Book Synopsis:
1968, Sicily Just months after a terrible earthquake has destroyed the mountain town of Gibellina, Enzo and his wife Irene Borgata are making their way back to the family home, Villa Alba, on roads overlooked by the eerie backdrop of the flattened ghost town. When their car breaks down, Enzo leaves his young wife to go and get help, but when he returns there is no trace of Irene. No body, no sign of a struggle, nothing.
2003. TV showman and true crime aficionado Milo Conti is Italy’s darling, uncovering and solving historic crimes for his legion of fans. When he turns his attention to the story of the missing Irene Borgata, accusing her husband of her murder, Enzo’s daughter Maddi asks her childhood friend, retired detective April Cobain, for help to prove her father’s innocence. But the tale April discovers is murky: mafia meetings, infidelity, mistaken identity, grief and unshakable love. As the world slowly closes in on the claustrophobic Villa Alba, and the house begins to reveal its secrets, will the Borgata family wish they’d never asked April to investigate? And what did happen to Enzo’s missing wife Irene?
Bestselling author Louise Douglas returns with an irresistibly compelling, intriguing and captivating tale of betrayal, love, jealousy and the secrets buried in every family history.
My Review:
The Secret Of Villa Alba was an intriguing, gripping dual timeline mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Firstly I really loved the vivid descriptions of Sicily which really made Italy come to life for me. It seems like a beautiful place and I’d love to visit there one day to see the beautiful sounding beaches or walk in the mountains. This is not a book to read while hungry as there were lots of mouth watering descriptions of food throughout the book which sounded absolutely delicious. I actually had to Google recipes for some of the food mentioned as it sounded so good.
The story is told from the point of view of Irene, newly married into the Borgata family and April a retired Inspector who is trying to solve the mystery of Irene’s disappearance. I really loved both the main characters and enjoyed following them throughout the book. They were both strong women, nursing heartache which made me immediately on their side. I felt especially sorry for Irene who was trying to get used to a new country and deal with other family members expectations about what she should be doing.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author in the future. The story starts off slowly as the author sets the scene but soon picks up as more about life at the villa is revealed. I quickly found I couldn’t put the book down and often stayed up far too late at night as I was so intrigued by what was happening. I had lots of guesses as to what had happened but I was proven wrong about all of them which I always love. The ending was unexpected and absolutely amazing. My jaw was on the floor as all was slowly revealed as I never would have expected it to end that way.
If you are a fan of gripping, dual timeline books then I highly recommend this book!
About The Author:
I’m Louise, I live in Somerset in South West England & I write contemporary Gothic mysteries mostly set in the countryside close to where I live.
Thrilled to have won the RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller award 2021 for The House by the Sea.When I’m not writing, I love to spend time with my family, friends, kind & funny people and animals – especially dogs, birds and whales. I’m passionate about nature, being outside, drawing wildlife, walking, beaches, fictional drama and books.I really hope you enjoy my books.
If you’d like to connect, find me on Facebook Louise Amy Douglas or @LouiseDouglas3 on Twitter.
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