Tom Sullivan, about to graduate from Princeton, is haunted by the violent death of his father, an academic who devoted his life to studying one of the rarest, most complex and most valuable books in the world. Coded in seven languages, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, an intricate mathematical mystery and a tale of love and arcane brutality, has baffled scholars since 1499. Tom's friend Paul is similarly obsessed and when a long-lost diary surfaces, they finally seem to make a breakthrough. But only hours later, a fellow researcher is murdered and the two friends suddenly find themselves in great danger. Working desperately to expose the book's secret, they slowly uncover a Renaissance tale of passion and blood, a hidden crypt and a secret worth dying to protect.

Tom Sullivan is haunted by the violent death of his father, an academic who devoted his life to studying one of the rarest, most complex and most valuable books in the world. Coded in seven languages, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, an intricate mathematical mystery and a tale of love and arcane brutality, has baffled scholars since 1499.

When a long-lost diary surfaces, Tom and his friend Paul finally seem to make a breakthrough. But only hours later, a fellow researcher is murdered and the two friends find themselves in great danger. Working desperately to expose the book's secret, they uncover a Renaissance tale of passion and blood, a hidden crypt and a secret worth dying to protect.

'If you loved The Da Vinci Code ... dive into this' People Magazine

'The Da Vinci Code for people with brains' Independent

'An assured piece of fiction that weaves together the past and the present seamlessly' Observer

'A marvellous book with a dark Renaissance secret in its coded heart' New York Times Book Review