MEDICI HEIST

Seventeen-year-old Rosa Cellini returns to Florence after six years away, hoping to dismantle the powerful Medici family, which now includes Pope Leo X.

Rosa hasn’t entered Florence since the death of her mother and the fall of the Republic. But now she’s teaming up with Florence’s best thieves—childhood friend Sarra the Tinkerer, Tunisian enforcer Khalid, con man Giacomo, and apothecary Agata. Rosa plans to steal the fortune the Medicis have amassed from selling indulgences. To pull off the biggest heist of their careers, they’ll have to infiltrate the Medici family guard, traverse the rooftops of Florence, disarm Leonardo da Vinci’s traps, and enlist the help of Michelangelo. Rosa taps into Michelangelo’s discomfort about the Medicis’ rule and his longing for the days of the Republic to enlist him as uneasy accomplice in the plot against his patrons, using his status to gain access to the Medici palace. The crew’s dynamics greatly enhance the core of heist narratives; in this case, the bond between the central group develops too late in the story to develop a strong chemistry. Earlier on, the characters are often isolated, dealing with personal challenges that don’t require team effort. Despite these shortcomings, the relationships that eventually form between them are endearing and compelling. Debut author Schneiderhan transports readers to Renaissance Florence, creating a rich historical backdrop filled with personal dramas and political upheaval.

Does a fine job depicting an intriguing era in an adventure that’s peopled with heartwarming characters.