Book Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins


 Title: The Villa

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Pages: 279

Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023

Source: NetGalley

GoodReads Description: 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.

My Review:


I loved this mash up of Daisy Jones and the Six and a thriller! I loved both storylines! The sex, drugs, rock and roll, and murder and the two writers on vacation. I loved, loved Emily - the fact that she was a cozy mystery writer turned into a true-crime junkie by the Villa and its history. I loved it all! The ending was probably a bit rushed, but I honestly enjoyed this read so much I couldn't give it anything less than 5 stars! I absolutely devoured it!


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