This is a book with an identity crisis. The drama in the title and the chapter headings imply a fast-paced plot-driven narrative of the life of Isabella Medici. A more appropriate title would probably be something more along the lines of "Isabella Medici: Life and Intrigue in Renaissance Florence."

Murphy's book is very well-researched, but while Isabella did leave an interesting and captivating life (especially given Murphy's interpretation of the historical events), the book does not have the same spirit.

It is certainly well-researched, but in this case that feels like a back-handed compliment. Rather than an exciting tale of intrigue as the title implies, most of the book reads much more like an academic work with meticulous attention to detail and boundless quotations and citations. In some cases the explanation makes sense as a great deal of the characters' correspondence is open to interpretation, especially given the historical context in which it was originally written.

However, in the interest of preserving the story's momentum, many of the detailed descriptions of negotiations, accounts, and expenditures could easily stand on their own with a simple reference note. Direct quotations of bookkeeping records felt needlessly tedious. I doubt that anyone would question the author's credibility enough to need inline evidence that Isabella Medici spent a fair amount of money on festivities and fabric, yet the reader is often treated to lengthy quotations from financial archives detailing her exact expenses down to the last scudi.

I went into this book knowing that it was non-fiction, and I was eager to learn more about the Medici family and Renaissance Florence. However, I was also expecting more of a narrative than a line by line factual account of what seems to be every remaining historical reference to the title character. The book is thorough; it is interesting in its own right. However, I think it deserves a more appropriate title.