High above the sun-drenched Italian countryside, two estranged best friends retreat to a legendary villa, unaware that the dark 1974 murder that made the estate famous is beginning to mirror their own rivalry.
In an effort to heal their fracturing bond, writers Emily and Chess travel to Villa Aestas, an opulent Tuscan estate steeped in rock-and-roll lore and dark literary history. Decades earlier, in the summer of 1974, the villa housed an infamous circle of musicians and authors—an intense, hedonistic retreat that ended in the brutal murder of a rising rock star and inspired a cult-classic gothic horror novel. As Emily digs into the villa's hidden archives and becomes obsessed with unspooling the cold case, she uncovers uncomfortable parallels between the fatal 1970s crime and the subtle, toxic competitive edges in her friendship with Chess. Blending dual-timeline suspense with psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators, Rachel Hawkins’s The Villa weaves an intoxicating story of dark family secrets books, artistic obsession, and how the past lingers in the shadows of the Italian countryside.
Why You’ll Love This Book
Hawkins weaves together a breezy Italian summer holiday with the dark, simmering dread of a classic gothic mystery. The alternating perspectives between the glamour of 1970s rock royalty and a tense present-day friendship create an addictive, propulsive rhythm. A thrilling, atmospheric escape for anyone who loves stories of artistic rivalry, villa secrets, and dark literary histories.
Book Details
ISBN: 9781250834591
Binding: Paperback
Pub Date:
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 304
Author:
Rachel Hawkins
Language: English
Curator's Note:
Hawkins delivers an atmospheric thriller set in an Italian villa, alternating between a contemporary writing retreat and a 1974 murder involving a group of rock stars. The narrative tracks the fracturing friendship of two women as their personal resentments begin to parallel the villa’s violent history, focusing on themes of creative competition and betrayal. It is a precise recommendation for fans of dual-timeline mysteries who enjoy the summer gothic trope and stories that examine the darker side of artistic inspiration.
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