Quattrocento

Quattrocento by Susana Fortes (b. 1956, Galician writer, known for El amante albanés) is a mix of historical novel, thriller and art fiction. The novel takes place in two times:

In 15th-century Florence (the Renaissance era of Botticelli and Leonardo), it describes the famous Pazzi conspiracy on April 26, 1478 – the assassination of the Medici brothers in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Giuliano de' Medici is killed, Lorenzo survives, and Florence sinks into revenge, torture and persecution. Pope Sixtus IV, the Pazzi family and King Ferdinand of Naples pull the strings in the background, wanting to overthrow the Medici power.

In the contemporary part (21st century), a young doctoral student Ana Sotomayor is writing a dissertation on the Renaissance painter Pierpaolo Masoni, a lesser-known artist. Studying his notebooks and the enigmatic painting, Ana discovers that Masoni was not just a painter – he may have been a key witness or participant in a conspiracy, and his work hides a secret that changes official history. The more she digs, the more she realizes that the discovery could have dangerous consequences in modern-day Florence – perhaps even endangering her life.

Fortes uses a style similar to Dan Brown (but criticizes it within the text as "modern superstition"), with an emphasis on historical accuracy, artistic detail, political intrigue and suspense. The two lines develop in parallel, building tension through revelations, secrets and moral dilemmas. Criticism is divided: some praise the ambition and Florentine setting, others criticize the excessive twists and "Chekhov's guns" that do not fire.