Milan, 1497: Father Agostino Leyre, a Dominican Inquisitor and expert on the interpretation of secret messages, is ordered to supervise Leonardo da Vinci?s final touches to The Last Supper. He suspects that the painting contains clues to a baffling - and blasphemous - message. The Holy Grail and the Eucharistic Bread are missing, there is no meat on the table, the apostles are portraits of well-known heretics - and none of them are depicted with halos. And why has the artist painted himself into the scene with his back turned towards Jesus? Full of surprises, The Secret Supper depicts a game of wits between the brilliant Leonardo da Vinci and the man intent on bringing him to trial for heresy. Was da Vinci connected with the Cathars, and did he conceal their most important teachings in this timeless painting? Revealing the truth behind da Vinci?s best-known Christian piece, it will keep you guessing until the final page.
332pp, 157mm x 240mm, hardback, 2006