Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!
Rachel Hawkins
Expected publication date: January 23, 2023
From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.
Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.
As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.
Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.
Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy. - from Goodreads
I have not read any of Hawkins' mystery/thrillers, but I am a fan of her contemporaries and paranormals. That's quite a list of inspiration, and I am curious how that all worked into the story.
ReplyDeleteI just added this to my TBR! I am definitely looking forward to it, too. Hawkins has put out some fun mystery/thrillers each winter!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to reading this one too!
ReplyDeleteOha, do the lemons have a meaning? *smile* It does look for sure very intriguing. Happy reading and thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds excellent! Right up my alley so I've added it to my list to watch for it when it comes out.
ReplyDeleteTerrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/wednesday-meme-15
I would very much like to take a girl's trip to Italy, without the Gothic mystery though! There's quite a mix that inspired this though -- it's got me very much wanting to see how it all comes together.
ReplyDeleteOh I've been really looking forward to this one, too! It sounds so intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed Hawkins' last two books so I'm pretty excited for this one too. She writes some pretty twisty mysteries!
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