First published 1994
Katherine Sweeney attends the University of the Archangels and St. John the Divine, an unusual institution in Washington, D.C. The campus features ancient towers, ornate shrines, and stone angels that watch over its imposing buildings. One evening, Sweeney enters a door she should have avoided in one of the old towers. Inside, she discovers a secret that changes everything she thought she knew about her university. The school serves as headquarters for the Benandanti, a hidden organization that has controlled governments, religious institutions, and other centers of power across the globe. This secret society has operated behind the scenes since before Rome fell, pulling strings and shaping history from the shadows. Sweeney must navigate the dangerous world she has stumbled into, where ancient powers still hold sway over the modern world.
Genres: mystery, fantasy, alternate-history, academia
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, secret-history
Setting: University of the Archangels and St. John the Divine, Washington D.C.
Period: Ancient, Modern
598 pages · Paperback · Harper Collins