Book Review of The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse (Book Four of The Joubert Family Chronicles)

HARDCOVER

PUBLICATION DATE 10 October 2024

PRINT LENGTH 480 pages

PUBLISHER MANTLE

Olifantshoek, Southern Africa, 1688. When the violent Cape wind blows from the south-east, they say the voices of the unquiet dead can be heard whispering through the deserted valley. Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, arrives in search of her cousin — the notorious she-captain and pirate commander Louise Reydon-Joubert — who landed at the Cape of Good Hope more than sixty years before, then disappeared without a trace . . .

Franschhoek, Southern Africa, 1862. Nearly one hundred and eighty years after Suzanne’s perilous journey, another intrepid and courageous woman of the Joubert family — Isabelle Lepard — has journeyed to the small frontier town once known as Oliftantshoek in search of her long-lost relations. Intent on putting the women of her family back into the history books, she quickly discovers that the crimes and tragedies still shadow the present. And now, Isabelle faces a race against time if she is to discover the truth, and escape with her life . . .

In France, the women would not have been friends. They would have had nothing in common. Their lives would not have crossed. But here, refugees all, different alliances were being created. Only they knew what it was like never to feel safe, to understand that one's home was not always a sanctuary.

Isabelle was descended from one of the great, lost, Huguenot families of France and was in sole possession of the substantial archive passed down through the family by Suzanne Joubert and her Lepard descendants.  The collection-which contained all of Minou's journals, Louise's prison diary and Suzanne's notebooks, written over many years in England-told  of the Joubert family's flight from Carcassone to Puivert, Puivert to Paris, Paris to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to the Cape and back again. But the key piece of the story, what had happened when Louise and Gilles first set foot in the Cape, was still missing. Isabelle intended to solve that mystery and then endow her own Family Archive and Reading Room.  A space open to all, dedicated to the history of the women of her family. 

The Map of Bones is set against the backdrop of the Huguenot Diaspora during the Wars of Religion in France.  It is a story about refugees; about people arriving in an unknown land and building a new country.  It is also a book about the consequences of religious war and faith but it is not a book about faith.  It's about finding out what folks will do for good or evil. 

At the heart of The Map of Bones, are the lives of two generations of families, refugees, and many more women who have survived trauma, illness, and grief, so they can pass down their stories from generation to generation. These women and so many others are lost to the passage of time or are never remembered at all; having the men's life histories be written and recorded for all time. 

Kate Mosse writes with one hand in the past, one hand in the present and her heart and soul connected down through the ages bringing her readership women who are no longer forgotten and unnamed. Now they are heard, seen and loved for all  time.  

Thank you to Mantle Pan Macmillan in London for my review copy.

The Map of Bones is published in the United Kingdom now in your local bookshop or online.

 

 

 

 

A book review of The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse

New York Times bestselling author Kate Mosse returns with The Ghost Ship, a sweeping historical epic of adventure on the high seas.

The Barbary Coast, 1621. A mysterious vessel floats silently on the water. It is known only as the Ghost Ship. For months it has hunted pirates to liberate those enslaved by corsairs, manned by a courageous crew of mariners from Italy and France, Holland and the Canary Islands.

But the bravest men on board are not who they seem. And the stakes could not be higher. If arrested, they will be hanged for their crimes. Can they survive the journey and escape their fate?

A sweeping and epic love story, ranging from France in 1610 to Amsterdam and the Canary Islands in the 1620s, The Ghost Ship is a thrilling novel of adventure and buccaneering, love and revenge, stolen fortunes and hidden secrets on the high seas.

Imprint Publisher  

Minotaur Books

ISBN  9781250202208    

How I miss the lilt and sway of the waves beneath my feet, the buck and the tilt. The solitude of the night-watch and the black sky scattered silver with stars. The endless, treacherous, beautiful shifting water.

Such freedom, such liberty.

In the Casas Consistoriales, the Town Hall, scribes will be preparing their paper and ink. The priest will be sharpening his prayers and preparing to hear my confession, expecting repent- ance and a desire for absolution. I shall not give him that satisfaction.

Friends, it was my grandmother who taught me the importance of telling one’s own story, of not allowing the words of others to stand for us. Lies that snare and trap. So, in these last moments, I have a final question to put before you, a question I find I still cannot answer for myself.

