I typically love books written by Louise Douglas, but this one missed its mark for me. I felt it was a great storyline, but moved very slowly. I found myself getting mad at a few characters for making poor choices! The ending did a good job of wrapping the story together and solving the mystery that had haunted the family for decades.

A fun mystery for readers who enjoy following clues to a conclusion. This story has a dual timeline narrative.

When a TV personality renewed for his crime exposes threatens to reveal her Father Enzo as his wifes murderer, Maddelena calls upon her estranged friend ex DI April Cobain to help clear his name.
In 1968 Irene went missing after her and Enzo's car broke down on a remote road in Sicily, despite numerous searches she was never seen again, the impact of that night has remained with all family members
Told from Irene and April's perspective this is a wonderful duel timeline mystery novel. I was engrossed in the descriptions of the area in Sicily where Villa Alba is situated, the devastating earthquake in 1968 is written in appropriately into the storyline.
Will April discover the truth of what happened that night before Enzo is accused and at what cost will exposing family secrets have on everyone.?
Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this advanced copy, I am under no obligation to leave my review

“I thought I was marrying into a dream. It’s turning into a nightmare.”

This one swept me away immediately and I lost all concept of time!

The characterization and taut plotting were the stars, made possible by the author’s wonderful writing style. I think what I loved the most was (1) I could place myself in the action and (2) I couldn’t predict what was going to happen next. It was unique and fully believable.

If you love allowing your inner sleuth to follow along with a great mystery and love an Italian setting, this one’s for you. Douglas explores betrayal, jealousy and love like you’ve never seen before. It’s worthy of ALL THE STARS! Captivating. Intriguing.

This will sit on my forever shelf and I’ll sing its praises to anyone who will listen.

I was gifted this copy by Boldwood Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I enjoy Louise Douglas books and this book was a wonderful read as well. Told in alternating voices, between Irene Bogata in the past and April Cobain in the present, the story revolves around the disappearance of Irene back in 1968. Irene is a young English woman who means a slightly older Italian Enzo in London. Irene grieving over a recent loss, is won over by the gentle Enzo who shows her with love and security. When he whisks her off to his home in Sicily, a whole new world and way of life is presented to Irene. April Cobain also grieving, is a retired police detective and when her childhood friend Maddi asks her to help her father, Enzo, solve the disappearance of Irene before a horrible true crime reporter twists the story and public opinion against the family.
This is a well-crafted story, I found it easy to read the alternating stories without any issues. You can feel the tension and angst of the characters. I could picture the Villa and surrounding area. Overall, it is a good story that engages a reader, characters with depth and I look forward to reading her next book.

This is one of the best books of the year that I've read. I was hooked from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down. This is a page turner full of twists and turns that you don't see coming. I absolutely loved it!!
I just reviewed The Secret of Villa Alba by Louise Douglas. #TheSecretofVillaAlba #NetGalley
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I thoroughly enjoyed this suspense story with it's dual time line. The writing is excellent and drew me into the narrative. The descriptions of the island of Sicily were vibrant ,that of the Villa moody - almost gothic in feel. The crumbling beauty, the tense family dynamics, the tragic story of lost love all combine into a super page turning story. I did guess the ending at about the 3/4 mark, but I still enjoyed the way it was handled. Highly recommend this book.

Secrets!

April Cobain is recovering from the loss of her love and soulmate when a letter comes from a friend who’d pushed her away decades ago. She’d left to go her own way after a dreadful, jealous scene.
Maddalena Borgata pleads for April to come to Sicily to help prove her father Enzo’s innocence in his wife’s disappearance 35 years ago. The case has been reopened by a dogged, sensational seeking popular tv host who stops at nothing to take his targets down.
Enzo’s english wife Irene had been injured in an earthquake a few months previous to her disappearance. Enzo’s and Irene had driven to the hospital in Palermo. On their way home they’d had car trouble. Enzo had walked ten kilometres to the family compound, Villa Albo, seeking help. Irene was left alone in the car as it was impossible to push her wheelchair along the rugged road, little more than a rough track.
When Enzo returned with help, Irene had disappeared, never to be found. Now the paparazzi was baying for blood, accusing Enzo of murdering his wife, and demanding satisfaction, all in the name of ratings. Unfortunately, the townspeople were stirred to action—mob type nasty actions.
April finds a challenging situation. She pursues various leads and fights to save a man who’d been kind to her when she was so much younger and Maddie’s best friend.
An excellent read that challenges all preconceptions of guilt and innocence, with a startling conclusion.

