THE FALCONER’S KNOT

In Hoffman’s latest, readers will have to suspend plenty of disbelief, and endure a few instances of deus ex machina, as well as the author’s lighthearted treatment of many of the tenets of Catholic doctrine that even nonbelievers may find offensive. But the author of the Stravaganza series has written a rollicking, romantic tale, with gruesome murders, holy friars and both young and older lovers, set in the summer of 1316. Beautiful and rich young Silvano takes sanctuary with the friars near Assisi to escape persecution for a murder he did not commit; in the nearby convent, young Chiara has been dumped by her brother, who cannot provide a dowry. Both friary and convent make and grind colors for the great painter Simone Martini, who is creating radiant works in Assisi. Two women—one young, one older—are widowed, and two of the friars die horrible deaths. All of this connects via Silvano, Chiara and Silvano’s hawk, and there is much talk of the making of paints and the poisonous qualities of some. Indeed, an image in Simone’s painting provides a final clue to the perpetrator. Lightly historical and heavily fictional. (Historical fiction. YA)