Is a murderer born, or is she made?

The Ghost Ship is the third volume in The Joubert Family Chronicles by Kate Mosse, also serves as a stand alone novel. It is a swashbuckling novel where adventures of all kind can be found upon the high seas. What is diferent about, The Ghost Ship is Kate Mosse has written the novel from the female perspective. Protagonist, Louise Joubert, grew up amongst sea captains and pirates. Her story is told through flashback scenes where you discover her childhood and her yearning to command her own ghost ship. 

The images swirl and merge. Looking up in wonder at the sails and masts, the lattice of rigging. Looking down at the sea, choppier now, white waves breaking as the oars carve a path through the water making diamonds of green. Remembering her grandfather wiping the salty spray from her face with his handkerchief. 

Strong arms grasp her around the waist, pass her up from hand to hand on the rope ladder, until, she, too, is standing on the deck. Her clogs are unsuitable, but Louise quickly finds her balance. She is a natural, they say. Touching the rigging, the polished taffrail, the comforting thickness o the rope. Her grandfather lifts her up to ring the ship's bell and she runs the length of the deck, stern to bow, without slipping.

As a reader of The Joubert Family Chronicles, it was wonderful to read about Louise's grandparents from Book two, The City of Tears, Minou and Piet who are alive and well while their grandchild is growing up. I was so touched to read the chapters of Louise caring for her elderly grandmother along with beautiully written letters from grandmother Minout's diary. Kate Mosse has such a touching way of writing and capturing the genuine intimacy between married couple Minout and Piet that it brought me right back to, The City of Tears.

Feeling every one of her sixty-eight years, she raised herself on one elbow, and gazed at Piet sleeping beside her. His beloved features, grown white with age, were as familiar to her as her own. Against all odds, they had been by one another's side for nearly fifty years. Together they had faced grief and despair, they had lost their way and been reconciled once more. Blessed with three children and three grandchildren, they had suffered, but kept going. Companions-in-arms, they had stood firm against the vicissitudes of life, the evils of war and the deaths of those they loved. They were old, but they had somehow kept living when those around them stumbled and fell. They had survived. 

Louise Joubert finds love at sea aboard the Old Moon with a very interesting and mysterious man, Gilles, who has a childhood love and understanding of tarot cards and ability to read them quite well and effectively. I found this a very nice touch to the novel. 

So, if you are in the mood for a female centered adventure novel with a page turning story of family love through the ages and how women go against the rule of man.  

To purchase the United States edition of The Ghost Ship,  Amazon

Review: The City of Tears by Kate Mosse

Minotaur Books

St. Martin's Publishing Group

On Sale: 01/12/2021

ISBN: 9781250202192

480 Pages

Following #1 Sunday Times bestseller The Burning Chambers, New York Times bestseller Kate Mosse returns with The City of Tears, a sweeping historical epic about love in a time of war.

Alliances and Romance

August 1572: Minou Joubert and her husband Piet travel to Paris to attend a royal wedding which, after a decade of religious wars, is intended to finally bring peace between the Catholics and the Huguenots. 

Loyalty and Deception

Also in Paris is their oldest enemy, Vidal, in pursuit of an ancient relic that will change the course of history. 

Revenge and Persecution

Within days of the marriage, thousands will lie dead in the street, and Minou’s family will be scattered to the four winds . . .

The City of Tears has left me in tears throughout various chapters covering the family relationship between mother, Minou and daughter, Marta. The mother/daughter relationship covering abandonment, treachery and deceit broke my heart to read; set against French, sixteenth century religious wars between the Catholics and the Huguenots. 

Very refreshing to read were the chapters covering the region of Amsterdam during the sixteenth century. Specifically, the The Eighty Years War in the Low Countries and the Act of Abjuration bringing self-rule to the Netherlands. I really enjoyed the father and daughter relationship between Willem van Raay and his daughter Cornelia. 

