The Cloisters

"The Secret History" meets "Ninth House" in this intriguing and moody novel, where the uncovering of a mysterious tarot card deck exposes startling secrets among a tight-knit group of researchers at New York’s celebrated Met Cloisters museum. Ann Stilwell, arriving in New York with hopes for a summer position at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, finds herself instead placed at The Cloisters—a museum and garden famed for its medieval and Renaissance art collection. There, she becomes involved with an enigmatic team of researchers, each harboring their own undisclosed desires, including Patrick Roland, the museum's curator, who believes the history of Tarot holds the secrets to modern-day divination.Embracing the chance to escape her troubled past and earn the acceptance of her new colleagues, Ann eagerly delves into Patrick's more unusual theories. However, when she stumbles upon a once-lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards, Ann is thrust into a perilous game of power, fraught with toxic friendships and ambition. As tensions within The Cloisters escalate, Ann is forced to confront whether she can defy fate and carve her own destiny.The novel masterfully interweaves the contemporary and the mystical, crafting a gripping narrative about obsession and the relentless quest for power. With its gothic charm, "The Cloisters" immerses readers in a world of seductive allure and scholarly zeal, filled with brooding suspense and simmering intensity.