When controversial artist Pontormo is found murdered in the chapel he has been painting frescoes for, Florence falls in to chaos looking for the murderer. There are scheming nuns, gossiping artists, livid Medicis, art historians playing detective, and young lovers planning a grand escape. This epistolary novel is a great snapshot of Renaissance Florence and the chaos of the political world. Catherine Medici is also there, playing both sides of a field in a game that's above everyone except her. It's quick paced, so complicated, and a really interesting read.

Perspectives is a page-turning epistolary mystery set in Renaissance Florence two years after the former head of the Inquisition, Pope Paul IV, became pope. Purity and morality were his focus. For the artists of that day, the realism, celebrating the human form, and celebrity status was over.

Jacopo da Pontormo, said to rival Michelangelo in talent, is found dead in a church, lying on the floor with his own chisel in his heart. Above him are his extraordinary frescoes that, with Pope Paul IV’s ascendence, are now out of favor. His patron, Cosmo de’ Medici, Duke of Florence, has designs on gaining the title of King of Tuscany. The pope’s favor is key to success, but what will the frescos say of his commitment to purity?

As the Duke’s trusted advisor investigates Jacopo’s murder, he finds that the fresco has been tampered with. As an art historian, he knows it was done by someone of great skill, and the reasons, he thinks, will lead him to the killer. The problem is, who had skill enough and also opportunity? And what if it wasn’t about the fresco, but instead the suggestive painting of the Duke’ daughter that was found in Jacopo’s lodging?

The story unfolds in a series of letters among the various characters. Binet does a marvelous job using them to carry the plot forward and introduce an interesting cast of characters, anyone of whom might have been the murderer. Most of all, she will keep you guessing until the end.

Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

This was an interesting novel! As a history, major previously, I found the characters intriguing, and what originally drew me to request the book. I think having a general understanding of the people and time periods involved in this book is much the readers benefit.
The use of letters was very well done and I think that the oddly twisty historical humour was fun. My first Binet but not my last

Nasty rumours, intricate plots, boldfaced lies, declarations of love, and accusations of murder—letters containing all these flit across Renaissance Italy in Laurent Binet’s epistolary “Perspectives” (translated by Sam Taylor, 2023). With a plot as finely woven as a tapestry, we follow Giorgio Vasari, artist and attack dog for Duke Cosimo de’ Medici, investigating the murder of Jacopo da Pontormo in the chapel of San Lorenzo, where he’s been working on a divisive fresco for 11 years.

Jacopo is found with a chisel in his heart. A section of his fresco seems to have been repainted by someone skilled enough to emulate the old master, but not to avoid detection. Duke Cosimo tasks Vasari, a real-life painter and chronicler of Renaissance artists, with finding the murderer. What follows is a whodunit mystery told through 176 letters from 20 larger-than-life characters pulled straight from the art history books.

Both paintings in this story are scandalous. Jacopo’s fresco is controversial due to its mannerist style, with elongated nude figures and depthless spaces. Vasari, a fan of traditional perspective and chronicler of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, calls it “truly awful.” The other is a nude Venus with the face of Duke Cosimo’s 17-year-old daughter, Maria de’ Medici—a humiliation for the Medici family that threatens her marriage prospects.

When Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France and Maria’s aunt, learns of the Venus painting, she sees a political opportunity. She plans to steal it, make copies, and distribute them through Europe, undermining Cosimo’s authority.

This Renaissance scandal involving non-consensual imagery of a young woman feels relevant today. Almost 500 years later, our society still grapples with similar ethical questions—now in the form of AI-generated deepfakes instead of oil paintings. Last week, the "Take it Down Act" passed in US Congress, aiming to curb this type of violation. Through his historical fiction, Binet challenges the notion that privacy concerns are uniquely modern or tied to a particular medium.

The epistolary format—a bold choice that could have been dull in lesser hands—privileges us with information the characters don’t have. This use of dramatic irony keeps us engaged despite the fragmented structure. When Catherine learns that Maria, unhappy with her political betrothal to the Duke of Ferrara, has an affair with her father’s page, she encourages her niece to follow her heart and elope to France. Sweet, right? Not quite. Catherine’s other letters show she’s content to ruin her niece’s life to harm her nemesis, Cosimo. And ruin it she does.

Maria’s tragic tale contrasts with absurd levity. The novel oscillates between political intrigue and cinematic action, as when Vasari uses perspective painting technique to fire his crossbow right between the eyes of an attacker.

The letters by Benvenuto Cellini, the flamboyant and braggadocious thief Catherine hires to steal the Venus painting, are a treat. “God must love you, Madame,” he says to Catherine, “for he has placed me upon your path.”

That’s certainly one way to address a sitting queen.

“Perspectives” is a salacious, laugh-out-loud delight written in crisp, witty prose that makes even art history novices feel in on the joke. Binet reveals the worst behaviour of major historical figures through language that feels both period-appropriate and accessible. “What a drag!” says Maria at one point, but this novel is anything but.

Readers of historical fiction will appreciate this novel, especially those interested in art history or Renaissance politics. Even those less familiar with the period will be engaged by the themes of power, privacy, and consent that remain urgent today.

I love epistolary novels, so this was a fun read for me. This can be difficult to do as authors can often put too much exposition in. In this novel, the narrative never felt forced, though the revelation of the murderer and their motivations didn't feel as satisfying as I hoped. That said, gallivanting through Renaissance Europe was a great time as there is a plethora of great culture and characters to play around with. I especially loved the ninja turtle cameos!