As if this weren’t enough, once again, you have the wedding of Marguerite de Valois and Henri Navarre. Bringing back my passion for Dumas’ novel, La Reigne Margot and my all time favorite film of the same name.  Heart stopping chapters covering the St.Bartholomew Day massacre in all the violent, bloody, death,loss, and grief as only gifted writer Kate Mosse can.  She has a masterful way of writing about death, loss and grief; almost as if bringing ghosts back from beyond the veil.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Pan Macmillan in the US for my review copy.

Due to COVID 19, the publication date has been pushed back to January 2021.
Feel free to pre-order a copy on Amazon or your local independent bookshop.

A Review of The Burning Chambers By Kate Mosse

Power and Prejudice: France, 1562. War sparks between the Catholics and Huguenots, dividing neighbors, friends, and family—meanwhile, nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father’s bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: She knows that you live.

Love and Betrayal: Before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, she meets a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon. Piet has a dangerous task of his own, and he will need Minou’s help if he is to stay alive. Soon, they find themselves on opposing sides, as forces beyond their control threaten to tear them apart.

Honor and Treachery: As the religious divide deepens, Minou and Piet find themselves trapped in Toulouse, facing new dangers as tensions ignite across the city—and a feud that will burn across generations begins to blaze. . .

Minotaur Books

St. Martin's Publishing Group

On Sale: 06/18/2019

ISBN: 9781250202161

592 Pages

The flagstones were cold under her stockinged feet and she could see her breath, white, in the chill air. She slipped into her leather boots, took her hood and green woolen cloak from the stand, put the keys and the book into the purse tied around her waist. Then, holding her gloves in her hand, she slid back the heavy metal bolt and stepped out into the silent street. A spirit girl abroad on a chill February dawn.

I must say a huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my review copy. My huge apologies for taking so long to review another incredible historical saga from the incomparable author, Kate Mosse. I’ve been in awe of her research and writing since Labyrinth way back when. She is a continued inspiration for my passion in research and writing.

The prologue takes place in South Africa during winter 1862. A mysterious unnamed woman stands at a gravestone she can barely look at. This is the day of my death...

The Burning Chambers covers the year 1562 broken down into three parts and three seasons: Winter, Spring and Summer. This year will never be the same for booksellers daughter, Minou Joubert. A letter, an inheritance, a lost relic, a family bible will lead young Minou to find the love of her life and change her life forever as her family secrets come out against the backdrop of The Wars of Religion. All the elements are here in true Dumas fashion: Catherine de Medici, poison, dead husbands, villainous women and treacherous men! 

Nobody brings history to life with more intelligence, heart, violence, blood, rage and love like Kate Mosse.

I cannot wait for the second book in the series, The City Of Tears.

For more information about Kate Mosse, visit. Minotaur Books

Kate Mosse The Burning Chambers book event Strand Bookstore

My beautiful review copy of 

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse 

Thank you Minotaur Books, USA

Book Event:  Kate Mosse with Madeline Miller at Strand Books, New York

Date: Wednesday 26 June
Time: 7pm
Venue: Strand Books, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, New York, NY 10003

Nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father’s bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: She knows that you live. But before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, a chance encounter with a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon, changes her destiny forever. For Piet has a dangerous mission of his own, and he will need Minou’s help if he is to stay alive. As the religious divide deepens, and old friends become enemies, Minou and Piet both find themselves trapped in Toulouse, facing new dangers as tensions ignite across the city. All the while, the shadowy mistress of Puivert Château — obsessed with uncovering the secrets of a long-hidden document — strengthens her power and waits for the perfect time to strike.”

I still can’t believe I’m going to attend a book event with one of my favorite writers, Kate Mosse, at this US  publishing celebration. I’ve read all of her books with her mix of historical accuracy and research; she has a descriptive writing style that evokes a sense of mythic folklore, a strong familial connection stretching back through the ages. She simply inspires me to be a better writer and researcher. 

The Mistletoe Bride & other haunting tales by Kate Mosse

I am a huge fan of Kate Mosse and her beautiful novels as anyone who follows my site will know from my reviews of Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel. Her latest new release is a short story collection where I discovered the urban legend of The Mistletoe Bride. I just love it when you find a new book and there is an unexpected connection to the nineteenth-century.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

“I hear someone coming.

Has someone caught the echo of my footsteps on these floorboards? It is possible. It has happened before. I pause and listen, but now I no longer hear anything. I sigh. As always, hope is snatched away before it can take root.

