From the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of the Angelology series comes a bewitching gothic novel of suspense that plunges readers into a world of dark family secrets, the mysteries of human genetics, and the burden of family inheritance.

It feels like a fairy tale when Alberta ”Bert” Monte receives a letter addressed to “Countess Alberta Montebianco” at her Hudson Valley, New York, home that claims she’s inherited a noble title, money, and a castle in Italy. While Bert is more than a little skeptical, the mystery of her aristocratic family’s past, and the chance to escape her stressful life for a luxury holiday in Italy, is too good to pass up.

At first, her inheritance seems like a dream come true: a champagne-drenched trip on a private jet to Turin, Italy; lawyers with lists of artwork and jewels bequeathed to Bert; a helicopter ride to an ancestral castle nestled in the Italian Alps below Mont Blanc; a portrait gallery of ancestors Bert never knew existed; and a cellar of expensive vintage wine for Bert to drink.

But her ancestry has a dark side, and Bert soon learns that her family history is particularly complicated. As Bert begins to unravel the Montebianco secrets, she begins to realize her true inheritance lies not in a legacy of ancestral treasures, but in her very genes.

Title: The Ancestor

Author: Danielle Trussoni

Hardback: 349 pages

Publication Date: 04/04/2020

Publisher: William Morrow

Language: English

ISBN: 0062912755

ISBN-13: 9780062912756

My Review

what a Fantastic read!

Who are our ancestors?
Where do we fit in the family tree, and where do our traits come from?

We have all asked ourselves these questions at some point or another and would be happy to find just a few answers along those lines. In Danielle Trussoni's THE ANCESTOR, the main character wasn't really in search of these answers, but her ancestors tracked her down and presented her with the gift of the past. Her own family legacy.

We all want to believe that we come from hearty, healthy, and smart stock, but what if we didn't? What if something went wrong somewhere along the path of random connections and processes that make us unique, fit, and adapt to life in this world? Would you want to know about it? Would you want to rear a family if you knew that you were the carrier of unfavorable genes, capable to produce a monster?

This is what Bert, short for Alberta, Monte has to decide when she is presented with the papers declaring her the only heir left to the fortunes of the famous House of Montebianco in the Italian Alps. Residing in NY, separated from her husband for the past 6 months, life going ok for Bert but not great. Perhaps it was a premonition, or just a random happenstance when she finds out about her ancestors in Italy, but her life is about to change forever as she embarks to travel deep into her ancestors' history, family secrets, and mysterious gene pool.

Once in Italy, Bert finds herself enraptured by the beauty of the Italian valleys, cafes, and restaurants. Simultaneously, the House of Montebianco, a fortress up on Monte Blanc, only reachable by helicopter, seems cold and stark. How did this family live here? How is it, that she is the one inheriting real estate, paintings, sums of money, treasures, servants, and so forth if she had no idea this is where her ancestors came from. Here, her new identity will undergo a mysterious transformation. Here, her name is Alberta Isabelle Eleanor Vittoria Montebianco, and diaries, murder, and entrapment will teach her who she really is.

This book is seriously fantastic. I was wholly enthralled by this story. If you are a fan of Alma Katsu's writing or something with dark, gothic and creepy undertones than THIS IS IT! This should be your next read. I can't even put into words how captivating THE ANCESTOR is, but there is a secret that hides within the walls of the House of Montebianco and it is far fetched, yet amazingly creepy.

Told in first person and interspersed with diary entries of her family of long past, the tale of this family unfolds with a vexing, dark vibe. Some parts are real page-turners and you just want to read one more before bed and reaching a good stopping point. The truth is, the story takes a good while to unfold and I kept wondering what genre of tale am I reading here? Is it historical fiction? Ist it mystery or fantasy? Well, I am still not sure, as Bert's geneology test turns from factual and normal and then reaches realms of plausible if we could bend time and history.

There was a moment when I didn't want to "know" what the dreaded answer to all of it was because I was afraid that the story would deflate like a balloon. Once the cat was out of the bag, how would you go from there? Well, Trussoni did an amazing job at keeping the pace and tension while the plot diverged into the territory of the fantastical and I am so grateful for it.

The entire journey of this novel was fascinating. From the atmosphere and setting to the creepy tales of the family members. Undoubtedly, political motivation, power, and betrayals played a role in the history of this powerful family, but in truth, genes could not be controlled in the Middle Ages, and the discovery of family secrets would have meant the death of the Montebiancos....or their ancestors, hidden, behind the name.

I could reread this book RIGHT NOW. It was so good and goes down as one of my absolute favorites for this year. Both the audiobook and the physical copy with its gorgeous beveled edges I love, would make an amazing reading choice of gift for someone.

Enjoy :)

And if you read it, let me know what you think. I loved it!