Alchemist of Genoa

What price would you pay to uphold the truth?

It is February 1587. In England, Mary Queen of Scots is beheaded on the orders of the Privy Council. In Spain, Philip II plans his 'Enterprise of England': an invasion by a huge Armada to remove Queen Elizabeth and reinstate the Catholic faith. As rumours of all-out war circulate, Genoa's bankers and merchants wait - and watch. What they do not know is that a 'cold war' is already under way, money is the weapon, and their city - Europe's leading financial centre - is a key battleground.

Nico Castello, a man from humble parentage who has clawed his way to wealth and position in Genoa, is under pressure to choose sides. The Republic's leaders, the Church, his fellow bankers and even his feisty young bride, Lisa Della Volta, expect him to ally himself with the Spanish cause. But when his brother is threatened with blackmail and a customer of his bank is murdered, Nico decides that those responsible, however powerful, must be held to account. His principles could cost him his marriage, every penny he has, even his life.