The brotherhood of book hunters

"Francʹois Villon, wayward poet and notorious outlaw, disappeared from view in 1436, aged 32. Nothing is known of what happened to him after he was banished from France. Jerusalmy's novel starts where the history books cut out, finding Villon as he languishes in jail. To escape execution, he enters into a questionable relationship with a bishop in the pay of Louis XI. All Villon has to do to earn his freedom is to convince a printer and bookseller to move from Mayence to Paris, telling him that by doing so he'll be better able to circulate progressive ideas that aren't approved of in Rome. But, not surprisingly, Villon's task is not as simple as it sounds. Part spy novel, part bibliographic treaty, with a good measure of subversion and poetry thrown in, and the odd hoax, The Brotherhood of Book Hunters blends history and legend in a rich, complex tale of plots and counterplots."--