The Borgia Betrayal Sara Poole St. Martin’s Griffin, Jun 7 2011, $14.99 ISBN: 9780312609849 In 1493 Alexander VI has sat on Saint Peter’s chair for a year though there are plenty of adversaries and rivals who want him removed preferably dispatched to hell. His employee Francesca the Poisoner continues her vigil to keep the formerly named Rodrigo Borgia alive as the Pope. Francesca owes it to her late murdered father. However, her killing rivals have left her suffering nightmares and visits from ghoulish phantoms of those she has murdered. Her only solace is her affair with her boss’ son Cesare. Alexander’s other son Juan protects the priest who Francesca owes a death debt to. The sequel to Poison continues the deadly fascinating escapades of Francesca at the beginning of the Renaissance as her life is totally intertwined with the Borgia family. Although attempts to use fifteenth century dialect adds a sense of time and place, the speech patterns feels forced and slows down the pace. Still fascinatingly feisty Francesca is a great character as she poisons the enemies of her employer, her lover and herself though she waits impatiently to provide her form of justice to the priest and perhaps to his host. Harriet Klausner