First published 2016
Jane Willoughby works as a law clerk when she encounters an abandoned safe deposit box at a New York bank. Inside she finds faded photographs, old letters, and magnificent jewelry worth a fortune. No heir exists and no will was left behind. Jane teams up with Phillip Lawton, a fine arts expert from Christie's auction house, to identify the mysterious owner. Their investigation takes them from New York to London, Paris, Rome, and Naples as they piece together clues. The box belonged to Marguerite Pearson, who fled America at eighteen with a broken heart during World War II. She built a new existence in Europe but never forgot what she lost. As Jane and Phillip uncover Marguerite's story, they discover a forbidden romance and family betrayal that shaped her life. More people become involved in solving the puzzle, and the investigation reveals truths that will change lives forever. One person will receive an inheritance beyond imagination.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, mystery
Setting: London, Naples, New York, Paris, Rome
Period: World War II
336 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press