Return of the Medici

Cotton Malone in a whirlwind of Vatican scandals and resurrected history

Former secret agent Cotton Malone, together with the Swiss Guard, is investigating whether Cardinal Jason Richter was involved in financial machinations implicating the Vatican Bank. The clues lead all the way to the Papal Curia. But nothing is as it seems. Four hundred thousand euros are found in the cardinal's possession, a member of the Swiss Guard is murdered, and the person pulling the strings then sends an assassin after Cotton and the cardinal.
At the same time, the main characters must embark on a search for a forgotten 16th-century treaty between Pope Julius II and Giuliano de' Medici. Based on this treaty, the modern-day Vatican would have to repay a multi-billion-dollar debt to the heir of the main family line. Does such a person even exist? It seems so, even though historians believe the Medici family line has already died out. Cotton, as well as the Vatican's secret service, realises that two other crucial matters are hanging in the balance: who will become the next Italian prime minister, and who will be the new Pope.
The investigation leads from a quiet village in central Germany, through the ancient city of Siena and a Carthusian monastery, to the very heart of Tuscany, Florence. Amidst a web of colourful events, intrigues, and historical documents, Cotton Malone finds one answer after another. The return of the Medicis to power will depend on the outcome of his search.