The Ancestor

"A lushly written, dream-like modern gothic with as
many dark turns and twists as the Montebianco family tree has branches. Welcome
to the family." – Paul Tremblay, bestselling author of Survivor Song

After a DNA test reveals that Alberta “Bert” Monte
is the sole heir of a wealthy noble family in the Italian Alps, she leaves New
York to visit the family estate: Montebianco Castle, a centuries-old compound
isolated in the mountains. What appeared to be a fairy tale inheritance,
however, soon turns into a nightmare as Bert begins to uncover the dark legacy
of her family: the truth about the abandoned village at the base of the castle;
the whispers of stolen children; and the rumors of a legendary monster in the
mountains. As Bert unravels the truth, she learns that her true inheritance
lies not in a noble title or ancestral treasures, but in her very genes, and
now she must choose between preserving a secret centuries in the keeping or
abandoning it forever.

“Vivid and uncanny…makes the most of Trussoni’s signature
blend of science, myth, and mystery.” —Deborah Harkness, bestselling author of A Discovery
of Witches

"Inventive
and entertaining." — People

“A
Gothic Extravaganza.” —Kirkus