In the Garden of Monsters

(Paperback)

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A woman with no past. A man who seems to know her. And a monstrous garden that could be the border between their worlds...

Italy, 1948

Julia Lombardi is a mystery even to herself. The beautiful model can't remember where she's from, where she's been or how she came to live in Rome. When she receives an offer to accompany celebrated eccentric artist Salvador Dal to the Sacro Bosco-Italy's Garden of Monsters-as his muse, she's strangely compelled to accept. It could be a chance to unlock the truth about her past...

Shrouded in shadow, the garden full of giant statues that sometimes seem alive is far from welcoming. Still, from the moment of their arrival at the palazzo, Julia is inexplicably drawn to their darkly enigmatic host, Ignazio. He's alluring yet terrifying-and he seems to know her.

Posing for Dal as the goddess Persephone, Julia finds the work to be perplexing, particularly as Dal descends deeper into his fanaticism. To him, she is Persephone, and he insists she must eat pomegranate seeds to rejoin her king.

Between Dal's fevered persistence, Ignazio's uncanny familiarity and the agonizing whispered warnings that echo through the garden, Julia is soon on the verge of unraveling. And she begins to wonder if she's truly the mythical queen of the Underworld...

Author Bio

Crystal King is the author of The Chef's Secret and Feast of Sorrow, which was long-listed for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize and was a Must Read for the MassBook Awards. She is an author, culinary enthusiast, and marketing expert, and has taught at multiple universities including Harvard Extension and Boston University. She resides in Boston. You can find her at crystalking.com.