"Mosse's latest novel about love and obsession smoothly alternates between historical viewpoints. First off is 1891 Paris, where young Lonie Vernier idolizes her older brother Anatole. Unbeknownst to her, Anatole hides many secrets, including his connection to the dangerously insane Victor Constant. Perhaps a sojourn to their widowed aunt's estate in the Pyrenees of southwest France will keep the Verniers safe. Meanwhile, in the present day, Meredith Martin visits France ostensibly to work on her biography of Debussy; her true agenda is to investigate her own ancestors. She quickly gets caught up in a mystery concerning the death of a local hotel owner. Toss in a mystical set of tarot cards, a haunted mausoleum, an old photograph, and the return of a key character from Mosse's best-selling Labyrinth , and you have a charming, if slow-paced, tale. Mosse's careful descriptions of the French countryside, local cuisine, and her smatterings of French and Occitan phrases make this novel both an engaging travelog and a romantic mystery. Recommended for public libraries." [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/07.]�Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib. [Page 64]. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
It took me a while to get used the style of alternating modern and past times and to determine the relationships among the characters. By the middle of the book I was finally able to read more than a chapter or so at a time. It was a good book but not one that I enjoyed at the time. I did like her first book better (which I read after this one). I did not think it was a great mystery but still a good read.
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