Sarah, Son of God by Justine Saracen

Publisher:        Bold Strokes Books

Justine Saracen is a master at combining mystery and history.  She sets her characters in a real setting and time and then twists the facts gently to create a story that seems plausible.  She can also spin a tale so that the reader can't be sure where it's going to end.  In Sarah, Son of God Saracen takes a hint from Dan Brown and puts her own spin on the events around the founding of Christianity.

Joanna Valois is a Renaissance historian who receives a grant to go to Venice and research the circumstances surrounding a mysterious diary written by a woman who escaped from the Inquisition after publishing a "heretical" book.  Joanna wants to find out what happened to the woman and what exactly the nature of the book's heresy was.  She's joined in her search by Sara Falier, a beautiful transgendered woman, who has decided to live her life the way she chooses to and not according to how society dictates she should.  The women discover that the author of the diary made a very similar decision in her time.  They also discover that they are delving into information that powerful forces in Italy and the Roman Catholic Church would still like to keep hidden.  If they are able to discover all of the clues and reveal what the book hints at, the very foundations of Christianity will be shaken.  Even though the reader will know what Saracen proposes is extremely unlikely, there is the outside possibility that it could have happened.  She  creates an illusion and draws the reader into it.

Saracen has a real gift for creating intricate plots that flow smoothly through a book.  While they are sophisticated, they never leave the reader confused as to what is going on in the story.  The historic aspects of the novel teach lessons in the best way possible, painlessly.  While the reader thinks she's consuming a story, she's also learning a lot about the past.  Saracen also knows how to tease a story.   She hints at a mystery, then drops clues throughout, with a few red herrings, without revealing the solution until the end. 

The plot of Sarah, Son of God is especially interesting because it includes the story of Sara Falier, how she develops in her identity and the unique relationship that develops between her and Joanna.  That story alone would make an interesting book.  It's easy to forget that Sara still possesses a man's body because she conducts herself in every way as a woman and that's clearly also confusing to Joanna as she develops an attraction for the other woman.  Their story parallels nicely with the stories in the journal and the heretical book.  It poses interesting questions about how exactly a relationship of this type would progress.

Justine Saracen is an accomplished author.  She writes books that are deceptively simple, but never quite follow a predictable pattern.  Anyone looking for a quality book to read won't be disappointed with anything by Saracen, especially Sarah, Son of God.

Sistine Heresy by Justine Saracen

Publisher:             Bold Strokes Books


Justine Saracen has combined historic fact with fiction to create a rich story set in the time of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Borgias. Although much of the plot is manufactured, it is so accurate in its detail and tone that the people come alive and it could pass for an actual record of the period.

Adrianna Borgia lives balanced on the edge of a sword. During the reign of Pope Alexander VI, she led a privileged life as the widow of one of his sons and the mistress of the other. His death brought a change in attitudes in Rome, however, and now Adrianna must be constantly careful about what she says and who she is seen with. She flits on the edge of society with friends who are still important, not the least of which is Michelangelo, but Pope Julius II is not fond of her and the Inquisition is threatening to come into Rome, led by a Dominican cleric who is determined to destroy her. 

Adrianna tries to find quiet comfort in the company of people like the beautiful young castrato Domenico Raggi, who sings in the Vatican choir, and Silvio Piccolomini, who has too much fascination with the philosophies of the ancient Greeks and the new science that is sweeping across Europe.  The person who could spell disaster for her, though, is Raphaela Bramante, a talented painter who stirs strange, ungodly feelings in her. 

When Michelangelo begins painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Adrianna convinces him to take on Raphaela as an apprentice disguised as a boy. With intrigue among the Cardinals, scheming by the upper classes and religious zealots looking for any reason to burn people at the stake, the slightest misstep could get all of them killed. Navigating this minefield of politics and religion requires consummate skill and at least one of them will fail tragically. In such an atmosphere, Adrianna and Raphaela have to decide if their relationship is worth their lives, literally.

Justine Saracen shows that she did a tremendous amount of research into the Renaissance period. Little tidbits about the culture of the time that are dropped into the story give it a feeling of reality. The strength of the story, however, is in the character development. The figures step out of the pages and become living creations. The emotions and interactions are so well drawn that it’s impossible to tell the real people from the ones that were manufactured for the book. Knowing how vicious the Inquisition could be and how manipulative the times were keeps the reader in a constant state of suspense as to whether these people will be able to survive the forces around them. 

For history buffs, Sistine Heresy is a thoroughly enjoyable book. For other readers it’s a book that is hard to put down.

Mephisto Aria by Justine Saracen

Publisher:                  Bold Strokes Books


Justine Saracen works her magic once again and proves that an old story can be given a new twist that keeps the story vibrant and interesting.  Her concept in Mephisto Aria is based on Faust and the idea of selling your soul to the Devil to get what you want.
Katherina Marow is a rising star in the opera world when she receives word that her father has committed suicide.  She returns home, discovers his journal and makes astonishing discoveries about his past.  Though she continues her career, she is constantly drawn back to the journal and her father's attempts to resist temptation.  Katherina is facing her own temptations in the form of her married co-star Anastasia Ivanova.  When their love seems impossible, Kaherina is seduced by Gregory Raspin, a mysterious figure who seems to radiate evil, to appear in a new version of "Faust" that is scheduled to be performed on Walpurgisnacht (Witches' Night).  Katherina sees an opportunity to appear on international television and rise to the top of her profession.  She has no idea how dangerous this production is intended to be and what is going to be asked of her.  Katherina's father was destroyed by not being able to resist temptation.  Will this be a case of like father, like daughter?

Saracen's books are always full of detail about the environment, people and history in which a book is set so that the reader feels like she is part of the story.  Mephisto Aria is no exception.  It is apparent that Saracen has spent time in the opera world with the little details she includes that add richness to the scenes.  In fact a criticism of the book could be that there is almost too much detail sometimes because it gets in the way of the plot moving forward.  That is a minor aspect though because of the complexity of the characters and subplots.  She manages to weave the aspects of the Faust story through the book without completely stealing the plot of the original classic.  The underlying theme between Katherina and her father, that someone you think you know might be very different, flirts through the rest of the story giving it a deeper meaning.

Mephisto Aria shows that lesbian fiction can contain very intricate, sophisticated stories, yet tell them in a way that the reader can easily understand.  It should provide the reader with some very enjoyable hours of entertainment.