The Medusa Amulet

By: Robert Masello

Narrated by: David Colacci

Benvenuto Cellini, master artisan of Renaissance Italy, once crafted a beautiful amulet prized for its unimaginable power - and untold menace. Now the quest to recover this legendary artifact depends upon one man: David Franco, a brilliant but skeptical young scholar at Chicago's world-renowned Newberry Library. What begins as a simple investigation spirals into a tale of dangerous intrigue as Franco races from the châteaux of France to the palazzos of Rome in a desperate search for the ultimate treasure and an answer to a riddle that has puzzled mankind since the beginning of time. Aided by a beautiful young Florentine harboring dark secrets, pursued by deadly assassins, and battling demons of his own, Franco must ultimately confront an evil greater than anything conjured in his worst nightmares.

©2011 Robert Masello (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Great writing and rich detail combine for a gripping read." ( Kirkus)

Moves nicely and has a great ending

I'd recommend this book for those that like a Sci-fi /magic mystery. It moves well and the performance is strong. I love the ending - not an obvious one.

loved it

well written well-read and kept you intrigued to the very end. definitely re-read in future

Nice premise, ugh ending

Overall, I enjoyed the audiobook. David Colacci handles the many characters and accents with technical brilliance. The story starts well lags a little bit in the middle and then picks back up. The ending is mostly foreseeable with a surprise character revealed. I didn't really appreciate the end but the book is presented so well by Colacci that it's worth the time to endure the final hour.

I great adventure!

I didn't want this one to end. A wonderful adventure through time & interesting places. The characters were very well developed. This audiobook also had an excellent narrator, as well. I highly recommend this book!

enjoyable listen

loved it! good storyline, like the going back in time then to present day! good listen!!

Hard to follow jumping from past to present

This is definitely a book that you must pay attention to and not try to multitask. I listen to audiobooks all the time while I work and generally have no problem being able to function and still get the storyline. It took me quite a while to figure out the cast of characters and I even backed up several chapters so I could figure out what I missed. Not bad but I have heard better.

Better than I thought it was going to be

I was not sure I was going to make it through this one, but by about the 7th chapter it really hit its stride and then it was off to the races. It slips back and forth between the past and present. A very prominent jeweler who made jewelry for kings and queens created a very special amulet for himself that he used in his secret connections to the occult. It could supposedly give everlasting life if used correctly. When a present day archeologists is approached by a beautiful woman who will pay him one million dollars and the promise to save his sister who is dying from cancer, he cannot refuse. A story that was a little slow in the beginning turned out to be a suspenseful expedition with a wee bit of unexpected romance thrown in.

Loved it!

My favorite yet from Robert Masello ! I really do love the way he mixes fiction with historical events.

If u like Dan Brown :)

I enjoyed this book very much! The story goes forward and backwards in time and uses historical events very creatively. It was a nice break from my usual hardboiled Detective / police addiction. This story gives u mystery, engaging characters, and an alternative history for some interesting people.
The narration is good, I think 4stars is fair ; I must save 5 stars for the truly exceptional:) I found the story intriguing and written well enough to call it an ear/page turner. This is a new author for me and I'm glad I gave this book a chance. I will mos def purchase another one of his books.
If u like Dan Brown, I think u will really like this this writer as well.

Absorbing Read

The story was great with flashbacks from present day to renaissance Italy - nicely done. It's part mystery, part family drama, part mythology and some fantasy. But what really makes this Audible great is David Colacci - the narrator. He seems to have a mastery of multiple languages - Italian, French, German and even Latin. All are used with ease and translated for us by him. But all are an integral parts of the story and make it so listenable. I really enjoyed this novel.