**A Times (London) Best Book of the Year**

Before the Corleones, before the Lannisters, there were the Borgias. One of history’s most notorious families comes to life in this riveting bestseller, as the House of Borgia crosses paths with a young diplomat named Niccolò Machiavelli.

“Full to the brim with vivid historical details both gory and beautiful.” —Library Journal

It is 1502 and Rodrigo Borgia, a self-confessed womanizer and master of political corruption, is now on the papal throne as Alexander VI. His daughter, Lucrezia, is discovering her own power. His son Cesare Borgia"s relationship with Machiavelli affords him a master class on the dark arts of power and politics. But it is Lucrezia who must navigate the treacherous court and a challenging marriage to create her own place in history.

Bestselling novelist Sarah Dunant employs her remarkable gifts as a storyteller to bring to life the passionate men and women of the Borgia family, as well as the ever-compelling figure of Machiavelli, through whom the reader will experience one of the most fascinating—and doomed—dynasties of all time.