As much as I enjoyed the first book – “The Poison Keeper” – I like “The Silkworm Keeper” even more. Didn’t think I would, though, when I learned it was about poisoner Giulia Tofana’s new phase as a nun. Turns out that the scenes in the nunnery appealed to me most of all.

Putting people where they really don’t want to be tends to make for engaging reading. First off, Giulia is sent to take charge of a new nunnery, which she’s somewhat daunted by, mainly because she’s to take charge of five siblings who have no desire whatsoever to become nuns. Sadly for them, they’ve no alternative.

Two of the siblings are young adults, the other three are children. Giulia’s interaction with them makes for entertaining reading. All characters are vivid and believable.

Although this is in no way a comedy, I had to laugh when – following a scene about Satan becoming the snake who tempts Eve in the Garden of Eden – one of the children asks if Satan could be one of the silkworms. Brilliant. You can just imagine a child asking such a question.

At length, events compel Giulia and the children to move to Rome. Fabio – Giulia’s love interest from the first book – also ends up there. In one sense, Fabio’s storyline is like a subplot, rising to the surface every so often, and occasionally his threads connect with Giulia’s. Deborah Swift is an author who’s gifted in having several story threads on the go, which she eventually connects to make one main thread.

The author also does a great job in creating the seventeenth-century Italian setting. All scenes are vivid and authentic.

Overall, this is an excellent read. ( )