In the legendary Transylvania, a castle belonging to Countess Erzsébet Báthory is discovered. Cameraman Hunter Cole and broadcast journalist Serena Scott arrive to make a documentary about the discovery, and the sinister Hungarian noblewoman, known as the most prolific female serial killer in history.
The two Americans could cope with roughing it in a fifteenth-century castle, with no modern amenities. They can even cope with each other, despite their initial mutual dislike for one another, which gradually turns into a mind-blowing attraction.
But when two girls are tortured and killed in Báthory copycat style, the nearby village is shaken to the core. In terror, they wonder who will be next...
Author’s Note
Erzsébet Báthory (1560-1614) is a known historical figure and was a Hungarian countess, also known as Elizabeth Báthory, The Blood Countess or Countess Dracula. She has been labeled the most prolific serial killer in history, being responsible for the torture and murder of hundreds of young girls. The exact number of her victims is unknown, but is estimated at six hundred and fifty. It is speculated that she kept a diary with the names of all her victims, but if such a document exists, it has never been made public.
*This work is entirely fiction.
Genre: FICTION / Romance / SuspenseI am the only Romanian who is currently a USA Today bestselling author, and you can view my Amazon author rank here and my entire career in an Amazon print screen: https://melindadeross.com/2019/08/15/my-career-in-a-single-chart-%f0%9f%93%88/
“You want me to go where?”
“Romania. Transylvania, to be more exact,” Harry repeated into the receiver, speaking patiently in his raspy smoker’s voice, as I shoved the hair out of my face and looked bleary-eyed at the clock on the nightstand. It was six thirty a.m.
“Why?” I asked. “And couldn’t you have waited until nine, to tell me this when I got to work?”
“Serena, they discovered another of The Blood Countess’s secret dens. A castle next to a small village in Transylvania, somewhere in the mountains. No one knows about it yet, except for the local authorities. I want you to get there ASAP to do a documentary. Apparently, she used the place for her atrocious killings as much as she used Csejte Castle, or even more. This is huge news!” he exclaimed, sounding more excited than he’d ever been in the couple of years he’d been my boss at Q&A TV Network.
My ears pricked up and I sat up in bed, rubbing a hand over my face to chase away sleep.
“The Blood Countess? You mean Erzsébet Báthory?” I asked incredulous. “If no one knows about this new discovery, how come you do?”
“How come monkeys screw in the jungle? You know I have my sources. But news travels fast and the place will fill with tourists and competitors in the blink of an eye. That’s why I want you there pronto, to start on this piece. I’ve already got your plane tickets.”
“Tickets?”
“Yeah. I’m sending Hunter Cole to be your camera.”
“The new guy? I barely know him! Give me Mike,” I protested. “I work well with him.”
“Uh-uh. Cole is better, and this has to be a masterpiece,” Harry said. I could hear him exhaling the smoke from his cigarette.
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Leto I. Astoria
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Author review: Astoria was wonderful and she did a great job not only translating but also giving the right interpretation to my book, when a word-for-word translation was not a good language choice. I warmly recommend her services! |
