The Villa

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable, but 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 breathtaking, but it has a dark past: in 1974 it was rented by a notorious rockstar, who was joined by up-and-coming musician Pierce Sheldon and his girlfriend, Mari. By the end of the holiday Pierce is dead, and Mari goes on to write one of the greatest horror novels of all time.

As Emily digs into the villa's history, she begins to think that Pierce's murder wasn't just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but something more sinister - and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari 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.

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'A deliciously dark tale filled with twisted secrets, suspect loyalties, and deadly encounters. I tore through this haunting thrill ride at breakneck speed but hated to see it end . . . pitch-perfect . . . Hawkins is the reigning Queen of suspense' – Heather Gudenkauf

'Clever and wickedly fun, The Villa is a moody labyrinth of a novel fortified by Hawkins's evident knowledge of Gothic conventions: missing manuscripts, debauched aristocrats, isolated locales... a spooky, intricate thriller' – Washington Post

'An engrossing tale about betrayal, sisterhood, and the power of telling your own story. Captivating!' – People