Julius Raphael's Diary

Some properties feel as if the sunlight has danced on their roofs and dappled their walls since the day they were built. In contrast, a considerable number feel as if someone has died there the day before. The cold dankness of them can be felt from across the street.

The house in the book has character. The Maison du Lac is a French chateau with a soul. The Chateau on the lake has memories and secrets to unlock. Unusual discoveries by the new owner lead to the uncovering the house's dark secrets. He feels challenged when tracking down the previous owners of the house in an effort to restore the family's plundered heritage.

The Raphaels are a Jewish family. They are the last descendants of a wealthy Paris banking family and are targeted by the Gestapo and eventually the family disappears.

The book's two characters, the chateau and the writer, combine to discover the fate of the Raphaels. But guilty secrets are unearthed which local residents would kill to suppress.