Letters from the Dead - by Isabella Valeri (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This addictive debut novel takes us into an intoxicating world of old money, privilege, and family intrigue as a young heiress must return home from a decade-long exile to face the powerful enemies arrayed against her, including those within her own family.

For the first eleven years of her life, the precocious daughter of a great European family tracing its roots back more than fifteen generations, never set foot on land that her family didn't own. Cloistered on a sprawling estate in the Alpine foothills, as the youngest sibling of her generation she has little knowledge of the dark forces gathering in the shadows to strike at her family. But, when her insatiable curiosity leads her to uncover a priceless text hidden hundreds of years before, she shines light into corners meant to be left in the dark and threatens to uncover secrets that could trigger an internecine battle for succession.

Then, with no warning or explanation, she is whisked away on a private jet and exiled to an elite but isolated all-girls boarding school in the United States. More than a decade later, now in her twenties, she finds her bank accounts abruptly frozen by her family. She is recalled from her affluent but empty existence abroad. Little does she know that her family has plans for her, including an arranged marriage. Worse, as she draws closer to discovering the horrific act that sent her into exile a decade before, and shadowy enemies close in on her family, she must face her most dangerous and powerful foe: her own father.

Review Quotes

"Valeri exhibits a formidable control of tone and mood, casting the action in near allegorical shades while maintaining taut suspense. Readers will eagerly await the sequel."-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

"Valeri's debut should do well with readers of thrillers, historical fiction, and family sagas."-- "- Booklist"

About the Author

Isabella Valeri is the author of Letters from the Dead, her debut novel, and the forthcoming sequel The Prodigal Daughter, the second book in the Letters from the Dead series. She is an avid markswoman, skier, equestrian, and pilot. She lives under an assumed name somewhere in the Alps. Visit Isabella Valeri's website at Isabella-V.com or follow her on X @IsaGirl_V and Instagram @Isabella_Valeri_IG.