Italian gambit

A gripping historical detective story set in Prague during the reign of Emperor Rudolf II.

Prague in 1597 is a dangerous and cruel city. The poor knight Jakub Jelinek from Hirschberg knows about it. He lives in a house that doesn't belong to him and turns every penny twice. So when the henchman Matěj Sádlo appears with an offer to work for the Vice-Chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia himself, Kryštof Želinský, he cannot afford to refuse.

But the seemingly simple task of accompanying the mysterious Italian nobleman Domenico to the capital soon turns into a fight for his life, in which Jakub is unexpectedly helped by a mysterious girl. When prosecutor David Rydl is shot dead by the Wallachian bandits in the street, it becomes clear to Jakub that there must be a connection between the two attacks.

With the help of Matěj Sadl, he begins to search among the Italians of Prague and soon discovers that they are involved not only in a dispute between powerful grandees, but also in a protracted war between Catholics and Protestants. To solve the mystery, Jakub must decide who he is willing to stick his neck out for - and play a dangerous gambit that could lead him to the scaffold.

A historical detective story from the golden Prague, a city of intrigue, crime and vice.