The turquoise ring

the long version

In 1568, twenty-one-year-old Shiloh ben Gozan flees the Spanish Inquisition to live openly as a Jew in Venice. He brings with him a baby daughter and an oddly made turquoise ring, given to him by a woman he cannot forget. In Venice, as this ring is hidden, stolen, traded, lost, and finally found again, it shapes not just Shiloh's life but also that of his great enemy and business rival, whom he finally-and horrifyingly-confronts in a Venetian courtroom. The ring also becomes entangled in the fortunes of five women: Leah, Shiloh's first love; Jessica, his rebellious daughter; Nerissa, a maidservant; Portia, an outrageously rich and alarmingly intelligent heiress; and lastly Xanthe, a Spanish refugee who alone can unlock the secret of his past.