As always, I love books about art, art history, and Italy, so I enjoyed reading The Secret Courtesan.
Mia Harding is an art historian sent from the States to certify a fellow art historian’s identification of a statue called “The Estasi” (the Ecstasy) as being by a Venetian Baroque sculptor named Lucca Armani. The art world expects her to confirm the world-famous Dr. Byron’s opinion. Doubting the attribution based on her intuition, she procrastinates signing the authentication forms. Unfortunately her job at her own museum and her future in the art history world hangs in the balance while she contemplates the statue.
She makes a quick trip to Venice along with Dr. Becket, a fellow art historian, to do further investigation. There, the couple is hounded by a powerful Italian crime family that hopes to capitalize on the theory that similar statues are buried around Venice. They plan to dig them up to place on the illegal fine art market.
The second time line occurs in 1609 and involves Lucca Armani and a courtesan who’s art works are erased by Venice’s unfair laws.
This is a fun, fast-paced read with elements of a thriller, some magic realism, a strong female protagonist, and a dual timeline, so I was totally sucked in.
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The Secret Courtesan (She Writes Press, February 10, 2026) is available through:
Your local independent bookseller | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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