A Secret in Tuscany

The Tuscan Child meets Beneath a Scarlet Sky in this bittersweet tale of wartime heroism, love, and redemption, spanning two generations and encompassing a real-life mystery, from the author of The Long Flight Home and Churchill’s Secret Messenger.

Italy, 1943: With war blazing through Europe, nowhere is entirely safe—not even the remote hills of the Tuscan countryside. It’s here that Italian partisans, including thousands of women, risk their lives to provide Jewish refugees with an escape route to Switzerland. And it’s here, too, that Gianna Conti travels to join the Italian Resistance in the wake of her brother Matteo’s death at the hands of German soldiers. Her father has been hiding Jewish refugees on their family’s vineyard in Chianti, but now Gianna is bringing the fight directly to the enemy.

While delivering weapons and intelligence for partisans, Gianna meets Tazio Napoli, an American working undercover for the Office of Strategic Services. Despite the growing odds of discovery, Gianna and Tazio conduct high-risk missions to sabotage German operations. With the aid of Tazio’s OSS codebook, they encrypt secret messages to each other while apart, hiding them at a dead drop in an abandoned mine.

But as the Allies steadily fight their way toward Florence, occupying German forces grow more desperate, leading to a shocking, unthinkable act of vengeance. And Gianna’s fate will rest upon her cunning, her resilience, and her willingness to keep hope alive, even through the decades that follow . . .

Standard and Primary covers are widely available through general retailers. They often have higher print runs and can be cheaper, especially during sales.

In contrast, Direct Market (DM) and variant covers are primarily sold in comic shops. DM editions tend to have more limited availability and may be more valuable to collectors.

The main differences lie in artwork style, availability, price, and collector appeal. Ultimately, the choice between standard and variant covers depends on personal preference, budget, and individual collecting goals.

Comic book enthusiasts have various formats to choose from when collecting their favorite stories.
Here's a brief overview of the main types:

Omnibus

• Large, hardcover collections
• Usually contain complete runs or extensive story arcs
• Typically 800-1000+ pages
• Higher price point, often €100-€150

Oversized Hardcover (OHC)

• Similar dimensions to omnibus, but thinner
• Collect shorter runs or story arcs
• Usually 300-600 pages
• Priced between €30-€50

Hardcover (HC)

• Standard-sized hardcover books
• Collect 6-12 issues typically
• Similar dimensions to single issues, but with a hard cover
• Priced around €25-€35

Trade Paperback (TP)

• Softcover collections
• Standard comic book size
• Usually collect 4-6 issues
• Most affordable option, typically €15-€25

Other Formats

• Absolute Editions: Oversized, deluxe hardcovers (mainly DC Comics)
• Compendiums: Massive paperback collections
• Graphic Novels (OGN/GN): Original stories not previously released as single issues

The choice between these formats often depends on personal preference, budget, and collecting goals. Omnibus and OHC editions offer larger artwork and more content but at a higher price, while TPs provide a more affordable way to collect complete story arcs