The Apprentice

The Apprentice: Love and Scandal in the Kingdom of Naples was written by one of my favorite authors Christine De Melo. It is her 16th novel and I have enjoyed them all. However, this story is peculiar.

The publisher's summary:

Naples, Italy 1600: In a desperate attempt to avoid an undesirable fate, “Carlo” dispatches an urgent letter to estranged cousin, Giovanni Balducci, on the eve of the Florentine Maestro's departure to Naples. The deceptive youth convinces Giovanni that he needs an apprentice, so they travel south to complete important commissions, including the adornment of the macabre San Gaudioso catacombs. What began as an adventure takes a perilous turn when the apprentice falls in love with a local monk.

Carlo meets the famed nun, Sister Giulia di Marco, and her confessor, Father Aniello Arcieri, a few years later while restoring an altarpiece in a church. The charismatic pair gradually draw the lonely artist into their scandalous Confraternity of Carnal Charity, whose wealthy noble acolytes believe divine glory can be achieved through sexual ecstasy. Unable to continue living a lie, Carlo confesses a big secret to Sister Giulia. The crafty nun wastes no time assigning the novitiate a prominent role within the cult, which soon captures the attention of the Holy Inquisition. To make matters worse, the priest leading the investigation is someone the artist knows all too well.

This gripping account of forbidden love and danger revolves around actual historical accounts. The author has spent considerable time researching in Naples, especially within the mysterious and bizarre underground catacombs.

If I had never heard about sex cults before, The Apprentice would not have been plausible. However, I once worked on a legal case where a prostitute claimed that salvation could only be obtained through sex with her. This prostitute requested that her home be exempt from property taxes because it was a church. Of course, she lost. Had I not been involved with the case, I probably would not have finished this book. The plot is bizarre even though it is plausible. I enjoyed, though, reading about the artists. I learned how they worked on paintings, obtained jobs and that they frequently were away from home working on commissions. The twist at the midway point I did not see coming and was a surprise. The plot changed significantly here and I am not sure it was for the better.

3 out of 5 stars.