Shortlisted for the 2026 Romantic Novelists’ Association Romantic Thriller Award

A secret lies behind every door

The Dordogne, 1936

Amid tangled gardens and crumbling walls, Chateau Rousseau guards its secrets well.

Pushing open its faded door, Thirza Caruthers arrives to care for her great-aunt. She’s made a promise unaware of what awaits.

As the skies darken above Europe, the chateau begins to reveal its secrets: stories of forbidden love, devastating betrayal, and a child who vanished years ago.

But in uncovering the truth, Thirza may lose herself forever.