Follow the clues as a science graduate and a retired art historian discover a mysterious manuscript written by Francesco Melzi, Leonardo da Vinci’s young assistant. Octavo by Marty Neumeier is the story of Leonardo’s obsession with a murder, the manuscript that proves it, and the two women racing to publish it before their violent client can find them.

Designer and nonfiction author Marty Neumeier combines his love of books, design, and murder in his debut novel Octavo, now previewing in weekly episodes on Substack (text and full-cast audio). 

About the book: Scarlett is a university graduate with a master’s in biophysics and a chip on her shoulder. Artie is a retired professor of art history. They’ve been hired by a wealthy collector to authenticate a cache of paintings discovered under the floorboards of an Italian townhouse. The calculus shifts when they stumble on something unexpected—a manuscript written by Leonardo’s last pupil. It’s an astonishing firsthand account of the great master as he grapples with a murder at the prestigious Aldine Press. It’s a mystery Leonardo is compelled to solve, or his notebooks may never be published.

Scarlett and Artie fear a similar fate might await the manuscript if their client gets his hands on it. He’ll bury it deep in his vault and the world will once again be deprived of Leonardo’s genius. They put aside their differences and make a pact: they’ll steal the manuscript and make it public. They land a publisher, change their names, disguise their looks, and set off across northern Italy in a frantic race to vet the story and vanish into the woodwork. If they fail, their dangerous client will ensure that they, and the manuscript, will disappear for good.