Our host for this month is Cathy Goocher.
Our book is "The Villa: A Novel," by Rachel Hawkins.
Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home. But in 1974 it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. 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 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 and staying at Villa Aestas Emily readily agrees. 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. Perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but something more sinister. 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.
Note: The book is available through the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative at multiple branches; Libby and Hoopla have audiobooks.
