the Japanese Imperial Navy. As the Court's official memorialist in St. Petersburg, the Countess was appointed to immortalise the fight. But, as the only woman on board among superstitious officers, she encountered unspoken and false pretences. Determined to know what was being hidden from her, she questions the mysterious Captain Voronov. Will she find some comfort in the dark hours ahead? A body to dock to? Born in Montreal to a Breton father, Chrystelle LeRoy’s family owned a zoo from which she derives a passion for observing animals and nature. As an adult, she became a historian, working for museums in Canada and France before specialising in digital writing where she won several awards. She introduces a dose of exoticism into her novels, often built on a background of historical reality.