Emily and Chess are childhood friends and successful writers. Emily has a more steady career with a backlist of cozy mysteries while Chess is a no holds barred non-fiction, self-help guru. Both are looking to get started on their next project but are a bit stalled. Emily is also going through a divorce so Chess suggests a trip to Italy. She books them into a famous villa which was the site of a notorious murder in the 1970’s.
Generally I enjoy a story with two timelines. This one didn’t really work for me. The two timelines just didn’t vibe for me in any real way. The people were all super unlikable, which was true of Hawkins last novel as well but they grated on me a bit more here. There was a ton of cattiness and gaslighting which really distracted me from the murder mystery. I did like the atmosphere and the parts about the writing but any interactions between Emily and Chess was like nails on a chalkboard for me. It’s a quick read though, would definitely be perfect for a beach or pool read to keep you entertained for a few hours but it’s not going to wow you or stick with you in any way.
Thanks to St Martin’s Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.
Do you have any friends you’ve had since childhood?
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