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Church bells chime in an ancient bell tower as architect Jordan Mayfair, from Savannah, Georgia, and her travel-writer uncle, Alexander Carlyle, arrive at Convento di Santa Francesca Firenze in Florence, Italy. Jordan expects the 15th-century convent with its exquisite gardens to offer a safe and serene retreat from the crowded, bustling, touristy district of Europe's premier Renaissance city and anticipates a romantic interlude with Paul Broussard, charming patron of the arts, who is flying in from Paris just for her.
But the polizia municipale are on site investigating a burglary by jewel thieves, and a mugging has occurred outside the convent walls. Several guests of the convent are not who they seem to be, and one is soon dead. A suicide, the police say. But Jordan suspects murder.
Her attempt to find justice for the victim leads her to discoveries as dark as the labyrinths of the convent that she explores with an architect's eye, and as far-reaching as the spectacular Tuscan hills. But Jordan's findings give little comfort as she uncovers the truth about Paul's unstable daughter, Bella, who has come to Florence with evil intentions. In the third book of the Jordan Mayfair Mystery series, treachery tears a prominent family apart, takes an innocent life, and threatens Jordan's evolving relationship with Paul Broussard.
About the author
Phyllis Gobbell is the author of the Jordan Mayfair mysteries, Pursuit in Provence, Secrets and Shamrocks, Treachery in Tuscany-which won the 2019 Silver Falchion Award for Best Cozy Mystery-and the newest, Notorious in Nashville, will be published by Encircle Publications in October 2023. She is also the co-author of two true-crime books, has published and won awards for short stories and creative nonfiction, and has received Tennessee's Individual Artist Literary Award. Faculty Emeritus at Nashville State Community College, she taught composition, literature, and creative writing. Recently, she has taught creative writing in Lipscomb University's Lifelong Learning Program and has worked as a writing coach. Find Phyllis on Facebook and Instagram, and visit phyllisgobbell.com for the latest news.
