Book description
An exuberant and discursive historical novel, crammed with
fascinating detail.' The Independent It's 11 September 1683, Rome. The
citizens of the city wait anxiously for the outcome of the battle for
Vienna as Ottoman forces lay siege to the defenders of Catholic
Europe. Meanwhile, a suspected outbreak of plague causes a famous
Roman tavern to be placed under quarantine. One of its detainees, the
mysterious Atto Melani, a spy in the service of France, discovers a
secret passage leading deep into the Roman underworld. A plot to
assassinate the pope and plans to use the plague as a weapon of mass
destruction in the battle between Islam and the West are discovered.
Meticulously researched and brilliantly conceived,
"Imprimatur" contains startling revelations that have been
concealed for centuries, drawing on original papers discovered in the
Vatican archives. A thriller in the vein of Umberto Eco's "The
Name of the Rose", this novel sheds new light on the power
struggles of 17th-century Europe, the repercussions of which are still
felt today. First published to great controversy in Italy in 2002,
"Imprimatur" was boycotted by the Italian press and
publishing world. Despite this, the novel has gained European
bestseller status; it has been translated into 20 languages with
editions published in 45 countries. Over 1 million copies have been
sold to date.
