by Rhys Bowen
First published 2021
Caroline Grant receives an unexpected inheritance after her great-aunt Lettie dies. The bequest includes a sketchbook, three keys, and a whispered word: Venice. Caroline travels to Italy to scatter Lettie's ashes and solve the mysteries her aunt kept hidden for sixty years. The keys unlock Lettie's past as Juliet Browning, an art teacher who arrived in Venice in 1938. Juliet fell in love with Leonardo Da Rossi, but his noble family had already planned his future. War arrived in Venice, forcing Juliet and Leonardo apart and creating a secret that would bind them across decades. As Caroline discovers each key's meaning, she learns about Lettie's impossible romance and wartime courage. The revelations help Caroline understand her own failed marriage and begin her journey toward healing.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, mystery, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: second-chance, secrets
Setting: Venice, Italy
Period: 1938, World War II
411 pages · Paperback · Lake Union Publishing