Book Description

A couple’s bizarre fantasy life goes awry in this electric psychological thriller for fans of The Talented Mr. Ripley. ​ The modern world holds no wonder for Arnoldo Signori. A man born in the wrong age, he yearns to escape the chaos of present-day New York and slip back into the glorious eighteenth century, when culture reigned, art was plentiful, and people lived with effortless grace. He’d do anything to be part of that bygone era. Eccentric millionaire Irene Ibis is the only person Arnoldo has ever felt a true kinship with. So when she offers to help him realize his dream, he eagerly accepts. The only condition: He must hand over every aspect of his life to her. Soon, he finds himself installed in a sumptuous palace, surrounded by magnificent beauty, with his every need taken care of. It’s heaven on earth. But it’s not perfect. And when the veil of fantasy drawn around the couple slips, cruel reality insinuates itself into their all-too-fragile existence. Now they may lose their paradise—and their lives. . . . A true renaissance man, H. F. Heard was a historian, science writer, educator, and philosopher who infused his novels—including his popular Mycroft Holmes Mysteries—with a stark, unflinching view of humanity that proved both disturbing and irresistible. Hailed by the New York Times as a “psychological horror story . . . of spine-tingling originality and excellence,” Murder by Reflection remains utterly unique and deeply chilling.