Even now, after so long, I cannot account for the fact that no one ever ventures into this part of this house. I do not understand how I am still waiting, waiting after all these years. Sometimes I see them moving around below. Sense their presence. Bramshill House has been home to many families in my time and, though the clothes and the styles and the customs are different, it seems to me that each generation is much the same. I remember them all, their faces alive with the legends of the house and the belief that it is haunted. Men and women and children, listening to the stories. The story of a game of hide-and-seek.

I pray that this will be the day. The end of my story. That, this time, someone at last will find me. But the halls and the corridors beneath me are silent again.

No one is coming.

And so then, as always, I am carried back to that Christmas so very long ago.”

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF THE MISTLETOE BRIDE

The urban legend, myth, folklore behind The Mistletoe Bride began with a poem, ‘Ginerva’ by Samuel Rogers in his book, ‘Italy’ published in 1823. I checked my copy of Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino to see if there was an Italian based similar myth but couldn’t find a correlating story.  ‘The Mistletoe Bride’ is a story of a newly married couple married in a large farmhouse where she grew up. After the wedding the guests played a game of hide and seek where the groom was it.  The bride wanting to win, went into the manor house, ran up to the attic, found an old trunk and hid in it. Nobody could find her including her husband who just figured she grew tired and went to sleep. After everyone went home, he began looking for her but couldn’t find her anywhere. She was never found until a few years later when her mother died. The woman’s father was looking through his wife’s things collecting dust in the attic when he found an old chest. The lid was closed and the old lock was rusted shut. Eventually, he opened the lid and was terrified to see his daughter’s corpse there in the chest. When she hid there, the lid had closed and the rusty parts of the lock had latched together, trapping her inside. She suffocated to death. 

The tale of The Mistletoe Bride was gaining popularity in the nineteenth century, so much so that it was popularized in song, ‘The Mistletoe Bough’ written by T.H. Bayley in 1884 where singing it around Christmas began a yearly occurrence in English households throughout England.

  The Mistletoe Bough by Thomas Haynes Bayley (song, 1884) 

The mistletoe hung in the castle hall
The holly branch shone on the old oak wall.
The Baron’s retainers were blithe and gay,
Keeping the Christmas holiday.

The Baron beheld with a father’s pride
His beautiful child, Lord Lovell’s bride.
And she, with her bright eyes seemed to be
The star of that goodly company.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.

“I’m weary of dancing, now,” she cried;
“Here, tarry a moment, I’ll hide, I’ll hide,
And, Lovell, be sure you’re the first to trace
The clue to my secret hiding place.”

Away she ran, and her friends began
Each tower to search and each nook to scan.
And young Lovell cried, “Oh, where do you hide?
I’m lonesome without you, my own fair bride.”
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.

They sought her that night, they sought her next day,
They sought her in vain when a week passed away.
In the highest, the lowest, the loneliest spot,
Young Lovell sought wildly, but found her not.

The years passed by and their brief at last
Was told as a sorrowful tale long past.
When Lovell appeared, all the children cried,
“See the old man weeps for his fairy bride.”
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.

At length, an old chest that had long laid hid
Was found in the castle; they raised the lid.
A skeleton form lay mouldering there
In the bridal wreath of that lady fair.

How sad the day when in sportive jest
She hid from her lord in the old oak chest,
It closed with a spring and a dreadful doom,
And the bride lay clasped in a living tomb.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.
Oh, the mistletoe bough.

The belief is that the setting of the story and song must be Minster Lovell Hall a manor house belonging to Lord Lovell located in the village of Minster Lovell in Oxfordshire.  One interesting note about Minster Lovell Manor House was that Lord Lovell was a close friend of Richard III who awarded him the post of Constable of the Royal Castle of Wallingford and Chamberlain of the Royal Household. Interesting that this true story based upon myth, the Lovell family might date back to Richard III and such historical times.

