Forgeries of Desire

In the winter of 2026, a secretive app called L’Ombre begins predicting users’ most hidden cravings with uncanny precision—and uses those desires to lure wealthy families into a devastating high-end antique fraud. When the body of Eleanor Vance is found beside a perfect replica of a medieval chalice, eccentric historian Professor Cornelius Wainwright and Inspector Elara Vance unearth a conspiracy fueled by greed, forged masterpieces, and an algorithm that knows humanity’s darkness better than we know ourselves. As three powerful dynasties crumble into bankruptcy and bloodshed, the investigation races through the gilded halls of the fictional Federation of Veridia to stop a shadowy ringleader known only as “Czar.” Inspired by the atmospheric, character-driven mysteries of Fred Vargas, this is a story of obsession, betrayal, and the terrible mirror held up by technology.