The Rossetti Letter

Phillips, Christi. The Rossetti Letter. Claire Donovan has the opportunity to attend a conference in Venice that will enable her to complete her Ph.D. dissertation on the Spanish Conspiracy. In order to afford the trip she must agree to chaperone a teenager. As you can imagine, this involves its own set of problems. Then at the first seminar, Andrew Kent, a well-known Cambridge historian announces his forthcoming book debunking the Spanish Conspiracy theory. Claire's approach has been based on a letter written by a famous courtesan of the time, and she must now find proof from primary sources or abandon her dissertation, losing all of the time and effort that she's put into it. Unfortunately, some of the information she needs is reserved for Kent's own research.

The chapters alternate between Claire's 21st century problems and the life of the early 17th century courtesan, Allesandra Rossetti. The reader follows both stories as Claire looks for evidence and Allesandra becomes entangled with the both Spanish and Venetian conspirators.

A light read, but some interesting historical information about life and politics in the Venice. of 1618. There was no Rossetti letter, but the Spanish Conspiracy was an actual event and several of the characters were real people caught up in the affair.

Fiction. Mystery. 2007. 383 pages.