Lucia's Renaissance: A Novel of 16th-century Italy

Heresy is fatal in late sixteenth-century Italy, so only a suicidal zealot would so much as whisper the name of Martin Luther. But after Luther’s ideas ignite a young girl’s faith, she must choose--abandon her beliefs or risk her life in the turbulent world of late Renaissance Italy.

Twelve-year-old Lucia discovers a dog-eared book by Martin Luther in her father's desk drawer. At once, she remembers her priest's diatribe against Luther. Curiosity drives her to examine the arch-heretic's ideas for herself.

Lucia's father, Giordano, worries about his daughter's impulsive streak and warns her to keep silent about Luther. Giordano knows all too well the consequences if the Inquisition should learn of Lucia’s find.

Lucia confronts plague, death, and the Inquisition in Lucia's Renaissance, the debut novel of historical fiction by author and historian C.L.R. Peterson.