"it made all the blood in her veins suddenly writhe and coil"

Dear Reader,

As you may have guessed from previous posts, I’m a fan of the epistolary novel – even if it does sound like some sort of hair-removal device.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova didn’t disappoint. The narrator, the motherless daughter of a diplomat, begins the tale with a packet of old letters and even older book found in her father’s study. She then recounts the story her father shares with her on how the book – blank except for a woodcut of a dragon – found him. Letters from his advisor, Professor Rossi, Rossi's daughter Helen, Carpathian monks, and Crescent Guards of the Sultan all add their voices to this complex tale of the hunt for Vlad Dracula’s tomb.

Part travelogue, part thriller, Kostova takes the reader into a world in which librarians are brutally attacked and books hold the darkest secrets. From Istanbul to Budapest, back through Amsterdam and Paris, mouth-watering pastries, luscious scenery, sinister monks, and tons of libraries, this story will have you turning on the light at twilight and stocking up on garlic, just in case.

Judging from the reviews on Goodreads, this one may not be to your taste. If not, here are some other novels to note. 

Yours, Morningstar