Book excerpt: Aaron, a real estate agent in Toronto, has spent man tedious months dealing with an old woman, Ms. Volkov, from rural Ukraine about a decrepit mansion in a rundown part of town. She’s unable to travel from Europe to see the property, but wants to know absolutely everything about it before making an offer. She has no phone, no internet, so communication is tedious—with penned letters. He is just about ready to give up on selling the old house to the old woman—and then she sends Aaron a huge wad of cash, to thank him for his time. With the cash is an invitation, for Aaron to travel to rural Ukraine to meet Ms. Volkov, and perhaps to sign off on the deal. He makes the trip, taking along photos and videos of the mansion and the surrounding area. It’s a multi-day trip to get to Ms. Volkov’s small castle in the middle of nowhere, to discover that Ms. Volkov is not an old woman at all, but a stunningly beautiful young woman with millions of dollars and a very mysterious lifestyle. The stay issn’t supposed to be for more than a night, but Ms. Volkov insists that Aaron stay for longer. Just how long? Well, that quickly becomes an answer that Aaron wants when he realizes he’s trapped inside of that castle.