While in her father's library, a young girl discovers a book along with a series of yellowed letters addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor." She questions her father about the discovery and urges him to explain not only the letters but the disturbing image in the book. This is the start of her journey to discover not only more about her father, but herself as well. She's introduced through stories shared in scattered intervals to Professor Rossi, her father's academic advisor and friend. As the drama unfolds, she learns of her father's research surrounding Dracula, Rossi's disappearance one night and the search that brought her parents, Paul and Helen, together. Helen not only was doing the same type of research, but possessed the last name of Rossi. They travel from the United States to Eastern and Western Europe in hopes of not only finding Professor Rossi but the ultimate discovery, the tomb of Vlad the Impaler, more commonly known as Dracula. While in Eastern Europe, Helen seeks out her roots and has to accept some very disturbing information about her past.

Throughout their many travels, Paul reveals to his daughter more details about his search for Rossi. While in Oxford, he abruptly leaves for reasons unknown and a young scholar named Barley is asked to escort her safely to Amsterdam. Upon her arrival home, she instinctively goes into her father's library and discovers another packet of letters written to her. The last line in one of the letters states that he's gone to look for her mother. This startling information sets her off on a mission to find her father. By a stroke of unexpected luck, Barley joins her on this quest that takes them to France. In her father's hotel room, she's startled by the lack of untidiness. Among his belongings are papers she recognizes as written by him and a copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula. There are also postcards written by an unfamiliar hand all addressed to "my beloved daughter" and signed "your loving mother." The cards are from all over Europe and the stamps are mysteriously not postmarked. This discovery answers the many questions of her past, present and future and opens up a mystery that will not be solved until she finds her father.

THE HISTORIAN is not only a spellbinding story, but a journey into the deep, dark evil past of Vlad the Impaler's reign. Although they occurred at different times and places, Kostova has expertly choreographed the different journeys throughout this story. The travels involved Professor Rossi in the early 1930s, Paul and Helen in the early 1950s and Paul's daughter and Barley in the early 1970s. The areas traveled include the United States, Eastern and Western Europe. Many treasures of information concerning the powerful empires of the past are uncovered in monasteries, churches, libraries and archives. By pouring through diaries, journals, letters and song lyrics and studying the different routes of ancient relics, secrets are revealed that could lead them to the exact location of Dracula's tomb. But the question is why anyone would want to risk everything to search for something so evil.

THE HISTORIAN is masterfully written with elegance and style. There are intriguing plot twists at every turn of the page, which made this book very difficult to put down. I've never read a novel that revealed such intricately developed events along the way. The beauty and richness of this story are the many secrets that are uncovered between the pages and will keep the reader in suspense until the final line is read. This story and its characters are a treasure, and I feel richer in my mind and spirit by being introduced to a work such as this.