  

Minster Lovell Hall, Oxfordshire,England. Supposed site of The Mistletoe Bride

Citadel by Kate Mosse: A Review

BOOK DESCRIPTION
Summer, 1942.  A spirited and courageous young woman, Sandrine, finds herself drawn into the world of the resistance in Carcassonne under German Occupation.  Her network codenamed 'Citadel' - is made up of ordinary women who risk everything to fight the sinister battles raging in the shadows around them.  As the war reaches its violent and bloody conclusion, Sandrine's fate is tied up with that of three very different men. But who is the real enemy? Who is the real threat? And who is the true guardian of the ancient secrets that for generations have drawn people to the foothills of the Pyrenean mountains?

Author, Kate Mosse, is the Co-Founder & Honorary Director of the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction, set up in 1996 to celebrate outstanding fiction by women from throughout the world. A regular judge of writing, literary and art awards, including Orange Futures, Harper’s Bazaar/Orange Short Story Competition and Grazia/Orange First Chapter competition. A leading campaigner for literacy and reading in the UK, and one of the authors leading the campaign against library closures.

A member of the Board of the National Theatre, Kate is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.  Named European Woman of Achievement for Contribution to the Arts in 2000, in 2006, she was awarded an Honorary Masters Degree by the University of Chichester, her hometown, for her contribution to the arts. She is a Trustee of the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex.

Kate and her husband, Greg Mosse — fellow writer, poet and teacher — are the founders of the Chichester Writing Festival and teach creative writing at West Dean College, where Greg set up the MA in Creative Writing for the University of Sussex.

HISTORY AND INSPIRATION BEHIND CITADEL

It was this beautiful house at Baudrigues where seven men and two women were executed by Nazi forces in 1944. This was the starting point for new novel, Citadel.  The novel was inspired by a plaque in the village of Roullens, outside Carcassonne, commemorating the ‘Martyrs of Baudrigues’, the seven men and two women who were executed by fleeing Nazi forces on 19th August 1944, just days before the Languedoc was liberated by its own people. Over time, all seven men have been identified, including the two leading members of the Aude resistance – Jean Bringer and Aimé Ramond. After nearly seventy years, the two women still have not been identified.

                                            Aime Ramond                                                       

MY THOUGHTS

The Languerdoc Trilogy containing Labyrinth, Sepulchre, and now Citadel, began in 2005 with Labyrinth telling a story of the Albigensian crusade and the destruction of the Cathar heresy in the 13th century, weaving historical truth with the legends of the holy grail that flourished after the final massacre of the Cathars at their fortress of Montségur.

I've been enraptured by this third installment, 'Citadel.' I found it emotionally and historically compelling, gripping characters and medieval France -- never boring! A family story, a bittersweet love story, ghosts ever present through time hover over protagonists like a cold chill running down your spine all leading to a gutwrenching conclusion. Roman Gaul and WWII France storylines abound...

The novel takes place during the years 1942-1944 between the occupation and liberation of southern France where the Nazi occupation provides a primal and dark setting. Mosse gathers a large cast of characters, as with Labyrinth and Sepulchre, the story centres around the protagonist and young heroine, 18-year-old Sandrine Vidal, an orphan living with her older sister Marianne Vidal in Carcassonne.  During the summer of 1942, Sandrine's life changes forever when she is saved by a young resistance fighter, Raoul Pelletier, just as he discovers that his network has been infiltrated by a spy, Leo Authié, working for the Deuxième Bureau, the French military intelligence agency. After a bomb goes off in a crowded demonstration, Raol realizes he was set up to look like the perpetrator by his friend Authie. Raol goes on the run with Sandrine's help, along with her sister, a resistance worker.

Raol is in possession of a map revealing the whereabouts of an ancient codex containing a secret so powerful it could change the course of the war. Authié is obsessed with restoring the purity of the Catholic faith and believes that this 'codex' could be the answer. He perseus Raol and friends believing them to have the codex in their possession. Not wanting to give any spoilers, there are many character deaths and much violent situations. Although, readers of Labyrinth and Sepulchre may recognize returning character, Audric Baillard a scholar and horrible man.

Juxtaposed against this WWII backdrop of romance and intrigue, is the dual storyline of Roman Gaul which tells the history and gives the origins of this ancient 'codex.' I must say Mosse uses this parallel as a way of brilliantly fleshing out the possible underlying explanations to the Nazi resistance subtext between the love story of Sandrine and Raol as well as Sandrine's family history.

