The Heir of Mondolfo

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley steps away from Gothic horror into romantic adventure in this lesser-known gem. When Count Odoardo di Mondolfo loses his beloved wife, he retreats into grief until his young daughter Imma becomes his sole light. That light is snuffed out when brigands kidnap her, thrusting the bereaved father into a perilous journey across the Italian countryside to rescue her. What follows is a swashbuckling tale of narrow escapes, shifting alliances, and unexpected discoveries: a cunning thief, a beautiful gypsy woman, a hooded monk harboring secrets. As Odoardo races against time, he must also confront the treachery of his own lineage and the dark truths he has spent years running from. This is Shelley writing with heart in her throat, trading monsters for mortality and laboratory horrors for the very human terror of losing a child. Fans of Gothic romance and anyone curious about the range of Frankenstein's creator will find much to love in this tale of love, redemption, and the lengths a father will go to bring his daughter home.