Chapters (30)

“Full of great characters . . . So gripping, your hands are glued to the book, and so vivid it burns itself into your mind’s eye and stays with you long after you turn the final page.”

—Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series

“[A] solid debut . . . Quinn’s command of first-century Rome is matched only by her involvement with her characters; all of them, historical and invented, are compelling . . . Should make a splash among devotees of ancient Rome.”

—Publishers Weekly

“For sheer entertainment, drama, and page-turning storytelling, this tumultuous debut novel is well worth reading.”

—Library Journal

Also by Kate Quinn

Books by Kate Quinn

MISTRESS OF ROME

DAUGHTERS OF ROME

EMPRESS OF THE SEVEN HILLS

THE SERPENT AND THE PEARL

Title Page

The SERPENT and the PEARL

A NOVEL OF THE BORGIAS

Kate Quinn

Copyright

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.

This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley trade paperback edition / August 2013

eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-62494-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Quinn, Kate.

The serpent and the pearl : a novel of the Borgias / Kate Quinn.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-425-25946-7 (alk. paper)

1. Borgia family—Fiction. 2. Rome (Italy)—History—1420–1798—Fiction. 3. Nobility— Papal states—Fiction. 4. Political fiction. I. Title.

PS3617.U578S48 2013

813'.6—dc23

2013004891

Cover design by Danielle Abbiate

Book design by Tiffany Estreicher

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincident. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Praise

Also by Kate Quinn

Title Page

Dedication

Part One

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Part Two

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Historical Note

Characters List

Readers Guide

Special Excerpt from THE LION AND THE ROSE

Also by Kate Quinn

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Dedication