The Sonnet Lover, by Carol Goodman

This novel, a present-day mystery about a historical figure, is based on an interesting literary conundrum:- Did William Shakespeare have an Italian lady love who was also a poet? The settings of Renaissance poetry and society and modern American academia are woven together with interlocking murderous plots that build up to a predictable, but sweet ending.

Fine love sonnets by the author’s husband provide the main clues in this Florentine whodunit. Goodman further evokes the Renaissance through fulsome descriptions of the villa where the action is set, and dialogue amongst the academics which allow plenty of opportunity for pontificating. These stilted explanations and the somewhat obvious clues make the plot appear contrived, and awkward turns of phrase mar what would otherwise be an enjoyable romantic mystery.

Carol Goodman has put out a steady stream of books since she started writing in 2002.
Her suspense novels for adults are, thus far:

• Arcadia Falls (2010)
• The Night Villa (2008)
• The Sonnet Lover (2007)
• The Ghost Orchid (2006)
• The Drowning Tree (2004)
• The Seduction of Water (2003)
• The Lake of Dead Languages (2002)

She has published young-adult novels, The Blythewood Series; Hawthorn (Dec. 2015), Ravencliffe (Aug. 2015) and Blythewood (Oct 21, 2014).