Part of Cotton Malone, book 19
First published 2025
Cotton Malone travels to Italy and Tuscany pursuing a lost document called the Pledge of Christ. This sixteenth century promise from Pope Julius II proves the Vatican owes a massive debt that has grown to trillions of dollars over five hundred years. The key to collecting lies with the Medici family of Florence, supposedly extinct for centuries without any surviving heirs. Malone discovers his investigation connects to two major power struggles unfolding in modern Italy. Political forces battle over who will become the next prime minister while the Catholic Church faces its own succession crisis in choosing the next pope. As Malone digs deeper into the mystery, he realizes all three situations depend on a single question. The fate of nations and the Church itself hinges on whether the Medici bloodline truly ended or if descendants still exist. Everything Cotton thought he knew about history may be wrong, and the truth could reshape the balance of power across Europe.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Florence, Italy, Tuscany, Vatican
Period: 16th Century, Modern Day
403 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing