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The Medici Secret (Michael White, Bantam, $32.95, ISBN 9781863256162, March) ****

Ex-Thompson Twins band member Michael White will intrigue readers with his latest novel The Medici Secret. White is the author of 25 books, his best known being the international bestseller Equinox. The Medici Secret combines murder, mystery, hidden cryptic clues, Renaissance Italy and cleverly switches between the past and the present. Edie Granger, a palaeopathologist, and her uncle are thrust into danger’s path while examining DNA remains of the Medici family. They have serious doubts about the bodies’ true identities, but need proof before going public. Discovering an object lodged deep within the mummies’ remains, is the beginning of a roller coaster ride they can’t get off of. Edie seeks the help of a college friend, unwittingly drawing him and his family into peril also. Clue after cryptic clue lead them through the beautifully detailed streets, crypts and canals of Italy, tempting them to continue the search of the Medici secret, despite the dangers that continually present themselves. Lovers of thriller novels and those who have an interest in history will enjoy this novel. White writes exceptionally well, and draws the reader into his world, enticing you to turn the page and discover what the Medici family hid, hundreds of years earlier.

Sharon Athanasos is freelance reviewer and former bookseller

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker