The Ancestor

When Bert Monte receives a packet of mysterious legal documents all written in Italian, she’s shocked to discover that she’s the sole heir of an enormous fortune in northern Italy. The catch: she must travel immediately to Italy to learn the terms of the inheritance, and to claim it. Accompanied reluctantly by her soon-to-be-ex-husband Luca, she travels by private plane to exquisite accommodations in Turin, which offers more luxury than she has ever before experienced. But a falling out with Luca leads Bert to make the next part of her journey alone: to the Montebianco family castle deep in the Alps. What she finds there will forever change her understanding of her family and herself. She finds the most basic question of her life suddenly unanswerable: not who am I, but what?

The book jacket reveals little about Bert’s journey, and this review, too, will stay clear of spoilers. Part of the fun of this novel is the surprising turns it takes and the expectations that are and are not fulfilled. The setting here is a highlight: the remote, mountainous terrain holds great mystery and darkness, and the extreme and endless freeze gives the Montebianco family secrets the kind of dread that keeps the pages turning. This is an entertaining read that will leave a lasting impression.