The Lost Queen

Heidi von Palleske

Dundurn Press

The Lost Queen

by Heidi von Palleske

Dundurn Press

Hidden clues in a mysterious opera manuscript suggest the whereabouts of a long-disappeared opera singer.

What do a champagne socialist opera director, an albino diva, a one-eyed journalist, a professor of economics, and two elderly Hungarian cancan dancers with ties to the French Resistance have in common? They are all searching for Clara.

In 1992 opera singer Clara vanishes from an airport in Cape Town. Eight years later, her husband, Gareth, declares her dead in absentia. But when an anonymous opera manuscript — The True Abduction of Helen — arrives at a struggling punk opera company in Berlin, it seems to hold cryptic clues to Clara’s fate.

As unlikely allies unite to uncover the mystery, they must confront a difficult question: If they find Clara, how will it change their fragile lives? More importantly, how can they put her story on the stage?

The Lost Queen is a gripping tale of love lost, hope renewed, and the search for truth that will leave you questioning what it means to be truly found.

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Heidi von Palleske is a film actor and the author of Two White Queens and the One-Eyed Jack, a novel that explores themes of identity and history. Known for populating her stories with outcasts and misfits, Heidi’s work spans film, TV, and literature, often challenging societal norms. She lives in Toronto.

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