The Château du Ciel was once the destination for the rich and famous to play, drink and ski—complete with a private railway to shuttle those desiring extra privacy—now, however, the guests are few and far between. The New Year’s Eve party was supposed to hoist the rundown hotel back to its former status, until a massive blizzard hits, trapping the guests who’ve come to celebrate the grand hotel’s last hurrah. The circumstances might even be romantic, if the hotel wasn't reputed to be haunted.

When hotel employee Mave Michael finds the resident artist dead, and shortly thereafter hotel security finds Mave alone with the body, the reputation that Mave has fought long and hard to outrun comes back to haunt her. You see, her father is a notorious hitman who is serving multiple life sentences in prison. She has changed her name and location dozens of times, but he somehow manages to track her down—even sending her a postcard on the eve of her birthday, January 1st. She’s the perfect choice to frame for murder, and now the number one suspect.

Mave can no longer deny the lessons in survival her father taught her, and calls on that and her uncanny sixth-sense in “finding” lost objects to navigate the maze of the hotel. To save herself, she not only has to stop running from her own past, she must unearth the history of the hotel, its elite guests and buried secrets—one deadly sin at a time.

An homage to classic gothic horror, that proves that the ghosts of family and classism are alive and well.

Carolyne Topdjian's profile page

Carolyne Topdjian is a suspense writer with publications in PRISM International, Dreamers Magazine and Firewords Quarterly. She has an interdisciplinary PHD from York University and is a professor in the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts at Humber College in Toronto. She is a two-time Pitch Wars mentor and lives in a 112-year-old haunted house. This is her first novel. Find her online at: carolynetopdjian.com and on Twitter @TopdjianC

"A fast-paced haunting novel of survival."—Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Topdjian’s debut thriller is intense with foreboding and an eerie sense of place. The past and present perspectives captivate the reader and connect brilliantly to reveal a shocking conclusion. Fans of Jen Williams, Karin Slaughter, and Alex North will enjoy this one!"—Booklist

"Carolyne Topdjian's THE HITMAN'S DAUGHTER nails every classic gothic horror trope in the most elegant of ways, drawing us into a ghostly suspense story with exquisite imagery, lush language and a cast of characters in the tradition of the best whodunits. Sumptuous, sinister, and seductive, I was both charmed and haunted."—Emily Carpenter, author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls and The Weight of Lies

"A tense and atmospheric gothic mystery with lots of unexpected twists. Topdjian brings the Château du Ciel to life, with its haunted library, the twisting labyrinth of tunnels beneath it, and the suspicious cast of residents and guests whose pasts are intertwined with the hotel's dark history."—Allison Buccola, author of Catch Her When She Falls

"Suspenseful, haunting and intricate, Topdjian masterfully delivers in this atmospheric debut that will have you on the edge of your seat."—Karen Winn, author of Our Little World