Born in France to an American mother and a Canadian father, author Michele Phoenix brings a decidedly international flavor to the proceedings with her fascinating debut, Tangled Ashes. The story of a man who arrives in Lamorlaye, France, to begin a massive renovation of a Renaissance-era castle, Marshall Becker ends up getting way more than he bargained for when he stumbles across a connection to dark World War II history that not even many of the locals know.
“I fell in love with Lamorlaye’s château when I was a child growing up in the small town just north of Paris,” Michele remembers. “As I began to research the town’s history for Tangled Ashes, I learned Lamorlaye had a sordid World War II past. As a result, the castle became merely the backdrop of a modern tale of mystery and healing anchored in a Nazi past.”