Review of April Blood

Mafia style executions, genius political plays, bishops and popes, God and his angels (of

all kinds), all with a beautiful landscape as its backdrop? There’s all of that and more in Lauro

Martines’ April Blood: Florence and the Plot Against the Medici. Many authors try to add a flare

or pull some drama from the history when writing non-fiction. Maybe Lauro Martines had an

advantage, having studied such an absolutely riveting time period, but this is still one of the best

books I’ve read. In my opinion, if it’s on a shelf with The Devil in the White City, it’s not even a

contest.

The book follows the history of the attempted assassination of the Medici brothers

Lorenzo and Giuliano in Florence, Italy, on April 26 th , 1478. Martines starts the book with a

general overview of what would take place, but then quickly plunges you into the city-states of

Italy. A number of chapters are profiles dedicated to the major power players within the

conspiracy, establishing the complexity of the event. Within these profiles, Martines gives you a

vivid understanding of what kind of people these figures were along with a complete immersion

into the time period. These previous plots and wars show the absolute brutality these men needed

to gain power in such a violent political age. Most of these profiles are of members of the Pazzi

family, of course, but those will bleed into their other assets and allied conspirators. Also

sprinkled inside the pages are a few “cameos” of the other historical figures within the city. With

Martines being a history professor and respected scholar, he brings the importance of the

conspiracy into the light of the entire political scene of the European continent.

This book is one of such great political intrigue that it rivals anything like Game of

Thrones or House of Cards. As you’re reading, the entire time you’ll be thinking: This really

happened? These are actual people? That constant weight of it all being true history will make

you want to devour it in a single sitting. Many nonfiction books have some drag to them, but I

can say that April Blood has little of that. There is the occasional page that has to go into

numbers and statistics that are difficult to get through, but Martines’ writing style, along with his

level of detail, reassures you they have a purpose. Also, what is great about April Blood is that

there doesn’t seem to be a bias in it. All the participants, including the Medici family, have their

strengths and flaws laid out in front of you. I say this because any writings of more recent

historical events, like in United States history, have always carried a bias for me. April Blood,

however, just carries the tone of what it truly is: a historian telling you about what he finds to be

the most riveting piece of human history.