HISTORICAL FICTION

Sacred Hearts

by Sarah Dunant;

Random House, 415 pages ($25)

A 16th-century Italian convent would seem to be an unlikely locus for a tale of political intrigue, thwarted romance and adolescent angst.

But in this engrossing historical novel, the convent of Santa Caterina is that, and more. In Catholic Italy, the price of dowries has soared so high that noble families can frequently afford to marry off just one daughter. The only option for the remaining daughters is convent life.

Dunant’s painstaking portrait of Renaissance Italy is part of the pleasure of her story. The linchpin of the tale is Suora Zuana, a botanist who has made her peace with convent life. Her world is upended when Serafina, the rebellious daughter of a nobleman, is sent to the convent and put into her care.

In the early pages the reader may chafe at the pacing, until Serafina attempts to escape, setting the wheels of the plot in motion. Dunant’s masterful portrait of both a time and a troubled adolescent’s struggles builds the tension, as both the fate of Serafina and the convent’s way of life hang in the balance. “Sacred Hearts” is a testament to women who lived and died in the most confining of circumstances, but whose essential humanity shines through.

CHILDREN’S

Strawberry Hill

by Mary Ann Hoberman;

Little Brown, 230 pages ($15.99) Ages 8 to 12.

Mary Ann Hoberman, recently appointed Children’s Poet Laureate, makes a stunning debut as a novelist with this charming book for middle-grade readers partly inspired by her own experience growing up during the Great Depression. With a poet’s economy of words, she brings to vivid life a childhood from 70 years ago. Ten-year-old Allie is upset to learn that her family is moving from New Haven to Stamford until she finds out the house is located on Strawberry Hill. Her vision of Strawberry Hill is different from the reality, but she finds many things to like about her new home including a nearby farm and a new best friend. Hoberman offers vivid insights into what it’s like to be 10 years old and navigating the tricky adjustment to a new neighborhood and school. (Allie is Jewish, but the neighbors go to Catholic school and a rich girl uses an anti-Semitic slur.) Small details add up to a nuanced larger picture of the Great Depression. Allie is a memorable heroine as she balances her desire to fit in with her new friends with her natural empathy for a neighbor who is a frequent target of bullying.

—Jean Westmoore

MYSTERY

The Lost Throne

by Chris Kuzneski;

Putnam, 512 pages ($25.95)

In his fourth novel, author Chris Kuzneski continues doing what he does best—melding a plot full of history and da Vinci-like icons with W. E. B. Griffin-esque adventure and a bit of the spy novel thrown in for good measure.

This action-packed story briskly moves from Naples in 1890 to contemporary times with stops at a monastery in Greece and the streets of Russia. Kuzneski, whose previous novels have landed on the New York Times Best Sellers List, keeps a tight grip on his plot, never allowing it to careen out of control.

Jonathon Payne and D. J. Jones run a private detective agency with clients that include the government and ordinary citizens. They get a call from a woman in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her boss, a rich antiquities researcher, has just been killed. As the pair fly to Russia, Interpol homicide chief Nick Dial investigates the brutal murders of seven monks in a Greek monastery.

While it’s a bit of a stretch when the two plot threads intersect, Kuzneski’s energetic storytelling make “The Lost Throne” work.