystery" debut based on a young bookish woman discovering the true story of Shakespeare's play, or at least the characters the play was based on. The novel unwinds with clues scattered amid the beautifully-described scenery of Siena. There are enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing, and enough ends are tied up (perhaps a bit too neatly) towards the conclusion of the book. The first half of the book unwinds slowly, introducing us to characters and settings languorously -- the second half of the novel speeds up substantially, with story lines tying together and villains cooperating in unexpected ways. In the end this reader was left a little unsatisfied with how well everything turned out. Very good reading for anyone who enjoys Shakespeare or even the idea of loving Shakespeare.
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