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Marty Neumeier's debut novel, Octavo, is a highly original and intricately plotted mystery that seamlessly blends historical intrigue with a modern-day thriller. This unique story is further enhanced by its mixed-media format, which includes emails, audio files, and a mysterious manuscript, making the audiobook—narrated by Ellie Gossage, Scott Brick (a standout favorite), Mark Sanderlin, Annette Amelia Oliveira, and Tania Rodrigues—an especially immersive experience told through audio clips between the characters.Book Description
Scarlett is a university graduate with a master's in biophysics and a chip on her shoulder. Artie is a retired professor of art history. They've been hired by a wealthy collector to authenticate a cache of paintings discovered under the floorboards of an Italian townhouse. And they've taken an instant―and intense―dislike to each other.
Scarlett and Artie fear a similar fate might await the manuscript if their client gets his acquisitive hands on it. He'll bury it deep in his vault, and the world will once again be deprived of Leonardo's genius. They put aside their differences and make a they'll steal the manuscript. They land a publisher, change their names, disguise their looks, and set off across northern Italy in a frantic race to publish the story and disappear for good. But have they underestimated the deadly resolve of their client?
Carefully researched and faithfully rendered, Octavo is a breathtaking historical mystery, a pulse-pounding modern thriller, and a loving evocation of Leonardo's times, penned with indelible characters and studded with wondrous discoveries.
About Marty Neumeier
Marty Neumeier is an internationally known writer, designer, and educator. His mission is to bring the principles of design to a world in transition.
In 1985 he began working with creative companies such as Apple, HP, Adobe, Google, and YouTube to help build their brands and foster company-wide innovation. In 1996, he founded CRITIQUE magazine, the first journal on design thinking.
After eight books on brand strategy, he is considered by many to be the leading expert. His innovative series of “whiteboard overviews” includes ZAG, named one of the “top hundred business books of all time,” and THE BRAND GAP, a classic read by 25 million people. In its sequel, THE BRAND FLIP, he proposed a revolutionary process for building a business in the age of social media. He then wrote Scramble, a fast-paced “business novel” about agile strategy. METASKILLS, the inspiration for OCTAVO, argued for human creativity in a future mediated by intelligent machines. His prolific writing has led to hundreds of workshops and speaking engagements.
Today, he teaches innovation through his organization Level C, known as “the Bauhaus of brand.”
Marty resides with his wife and daughter in Mexico, where they struggle to form simple sentences.
OCTAVO is his debut thriller.
My Thoughts
Marty Neumeier's debut novel, Octavo, is a highly original and intricately plotted mystery that seamlessly blends historical intrigue with a modern-day thriller. This unique story is further enhanced by its mixed-media format, which includes emails, audio files, and a mysterious manuscript, making the audiobook—narrated by Ellie Gossage, Scott Brick, Mark Sanderlin, Annette Amelia Oliveira, and Tania Rodrigues—an especially immersive experience told through audio clips between the characters.
The contemporary storyline introduces two unforgettable characters who initially clash: Scarlett, a university graduate with a master's in biophysics and a serious attitude, and Artie, a retired art history professor. Despite their differences in age, background, and personality, their lives become inextricably linked when they are hired by a wealthy, acquisitive collector to authenticate a cache of paintings discovered under the floorboards of an Italian townhouse.
Their authentication process takes an astonishing turn when they stumble upon a hidden manuscript written by Leonardo da Vinci's last pupil. This firsthand account details a murder at the prestigious Aldine Press—a mystery Leonardo is compelled to solve to ensure his own notebooks will be published.
Fearing their client will bury this monumental discovery deep in his vault, Scarlett and Artie put aside their instant, intense dislike and make a pact: they will steal the manuscript and ensure its publication. The two women contact an indie publisher, change their names, disguise their looks, and set off across northern Italy in a frantic race against their deadly resolute client. This game of cat-and-mouse creates a pulse-pounding, action-packed modern thriller.
The novel deftly juggles dual century-traversing timelines, using the discovered manuscript to transport the reader back to Leonardo da Vinci's time. The careful research and faithful rendering of this historical period are obvious, making it feel like stepping into the past. The transcendence of humanity, science, art, and love ties these storylines together across five centuries, creating a thought-provoking premise that is perfect for fans of Dan Brown.
While the intricate plotting, steady pacing, and oodles of deliciously sarcastic banter between Scarlett and Artie drive the modern narrative, the compelling historical figures and the opportunity to learn about history and art provide a rich, almost academic feel to the plot.
The novel is an utterly engrossing read/listen that blends two mysteries and plenty of thrills in a unique and captivating way. Octavo is a stunning, high-quality debut that I found impossible to put down, inhaling it within a day.
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