Translated by Alberto Manguel

MILAN 1497:

Father Agostino Leyre, a Dominican inquisitor and expert on the interpretation of secret messages, is sent by Pope Alexander VI to investigate anonymous letters warning of heresy in that city. Furthermore, the painter Leonardo da Vinci may be involved, as his latest work-in-progress is filled with questionable elements. The Holy Grail and the Eucharistic Bread are missing, Jesus and the apostles, shockingly, are depicted without their halo of sanctity, and Leonardo has painted himself into the scene with his back to Jesus.

Father Agostino must unravel arcane riddles and navigate his way through an atmosphere of suspicion and political intrigue as he struggles to uncover the true significance of da Vinci's mural at the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Full of dark surprises, The Secret Supper vividly depicts a deadly game of wits between the brilliant but religiously suspect artist and an inquisitor intent on bringing him to trial for heresy. Revealing the truth behind da best-known Christian piece, it will keep you guessing until the last page.

MYSTERY, INTRIGUE AND DEATH
combine in a dazzling historical thriller that reveals unknown secrets behind Leonardo da Vinci's great masterpiece, The Last Supper. Tightly paced and atmospheric, The Secret Supper is a novel with a unique vision of da Vinci's genius and his masterpiece ??? which you will never view in the same way again.

READER'S GUIDE INCLUDED

COVER: The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, Scala Archives

JAVIER SIERRA is one of Spain's most celebrated authors, and a regular radio and television presenter. He lives in Malaga in Spain.

ALBERTO MANGUEL, who translated The Secret Supper into English, is an internationally acclaimed anthologist, translator, essayist and novelist (A History of Reading, A Dictionary of Imaginary Places).

AUTHOR PHOTO: Eva Pastor