Virrasztás (Vigil)
On a snow-swept night in Budapest, Máté Nádasdy waits to prevent an assassination no one else cares to stop. But when the would-be killer turns out to be a ghost from his past, the vigil becomes a reckoning.
Rook Sacrifice
A high-stakes chess match in an exclusive Budapest club draws gamblers, aristocrats, and a desperate player with everything to lose. But as Lieutenant Máté Nádasdy watches the pieces move, he realizes the real game is being played off the board.
The wheat was too green, the mist too thick, swallowing the fence line and muting the world beyond. Something was wrong here, though whether in the field or in himself, Lucas couldn’t yet say.
"I rushed between the stalls, pushing people aside as I hurried toward her. She saw me and started shouting, 'Someone took my baby!' My heart was already pounding in my ears, my eyes moving fast around the crowd. 'Your child! What was she wearing?' She reached out and grabbed my coat sleeve. 'I only turned a second and she was gone.'"
A consumptive flower seller, a dead baron, and an embroidered handkerchief hold the key to a chilling conspiracy. Can Máté Nádasdy unravel the truth before innocent blood is spilled?
Countess Báthory Reprise
I hope you’ve read my most recent post about Countess Erzsébet Báthory de Ecsed, the so-called “Blood Countess.” I was overwhelmed with the support the countess received from my readers. Many were outraged that I even called her the Blood Countess, a moniker that has been ascribed to her for centuries. I must agree the arguments vindicating her from the mythic atrocities are strong, and I did not intend to perpetuate falsehoods about her. That said, we must always keep a balanced, if not open perspective, and have a willingness to have one’s opinion changed, because otherwise, we stop listening and are doomed to an echo chamber that endlessly repeats our own thoughts.
Hungary’s
Blood Countess
Countess Erzsébet Báthory de Ecsed. Her name may sound familiar from Death’s Visage, one of my first stories featuring Máté Nádasdy, which explores the mystery surrounding the theft of a supposed death mask from the notorious “Blood Countess.” While it may seem morose today, making an imprint of a departed person’s face was customary at different times. Many famous examples exist of this practice, although there is no evidence such a mask was ever cast from Erzsébet Báthory’s corpse. While the mask of Death’s Visage is fictional, Erzsébet Báthory is not—and her real story is one you need to hear.
The Kvas Conspiracy
When Máté and Róbert make an innocent bet to see who can first observe a crime, it only takes moments for Máté to observe a suspicious exchange at the coffeehouse across the avenue. But when chaos erupts, Máté can't help but involve himself and a reluctant Róbert in bringing justice to the moment, even though the mastermind might well go free.
Ludovika
Named for Maria Ludovika (1787-1816), Empress consort of Austria, the Ludovika Academy served as the seat of military education in Hungary for well over 150 years. Hear more about the academy and how it is featured in my coming novel.