A cryptic, highly literary murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the early 1300s. Narrated by a Benedictine novice tailing his master, an ingenious Franciscan friar sent on a mission of papal mediation, the duo become the de facto sleuths in solving a series of murders which seem to mirror the signifying events corresponding with the apocalyptic Seven Trumpets in the Book of Revelations. Inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle and Jorge Luis Borges alike, this tale of secrets and intrigue features religious and political controversy, forbidden manuscripts, and a dangerous, labyrinthine library. — Joe Michon-Huneau
“A brilliantly conceived adventure into another time” (San Francisco Chronicle) by critically acclaimed author Umberto Eco.
The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns to the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, and the empirical insights of Roger Bacon to find the killer. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey (“where the most interesting things happen at night”) armed with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious curiosity.