Shadow of Madness

Tuscany, winter 1540. Cesare Aldo travels into the hills north of Florence seeking answers about his past. Accompanied by the physician Saul Orvieto, he reaches the Ospedale de’ Pazzi, a secure institution holding people judged criminally insane. Soon after their arrival, a blizzard cuts the building off from the surrounding country and their cart driver is found dead below a cliff.

A brutal killing inside the central courtyard confirms Aldo’s suspicion that the first death was not an accident. Staff, patients and visitors are now confined together while worsening weather prevents assistance or escape. To identify the murderer, Aldo must reconstruct movements within an institution built on secrecy and restraint, even as his original search exposes personal truths that make the investigation more dangerous.