The Shame of Motley is a swashbuckler romance first published in 1908, set in Italy at the turn of the 16th/17th century. The main character, Lazzaro Biancomonte, is of noble birth but now reduced to the role of a court fool. His redemption comes in his part in an adventure involving the Madonna Paola, with whom he becomes besotted. This is fine, my only issue with this is that she is so stupid at times that it beggars belief, but then again love is blind isn't it? This great plus in my eyes is featuring Cesare Borgia as a good guy, that is just amazing. A really enjoyable swashbuckler in the end, fans of Sabatini will be impressed. (Robert Hepple)