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The Prince of Poison
A Novel
Fiction - Historical Trade Paperback | April 2006
$ 14.95 | 978-1-4000-8063-2 (1-4000-8063-0)
Also
available as an eBook. |
About This Guide
For decades, Pamela Kaufman has entertained a loyal readership with the mesmerizing and often hilarious adventures of Alix
of Wanthwaite, madcap medieval beauty. In Shield of Three Lions, the unflappable Alix braved the crusades dressed as
a man to spar with the king of England over her birthright. Banners of Gold saw her taken hostage, drawn into a web
of international politics, and entangled in the heartstrings of three different men. Now, The Prince of Poison finds
Alix homeward bound at last, with a half-royal child in tow and an angry monarch on her trail.
Set amidst the pomp
and savagery of twelfth-century Europe, the Alix of Wanthwaite trilogy renders a glorious mishmash of ruffians, peasants,
troubadours, murderers, pretenders, barons, princesses, and popes in charming and disarming detail. Alix’s bawdy, free-wheeling
narration wickedly lampoons historical notables like Richard the Lion Heart and Eleanor of Aquitaine, spinning the historical
novel in a fresh direction. This guide is designed to enhance your group’s discussion of Alix’s escapades in The
Prince of Poison.
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The Madonna of Las Vegas
A Novel
Fiction Trade Paperback | August 2005
$ 13.00 | 978-1-4000-8186-8 (1-4000-8186-6)
Also available
as an eBook. |
About This Book
It’s the hair-raising countdown to a new millennium, and Cosmo Dust watches in dismay as the wreckage of his life
comes into garish focus in the glow of post-Sinatra Las Vegas. Surrounded by the simulacra of Western civilization, Cosmo
finds himself strong-armed by the Golden Calf Casino into recreating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: a task that makes
a mockery of both Michelangelo’s genius and Cosmo’s skill.
Just when Cosmo has decided to quit this job
to search for something real, Reality trumps him by making him the chief suspect in the murder of a cocktail waitress. Joining
forces with the daughter of the Pope of Las Vegas, the local mob boss, he tries to piece together who’s killing whom
and why. Navigating a world that subverts rational motivation, Cosmo and the Pope’s daughter encounter film-noir homicide
detectives, Gnostic monks, a Vatican Inquisitor, and a baby who may or may not be the messiah.
A masterfully written
novel that is part romantic comedy, part dysfunctional detective story, The Madonna of Las Vegas exuberantly explores
the quest for a genuine life in a world built on false appearances.
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