First published 2022
Nicholas Lee works for UNESCO's Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office, protecting cultural artifacts around the world. He travels to Belgium to visit a woman from his past and discovers the trail of a legendary panel from the Ghent Altarpiece, stolen in 1934 and missing ever since. The Ghent Altarpiece holds the record as the most violated artwork in history, vandalized or stolen thirteen times. Nick becomes caught between two opposing forces locked in conflict for nearly two thousand years. The Maidens of Saint-Michael, a secret order of nuns known as the Vultures, guard an ancient truth. The Vatican wants to seize what the nuns protect, using an ambitious cardinal and corrupt archbishop to achieve their goal. Nick's investigation exposes the maidens and puts their secret in danger. His quest takes him from the canals of Ghent to the fortress city of Carcassonne and finally to an ancient abbey in the French Pyrenees. He faces a modern religious crusade determined to eliminate a shocking truth from humanity's past.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, crime, action, art-history
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Belgium, Carcassonne, Ghent, French Pyrenees
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
464 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing