Julius Raphael's Diary

Property in the bricks and mortar sense, has a definite feel to it. Some properties feel as if the sunlight has danced on their roofs and dappled their walls since the day they were built. In contrast, others feel as if someone has died there the day before. The cold dankness of them can be felt from across the street.

The house in France has character. The Maison du Lac is a Chateau with a soul. The Chateau on the lake has memories and secrets to unlock. And of course, the bigger the houses, the bigger the secrets.

The other main character is novellist George Campbell, new owner of the Chateau. Unusual discoveries lead him gradually to the house's deep secrets and he feels challenged when tracking down the previous owners in an effort to restore the family's plundered heritage.

The Raphaels are a Jewish family who have a modest Chateau in the French countryside. They are the last descendants of a wealthy Paris banking family and are targetted by the Gestapo and eventually, the family disappears.

These two characters, the chateau and the writer, combine to discover the fate of the Raphaels. The search uncovers secrets some will go to murderous lengths to conceal.