<DIV><DIV><B>A tale of lust, greed, and danger set in seventeenth-century Venice, <I>The Pindar Diamond </I>is a gripping and superbly told historical novel. <P></P></B>In a small town on the Italian coast, a mysterious woman washes ashore. She is crippled, mute, and clutches a bundle to her chest&#8212;a baby the townspeople insist is a real-life mermaid. It can only bring bad luck; they pay a troupe of acrobats to carry mother and child away. <P></P>In the bustling trade center of Venice, merchant Paul Pindar is the subject of his colleagues&#8217; concern. Since his return from Constantinople, they have found him changed; raging over the loss of his beloved, Celia, he has gambled away his fortune at the gaming tables. But when a priceless blue diamond surfaces in the city, Pindar recognizes the opportunity to regain everything he has lost&#8212;including, perhaps, the woman he loves. <P></P>A celebrated writer of history and travel books, Katie Hickman has always been a master of evoking time and place. With <I>The Pindar Diamond</I>, her follow-up to <I>The Aviary Gate</I>, she brings early-seventeenth-century Italy vividly to life, and also demonstrates her maturity as a novelist. A tale of love and avarice, with a touch of the mystical, <I>The Pindar Diamond </I>is rich with historical detail, and unfolds with urgency and grace. It is accomplished, wholly satisfying historical fiction.</DIV></DIV>