Joanna Margaret

Joanna Margaret on The Bequest

Former PhD student of the University of St Andrews, Joanna Margaret, will be returning to discuss her debut novel The Bequest.

Set in a coastal, university town in Scotland, The Bequest follows Isabel Henley as she moves to Scotland to begin a PhD, only to learn upon arrival that her advisor has died in mysterious circumstances!

Soon afterwards, Isabel is informed that another scholar is about to publish a book on her dissertation topic, leaving her disconcerted and in search of a new subject.

After such a rocky start to life overseas, Isabel makes a good friend with Rose Brewster, a charismatic former classmate. But when Rose reveals she is in trouble, then goes missing, Isabel's already unsteady life is sent into a tailspin. A suicide note surfaces, followed by a coded message: Rose is alive but captive. Isabel follows Rose's paper trail through Genoa, Florence and Paris. She uncovers family secrets, the legend of an enormous cursed emerald, and a chain of betrayal and treason lasting centuries. If she can put the pieces together in time, Isabel may solve a 400-year-old mystery... and save her life and her friend's in the process.

Combining epistolary elements, Gothic suspense, and an atmospheric dark academia setting, The Bequest is a gripping literary thriller that will appeal to fans of Alex Michaelides and Donna Tartt.