The Marriage Portrait Book by Maggie O'Farrell

Set in the perilous, opulent world of Renaissance Italy, the novel follows Lucrezia di Cosimo de' Medici, a free-spirited young woman forced to marry the mercurial Duke of Ferrara after her older sister's sudden death. Thrust into an intimidating new court where her primary value is to provide a male heir, Lucrezia soon finds herself isolated at a remote country villa, gripped by the terrifying realization that her husband intends to murder her. Author Maggie O'Farrell masterfully blends suspense, history, and a rich character study as she traces Lucrezia's desperate battle to survive a high-stakes, patriarchal trap.