With this story of a self-absorbed, newly wealthy writer struggling with his identity and coming to terms with the shocking secrets of his family's past, de Rosnay (Sarah's Key; A Secret Kept) continues her literary trend of combining international locations and complex characters. Nicolas Duhamel, a best-selling author who has changed his surname to Kolt, finds himself at a crossroads while taking a long weekend with his girlfriend at a luxurious resort on the Tuscan coast. A womanizer and Internet addict, Nicolas reflects on his dark family history as he exchanges illicit texts and emails with Sabina, a woman he has met only once, and interacts with another woman who may or may not be a very famous titan of the publishing world. Trying to follow up his enormously successful first novel, our hero struggles with writer's block. VERDICT Most of the book is driven by internal action, told through memories and partially through flashback. Certain plot twists seem obvious, but de Rosnay has a clever way of keeping the audience interested in the story line even if the main character himself is unlikeable. Despite these flaws, de Rosnay's fans and readers who enjoy contemporary interior novels will not be disappointed.—Mariel Pachucki, Maple Valley, WA