Lady Bona Sforza of Bari has traveled from Italy to Krakow in April, 1518 with a contingent of ladies in waiting to assist her. She was married by proxy to King Zygmunt while in Bari and was crowned queen of Poland 2 days after her arrival. The marriage is a good one but the courtiers do not like Bona. She cannot handle the Polish foods, preferring the cooks make Italian meals which are lighter in fare. She brought with her the fashions and social mores of Italy which shocked the Polish court. In addition, Bona brought furniture from Italy to furnish her rooms which the courtiers did not approve of either. All seems to be well until the Christmas ball when an aristocrat is found dead in the castle. 2 weeks later during the feast of Epiphany dinner another aristocrat is found dead in the castle. Queen Bona has become involved in the investigations but needs the assistance of Caterina due to the political backlash her husband is receiving from her involvement.
It was refreshing to read a historical mystery novel that did not take place in England or France. The choice of Poland as a setting was a brilliant one. Readers tend to get bored with the same old thing. I learned much about the political climate and culture in Poland. The royal court had a new (to me) activity called the sanna. The sanna is a huge sleigh ride where all of the sleighs are attached. It is held annually on the day before new year's eve. The whodunnit was easy to figure out but the why surprised me. I googled Queen Bona to determine whether she was accurately portrayed in the book. She was. King Zygmunt 1 was not that interested in ruling but Queen Bona was. Her proposal for agricultural reforms were true to history. The author deftly worked that into the story. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. With 4 countries in this dynasty there are many approaches that the author can take.
5 out of 5 stars.
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