A PhD student uncovers dark secrets in this 'richly atmospheric and irresistibly readable' (Joyce Carol Oates) mystery set in Scotland, Italy, and France. For fans of Donna Tartt and Elizabeth Kostova.

Fleeing a disastrous love affair, Isabel Henley leaves the US to begin a PhD in Scotland. There she reconnects with the charismatic Rose Brewster, a former classmate, who becomes a much-needed friend. When Rose reveals she's in trouble, Isabel decides to help her.

Then Rose vanishes.

No clues can be found until Isabel receives a coded message: Rose is alive, but held captive by people who don't want her to complete her historical research. Isabel realises she must finish Rose's work if she wants to save her life.

The trail leads Isabel to the great cities of Italy and France. She must decipher a chain of betrayal and treason lasting centuries, and solve a 400-year-old mystery... or risk being claimed by it too.

For fans of The Cloisters, The Secret History and The Maidens, this is a gripping literary thriller set in the world of dark academia.

Reviews for The Bequest

'A brilliant debut, as smart as it is compelling' Tasha Alexander
'A first rate mystery by a first time author. Intriguing plot and well drawn characters' Martin Cruz Smith

Joanna Margaret is an art historian whose previous writing and scholarly work has focused on Florentine aristocrats in sixteenth-century France. She holds a PhD from the University of St Andrews and an MFA from NYU, where Joyce Carol Oates served as her thesis advisor. The Bequest is her first novel.

Follow Joanna at www.joanna-margaret.com