THE ESTATE comes from a fine pedigree. Sarah Jost grew up in the shadow of Lake Geneva in the Swiss Alps, studied medieval and modern French, as well as art, and currently resides in the UK. Her experiences are on display in this sophomore thriller that features one of the most unique characters I have ever met.

Camille Leray is half-English and half-French and works as an art historian for Courtenay, a popular London firm. She carries with her a secret about an ability she has that almost makes her the artistic version of a superhero --- she can enter any piece of art she focuses on, delving into a new plane of existence that she refers to as Avalon. She also possesses the power to bring others along with her on these surreal journeys.

"THE ESTATE succeeds on every level and hits so many beautiful notes of magical realism, art history and traditional mystery/thriller that it should be a must-read for anyone who enjoys those genres."

The Prologue features a 2018 newspaper article titled “Swimming to the Light” about Camille’s work in rediscovering the long-lost classic sculpture Night Swimming from the late Constance Sorel. This piece is important to note because it is the work of Sorel that currently drives Camille into nearly high levels of obsession and presents the focus for this creative tale.

No one in Camille’s profession as an art appraiser is aware of her special gift, and her time spent in Avalon provides her with private and personal details about specific works of art that no one else can match. Regrettably, her obsession with Sorel’s output, along with excessive time spent in Avalon, has affected her job performance and caused those close to her to question her sanity. As a result, she is rudely dismissed from her high-profile position at Courtenay.

So the timing is perfect when Camille is surprisingly contacted by wealthy French art collector Maxime Foucault, who invites her to his sprawling estate, D’Arvor, to help authenticate some long-lost sculptures that may be from Sorel. She is quick to leave behind her semi-boyfriend, Lowen, to chase this opportunity and the chance to apply her talents to Maxime’s collection. Up to this point, Lowen is the only person on earth who knows about Camille’s special gift.

Upon her arrival at D’Arvor, Camille is introduced to Maxime’s mysterious family --- his mother, Marie-Laure; his father, Dominique; his brother, Frédéric; and his personal assistant, Anaïs. In addition to delving into these lost works, Camille wants to know why she was committed to a mental institution. When she finally has the opportunity to chat privately with Maxime, she finds out that their work together may have been foretold already. It turns out that they have crossed paths before. Their first encounter involved Maxime witnessing a far younger Camille using her gift in reference to a particular work of art. The descriptions of this experience are indeed the stuff of magic.

As the relationship between Camille and Maxime seems to intensify, Camille also finds herself in the middle of an artistic mystery. Is it possible that the sculptures at D’Arvor are not authentic but instead are very well-done forgeries? Those thoughts, along with the suspicion that everyone at D’Arvor seems to be harboring deep secrets, keep Camille on her toes while also placing both her gift and her safety in jeopardy.

THE ESTATE succeeds on every level and hits so many beautiful notes of magical realism, art history and traditional mystery/thriller that it should be a must-read for anyone who enjoys those genres.