Axe for an Abbot: An Italian Renaissance Whodunit

Popes, cardinals, whores, and thieves are among the players in this fifth Renaissance mystery featuring the enigmatic knight Sigismondo and his sidekick Benno.
Tricked into a murder, Sigismondo finds himself in the middle of a no-holds-barred political melee for the possession of La Feconda, the fabled and jewel-encrusted cross said to bring fertility to its owner.
When an important abbot is found dead - with Sigismondo's axe sticking out of his back - the cover-up sweeps into the highest offices of Renaissance Italy. Dukes, cardinals, and even the Pope jealously put their forces in motion to recover the missing relic and to keep an eye on a raving monk whose visions may he more meaningful than they seem.
The tough and honorable Sigismondo will do whatever it takes to set things right and return La Feconda to its proper place in the shrine of Sheggia, but this means crossing swords with the most vicious and powerful families of the land.
Ever attended by his slow-witted aide Benno, the resourceful knight enlists a sly assassin and master of disguises, a thief, a very wicked woman, and an old flame with a jealous husband in his quest to restore order.
Fervent religion, cold-blooded murder, medieval lust, and back-stabbing politics all feature in this gem of a Renaissance free-for-all.

Appearing for the fifth time in this long and uneven tale, Italian Renaissance adventurer Sigismondo, accompanied by the dwarf Benno, kills a thief at the villa of the wealthy Pantera family. Shortly thereafter, at the Duke of Rocca's palace, Sigismondo's ax is used to slay the gross, venal Abbot Bonifaccio. These are the first of many murders, as a large cast of clergy and laity, nobles and peasants, pilgrims and prostitutes wanders around Italy, intent on skulduggery, wealth, power, piety and fertility. Central to the mayhem is La Feconda, a priceless jeweled cross said to bestow riches and sons upon its owners. The Panteras insist the treasure is theirs, but Sigismondo has vowed to convey it to its rightful home on Scheggia, a rugged island where the faithful struggle up a steep path to pray at the shrine of the Virgin. Although Eyre (Bravo for the Bride) keeps the characters and locales straight, and tosses in sex, excitement and sly plotting (including a conclave of cardinals electing a new pope), the story is overcrowded and marred by loose ends.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This series adventure, set in the Italian Renaissance, finds protagonist Sigismondo's career in jeopardy. His axe has killed an important abbot, and a jeweled cross is missing. Another skillful work from the pseudonymous Jill Staynes and Margaret Storey.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.