Murder and political intrigue are the key elements in this mystery
novel set in exotic and politically tense 13th century Sicily.
"Murder at the Leopard" uses a detailed knowledge of the period and
locale with many of the characters taken straight out of the mosaic
of original 13th and 14th century Sicilian contracts. A glittering
commercial prize in the wars and politics of the Mediterranean,
Sicily has been variously ruled by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans,
Arabs, Normans and the Holy Roman Empire. Ironically, the island's
current peace and prosperity has come about only through the
oppressive and exploitative 15-year rule of Charles of Anjou,
brother to Louis IX, soon to be St. Louis, King of France. Despite
the spiritual atmosphere of Holy Week festivities in 1281 Palermo,
an angry tension simmering among the native populace rides uneasily
just below the surface calm. Still, most residents go about their
daily lives as the political intrigue plays out in Naples, the site
of Charles' royal court. Charles' justice system becomes reality,
however, when a drunken wealthy merchant is murdered in Palermo's
streets after leaving The Leopard, a neighborhood tavern. The
owner, Amodeus de Rogerio, takes the murder personally.
Unfortunately, he's also the prime suspect and is incarcerated
within hours of the murder. His saucy wife, Ysabella, is left with
their newly opened business, their 8 year old scamp of a son, and
only a limited time to find the real culprit. With streets teeming
with paupers and pilgrims, friars and farmers, aristocrats and
almoners, all in town for the holidays, Ysabella finds many
suspects, both strangers and friends. A second murder soon follows,
and the reputation of The Leopard is on the line. Regular customers
are fearful of being the next victim, and the multitude of visitors
in town for Holy Week don't want to drink in a murderer's den
either. In her quest to restore The Leopard's good name and save
her husband, Ysabella and her family uncover illicit love affairs,
long-kept secrets, and rebel spies. But will she find the killer
before the hangman's noose finds her husband? Murder at the Leopard
is the first book of a trilogy of murder mysteries set in 13th
century Sicily written by RM Vassari and Lucia Olivia Lampe. The
"Vespers Series" is set between 1281 and 1283, a period of violence
and tension that saw the overthrow of French Angevin rule by an
island-wide uprising known now as the Sicilian Vespers. The tales
are richly woven using a detailed knowledge of the period and
locale, with many of the characters taken from real life.
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