The Lost Daughter: A Novel

If you loved I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon you won't want to miss this novel about her sister, Grand Duchess Maria. What really happened to this lost Romanov daughter? A new novel perfect for anyone curious about Anastasia, Maria, and the other lost Romanov daughters, by the author of The Secret Wife.

1918: Pretty, vivacious Grand Duchess Maria Romanov, the nineteen-year-old daughter of the fallen Tsar Nicholas II, lives with her family in suffocating isolation, a far cry from their once-glittering royal household. Her days are a combination of endless boredom and paralyzing fear; her only respite are clandestine flirtations with a few of the guards imprisoning the family—never realizing her innocent actions could mean the difference between life and death

1973: When Val Doyle hears her father’s end-of-life confession, “I didn’t want to kill her,” she’s stunned. So, she begins a search for the truth—about his words and her past. The clues she discovers are baffling—a jewel-encrusted box that won’t open and a camera with its film intact. What she finds out pulls Val into one of the world’s greatest mysteries—what truly happened to the Grand Duchess Maria?

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What happened to Anastasia’s sister Maria?

1918: Pretty, vivacious Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, the nineteen-year-old daughter of the fallen Tsar Nicholas II, lives with her family in suffocating isolation, a far cry from their once-glittering royal household. Her days are a combination of endless boredom and paralyzing fear; her only respite are clandestine flirtations with a few of the guards imprisoning the family—and she never realizes her innocent actions could mean the difference between life and death.

1973: When Val Doyle hears her father’s end-of-life confession, “I didn’t want to kill her,” she’s stunned. So she begins a search for the truth—about his words and her past. The clues she discovers are baffling—a jewel-encrusted box that won’t open and a camera with its film intact. What she finds out pulls Val into one of the world’s greatest mysteries: What truly happened to Grand Duchess Maria? |

“The Lost Daughter is essentially a very human and affecting story, full of suspense, danger, self-discovery and romance…a clever and complex blend of fact and fiction that pulls together the threads of two very different lives with perfect precision, and offers an unforgettable, sweeping adventure from start to finish.” - Lancashire Post

“...an emotional and elegantly written story about love, loss, betrayal and sacrifice, bolstered by authentic period detail and historical facts that even in this day and age, so many years down the line, are difficult to read about.” - CultureFly

“Gill Paul is a fabulous writer of historical fiction, taking true-life events and real people and giving them flesh, bones and spirit in a way no dull historical tome ever could.” - My Weekly

“Gill Paul has created Maria with such strength that she springs from the pages.… Deeply moving, but never without hope.” - Women's Weekly Book Club

“As rich in historical detail as it is captivating.” - Heat World

“Bold and powerful, filled with emotion, tension and vivid characters in a setting that is rich in historical detail.” - Kate Furnivall, author of The Survivors

“In The Lost Daughter, [Gill Paul] has woven a heart-wrenching love story with a gripping historical mystery. This story is so real and compelling that you are there in the past and present all the way.” - Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of American Duchess

“This epic story is so engrossing that readers will have difficulty putting it down.” - Publishers Weekly

“Fascinating! Gill Paul captures this family and this period of history so vividly. Such a wonderful book!” - Hazel Gaynor, author of The Girl Who Came Home and The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter

“Completely immersive. Gorgeous. Beautiful writing, great characters. I enjoyed it so, so much. Just brilliant!” - Jenny Ashcroft, author of Last Letter to Bombay

“Another brilliant read from Gill Paul. Two gripping stories entwine and kept me captivated till the last page. Kept me looking forward to getting back to it each evening.” - Tracy Rees, author of The Hourglass and Darling Blue

“With The Lost Daughter, she has returned to the tragic Romanovs, creating another fascinating story that asks the haunting question: ‘what if one of them escaped?’ A pleasure to dive into.” - Kate Riordan, author of The Stranger and The Girl in the Photograph

“A remarkable novel...I loved Maria’s courage in the face of revolution and war, and adored her fierce determination to protect her family. The history is fascinating, the love story passionate and the characters moving.” - Natasha Lester, international bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress

“Riveting...At once richly descriptive and mysterious, Gill Paul demonstrates her extraordinary talents in this deeply affecting tale of war, forgiveness, and family legacy.” - Heather Webb, internationally bestselling author of Meet Me in Monaco & Last Christmas in Paris