"She had suffered and she had survived, but the experience had changed her. And she told no one but Monsieur Baillard about the voice she had heard. About the warrior angel in stone who seemed to give her courage." 

'Said goodbye. Not knowing when we're going to see each other again.'
It's different this time,' she said, trying to raise a smile. 'I know where you're going and you'll only be gone a few days.'
'I have a bad feeling. I don't want to leave you.'
Sandrine smiled. 'You always say that,' she said. 'You always think something's going to go wrong, but it never does.'
Raol didn't answer.
He stared at her for a moment longer, as if trying to commit every tiny feature to memory. Then he leant forward and kissed her on the forehead.
'I love you, you know.'
Sandrine smiled. 'I know.'
She felt his fingers loosen their hold, then the connection between them was broken.
'Be careful,' she said.
'I will. I always am.'
'Go, then.'
This time, he did what she asked. Raol was walking away from her, as he had done many times before. Grief suddenly overwhelmed her. Having been so desperate for him to go, Sandrine had underestimated how broken she would feel if he did.
'Raol!' she called after him into the darkness.
She saw him turn and start to run, back towards her, gathering her into his arms. She hung on tight, holding him as if she would never let him go. Her skin touching his without fear, his hair against her cheek, like the very first kiss they had shared on the corner of the rue Mazagran. And now, at last, everything was forgotten but the smell of him and the feel of him and how they fitted so perfectly with one another.
'I love you, you know.' she said, echoing his words.
'I know, he said.

 Author photo of Kate Mosse, her biography and Citadel history taken from her UK website, Kate Mosse

Citadel is not available in the United States as of yet. No publication date has been provided.
Citadel is out in the U.K. in hardcover and across Europe.

Please feel free to leave comments,

Sepulchre By Kate Mosse: A Review

Author, Kate Mosse introduces herself, tells a bit about writing this novel, and then reads the entire prologue! Leave the lights on...

In 1891, young Léonie Vernier and her brother Anatole arrive in the beautiful town of Rennes-les-Bains, in southwest France. They’ve come at the invitation of their widowed aunt, whose mountain estate, Domain de la Cade, is famous in the region. But it soon becomes clear that their aunt Isolde—and the Domain—are not what Léonie had imagined. The villagers claim that Isolde’s late husband died after summoning a demon from the old Visigoth sepulchre high on the mountainside. A book from the Domain’s cavernous library describes the strange tarot pack that mysteriously disappeared following the uncle’s death. But while Léonie delves deeper into the ancient mysteries of the Domain, a different evil stalks her family—one which may explain why Léonie and Anatole were invited to the sinister Domain in the first place.

More than a century later, Meredith Martin, an American graduate student, arrives in France to study the life of Claude Debussy, the nineteenth century French composer. In Rennes-les-Bains, Meredith checks into a grand old hotel—the Domain de la Cade. Something about the hotel feels eerily familiar, and strange dreams and visions begin to haunt Meredith’s waking hours. A chance encounter leads her to a pack of tarot cards painted by Léonie Vernier, which may hold the key to this twenty-first century American’s fate . . . just as they did to the fate of Léonie Vernier more than a century earlier.

Product Details
Paperback: 572 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade; Reprint edition (March 3, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425225844
ISBN-13: 978-0425225844

Rennes Le Chateau, Southwestern France

MY THOUGHTS ON SEPULCHRE
Sepulchre by Kate Mosse is the second in a grail trilogy. I read Sepulchre first not on purpose but because I found it in a used bookstore and have always meant to read this trilogy but somehow never found the time! I don't recommend reading books out of sequence but it just happened this way. That being said, I highly recommend Sepulchre for anyone who is 'Interested' in reading fictionalized accounts of historical occurrences, historical figures, mixed with some of my favorite myths and legends thrown in!

This is NOT THE DAVINCI CODE REDONE so keep an open mind and an open heart and enjoy this well written, plot driven, suspenseful novel! Did I mention ancient tarot cards are involved and there's romance between two characters in the 2007 storyline! Also, Claude Debussy's music is featured as well! It's a wonderful novel and will keep you wanting to know more!
IF you watched the video and that didn't get you, well, I don't know what will? Read It!

Thank you for stopping by. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions!