Two writers spend a summer in a stunning Italian villa. A murder that occurred decades earlier in the house comes back to haunt them. The Villa is a true gothic thriller from bestselling author Rachel Hawkins.
When they were young, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But now, in their early thirties, the connection between them has almost completely faded. But one thing still unites them: writing. Emily is the author of the relatively successful Detective Petal Bloom series, and Chess is a tremendous bestseller and self-help guru for women.
So when Chess suggests they spend some time in an Italian villa, Emily quickly accepts the proposal, taking the opportunity to reconnect with her best friend and perhaps revive a past plan to write a book together.
Villa Aestas, in the village of Orvieto, is an exclusive vacation destination today, but in 1974, it wasn't quite as famous when it was known as Villa Rosato. That summer, the villa welcomed a famous guest: rock star Noel Gordon, who, in an attempt to inspire his creative side, invited rising musician Pierce Sheldon, Pierce's girlfriend Mari, and her half-sister Lara to spend the entire season in Italy with him. However, unbeknownst to him, he set in motion a chain of events that led Mari to write one of the most important horror novels of all time, Lara to compose one of the most famous folk-rock albums of the 20th century... and to a brutal murder.
As Emily becomes more involved in the villa's complex history, she comes to believe that details are being omitted from the events of that fateful summer of 1974, that perhaps Pierce's murder wasn't just a sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll affair gone wrong, but that something far more sinister was at play—and that perhaps there are clues hidden in the now-iconic works left behind by Mari and Lara.
The closer Emily gets to the truth, the more tension grows between her and Chess. And as dark secrets from the past surface, unforgivable betrayals from the present come to light, and before the summer is over, the villa seems intent on claiming another life.
Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson "family" murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at the Château de Chillon—where the idea for Frankenstein was born— The Villa is an invitation to a fatal legacy.
“A sinister and complex thriller.” — The Washington Post
“Hawkins achieves what seemed impossible: a Frankenstein- inspired novel that is both original and unique.” — Kirkus
