Signatures in Stone

Four travelers—an art critic, an aspiring painter, an aristocrat, and a mystery writer—meet in Italy’s eerie Monster Park of Bomarzo during the Fascist era. The park’s grotesque statues hide an alchemical secret. They point out a pathway to self-knowledge that leads through hell before ascending to the light. Finestone, the art critic, sees the park as a cosmic tool to alter fate, while Daphne, the mystery writer, believes hidden signs and signatures can reveal the future and uncover the truth of past events. When a murder in the park shocks the group, Daphne becomes the prime suspect. To solve the murder and clear her name, she must confront her own demons and read the signs scattered all around her. In solving the murder, she’ll also crack the code of the Monster Park, and discover the source of its life-transforming power. Overall Winner of the Daphne Du Maurier Prize for Mystery & Suspense Writing. The new 2023 edition commemorates the 500th anniversary of the Bomarzo Monster Park, and is illustrated with Tarot-inspired drawings by Carolyn Florek.