The Dragon's Trail follows the ups, downs, ins and outs of the legendary Raphael painting, trekking through history until it lands in its current home, the Hermitage.

Joanna Pitman does a remarkable job of recreating the times through which The Dragon's Trail has traveled. She sprinkles little-known, if not entirely unknown, tidbits (such as the painter’s not-always-friendly competition with Michelangelo) throughout the book to keep the pace fresh and exciting.

Her exhaustive research fleshes out and gives life to not only Raphael and his creation but to the lives and times through which the painting has passed - or perhaps lived. Dukes, queens and kings sashay in and out like butterflies dropping color from their wings to enliven the story. Beheadings, a revolution, a Cold War and an illegal transaction by United States Treasurer Andrew Mellon also make appearances in the tumultuous trips of the painting.

If you like art, history, a good story or a combination of all three, Pitman makes the reader’s journey as fascinating as the one the painting took.