4⭐️ – Clever, layered, and uniquely constructed.
Perspective is a sharp, inventive novel that plays with form and point of view in a way that’s both intellectually stimulating and surprisingly fun. Binet brings Renaissance intrigue to life through a modern, metafictional lens. Some moments felt a bit self-indulgent, but overall, it’s a smart and rewarding read that lingers in your mind.

A murder mystery starring many of the most famous 16th century Italian artists? Sign me up!

I knew that the atmosphere of the novel and prose of this translation were going to be fantastic and I was not disappointed. I am not usually a fan of letter/document-style books, however Binet was able to keep the thread of the novel, never losing track through the many perspectives and stories.

I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending, but I found the translation to be smooth and an overall enjoyable read.

An interesting mystery and I always enjoy reading about Italy and the Renaissance, but the letter format with so many characters made it difficult to follow the communications and and relevant social connections.

This funny drama set in 1550s Florence charmed me, with all the political turmoil and machinations on all sides!

The style of storytelling (through letters) was very interesting and refreshing- it added a layer of humour and background to the characters, as there are many. If you are like me and only have an awareness/general knowledge of some of these folks (definitely some more than others for me!), do not fret- the letters provide a solid enough understanding of each character and their place in the story. However, I did feel compelled to do more research about their lives and true roles in history throughout, so the history buffs and those with a better knowledge of the time period/people will most likely notice some delightful moments that went right over my head!

Overall, I found this engaging and a unique take on a mystery. The author is very talented at spinning a rich web of motivations and deceit from all angles and I think many people who are fans of history and mystery would enjoy this.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC!

When I was in art school someone told me that I wrote (essays and dissertations) the same way I spoke, which I took as a compliment at the time, then overthought it into a terrible flaw, and now I’m kinda owning it again. So in the current war between ironic detachment and vulnerable honesty, I will always lean towards spilling my guts out – but, unfortunately, I am not immune to the appeal of a quirky one-liner joke that will be dated and cringey within the month. So, let’s get into it.


“It is quite astounding what a few words written on paper can do to a person.”

This was an interesting one to read during the conclave. Also, accidentally a prequel to Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait, which I had planned on reading before this but I was just too excited to eagle dive into this epistolary historical fiction murder mystery art world intrigue soap opera greek tragedy set in the Late Renaissance period – this book contains multitudes, and it’s way more fast-paced than I thought it would be! The letters are so short! Rest in peace Vincenzo Borghini and Giorgio Vasari, you guys would’ve loved Whatsapp.
What else can I say? I’m an artist. I work with books, and I like it when they have cool formats like this. I love gossip. I love when the characters in a book are real people that I can look up on Wikipedia to learn more about what happened to them before/after the events of said book. So, of course this gets 5 stars. And of course I’m buying a physical copy as soon as I can. Thank you Laurent Binet for loving all those letters and notes you can find walking around looting every last corner in Assassin’s Creed, and thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for giving me the opportunity to read this and discover yet another author to be obsessed with.

I love historical fiction and Renaissance is one of my favorite historical periods! This book didn’t let me down and the mystery really captivated me. Despite a few historical inaccuracies, this book was pretty good.

A beautifully written literary mystery. I felt transported to Renaissance Florence! As someone who studied the Italian artists of this period at university, it felt very well researched.

This is an intriguing novel told through a long series of letters between a variety of 16th-century historical figures, predominantly artists connected to the court of Cosimo I de'Medici, Duke of Florence. I really loved the various points of view presented through these letters, as each person revealed different agendas, biases, and knowledge of the murdered man and the events possibly connected to his death. I read this as a scholar of the period, so I knew a lot about the characters, for better or worse, and I think that this was helpful in comprehending the background. However, I did find it hard to really get into the story and it took me much longer than anticipated to get through the book. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review.

This was a different read for me, written in the form of letters between different protagonists in 16th century Florence exploring a murder mystery.

For me however this taught me more about the intriguing politics amongst the art and beauty of Florence at that time.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance reader copy, in return for my own opinion.

Astounding, informative, gorgeous. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this one early.

My pulse raced throughout the well-wrought, fantastically twisted plots in Laurent Binet's PERSPECTIVE(S). It is historical fiction, mystery, marvelous romp through a world of power, privilege, and art -- the best escapist story I have read in a very long time, taking me back to Florence and enjoying the beauty concealing a city with deep history and great intelligence. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Thank you so much to @fsgbooks for the gifted ARC!

I chose this murder mystery set in Renaissance Florence and involving Michelangelo and the Medici family because I will be visiting Florence this summer.

The atmosphere was fun and the writing was great. The epistolary structure allowed the author’s humor to shine, but made the plot too drawn out to ultimately hold my interest. Revealing a who-done-it is always tricky and a certain amount of repetition is inevitable, but in the case of this piece, it hampered my overall enjoyment. Still fun and I would read more by this author!

Although I did provide a mini review on my instagram and good reads (linked), I will not be providing a full, stand alone feature for this novel.

As expected Laurent Binet has written yet another novel that delights me for its depth of thought, its erudition, its wit, its overall amazingness. One heck of a read.

WOW! I was blown away by this one. A gripping, complex mystery and a lively cast of characters made for an unputdownable adventure. I truly had no idea who the culprit was until the very end and I was SHOCKED but it also made perfect sense, which is the absolute best way for a mystery to unfold! The writing was incredible, to write in a style similar to 1500s Italy but in a way where I completely understood what was being said and what was going on? That is TALENT! The drama, the gossip, the intrigue, the betrayals, the morality! It was fabulous and I will be thinking of it for a long time!

I was drawn to this story by its description of art and murder in 1500s Florence. With characters 8ncliding Michelangelo, Vasari, Catherine de Medici and many more, it is intriguing and unique, told all in letters.