A Boldwood Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I have read and enjoyed Louise Douglas books before and this did not disappoint. A really intriguing thriller which tells the story via two timelines. It certainly had me guessing till the end and as the families secrets unfolded the story came to a very satisfactory conclusion! Highly recommend.

I love all of the author's books and this one did not disappoint. A young woman contacts her former college roommate(April) to help solve the disappearance of her stepmother(Irene) before a sensational tv celebrity exposes what he thinks happened to Irene. The story is dictated by both the missing woman and the woman investigating her disappearance. The author will have you reading to the end to find out what really happened to Irene. A terrific mystery to read !

A really well thought out and interesting family thriller, based over a dual timeline looking at the disappearance of an English woman, who went missing in the 1960’s in her husband’s homeland of Sicily.

Told by the missing woman, Irene herself, in the past and by friend of the family and detective Alice in the present we see the murky world of the Mafia in one and the hype of the media world in the other.

Good characters and a well written story has the reader guessing and trying to piece together what may have happened to Irene all those years ago.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Louise and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Secret of Villa Alba before the publication date.

Former D.I. April Cobain has been asked to investigate the cold case of Irene Borgata, a woman who went missing 35 years ago in Sicily.
There is pressure to resolve the case before an unscrupulous investigative journalist broadcasts a program in which he will claim that he has evidence that Irene’s husband murdered her.
Leaving the flat Somerset area where she worked as a detective, April travels to the remote Sicilian estate.
She travels along mountainous roads, passing an eery, abandoned village which had been damaged during the earthquake in 1963.
April discovers that the Borgata family , which is governed by the matriarch, Nonna Donatella, have many secrets and worrying historical connections with the Mafia.

This was an easy read in which Louise has masterfully created atmospheric scenes which draw the reader in. Her description of the isolated mountainous road and the abandoned villages build the tension.
Laden with red herrings, the story had so many possible outcomes for this complex family.

I think that it is telling that the book includes a section of helpful suggested book club questions at the end.

I am a big fan of Louise Douglas and I have read all of her pervious stories. This one did not disappoint! I loved the era, setting and characters. I really enjoy the style of Douglas's writing and mixed with a great story it is the perfect combinations for a page turner.

A very enjoyable read.

An intriguing read.
I enjoyed the descriptive style of writing and the many red herrings.
Sadly i felt parts of the story went on for far to long and found myself skipping parts of it.
Not my favourite book by this author.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

This was one of the interesting books out there lately for me. As a big lover of Sicily and the Italian culture and food, I have enjoyed reading about the life in Sicily in 60s and now in 2003. I also like missing people stories and discovering what happened to them. I like twists and suspects. The story was delivered well and kept me reading to the end. And of course, I am a sucker for a great disaster love story so I give 4 stars.

My favorite character was Irene. What bothered me the most about April was her acting like a social justice warrior throughout the book (animal cruelty, vegetarianism, bigotry, sexism, etc.) although this is 2003 not 2023. I did not have an issue with her moral stand but how she was imposing it on others. Was the author afraid of getting cancelled?

If you don't want to find out more details about the book, stop reading here. Feel free to read them once you finished the book.

However there were things that bothered me, some little and some more in any particular order:
- I do not mind the details of the surroundings but the writing did not keep my attention and skipped through many descriptions. In those parts there was a bit too much rambling going on.
- Too many red-herrings that were not very strong. Too much give away earlier in the book thus I figured out the ending around 60-70% in the story.
- The current day is described way too modern. How many people did actually have mobiles in 2003 especially in rural Italy, in most parts of Sicily where the signal probably was non existent. How much would have cost for April to use her English mobile phone in Italy in those days? It is very unlikely that kids in rural Sicily were texting to each other so early in 2000s and an earbud was just invented. Why not to refer to using headphones, MP3 or limit the mobile reference altogether?
- The mentality and choses of April are way too modern and inconsistent. She strongly reacts to the old Sicilian grandmother who accepts that the bigotry exists in their community when it is clearly just a tip of the iceberg of many other social issues in Sicily at the time. She is British and vegetarian who doesn't eat eggs but eats a pizza with cheese. There is no way she survived and was fed in the Sicilian family home in 2003 where someone else was cooking food for her, as a vegetarian. There is no way that the family adapted to one person's strict diet especially when feeding such a complicated and big family group.
- A grief over the death of her love of her life is way too brief and she jumps into another relationship with no time. I found no chemistry between those two and could not even remember what he looked like.

The things that I wish the story has told me:
- The argument in Thailand that broke the friendship for 30 years - no discussion about it, really?
- I assume April is in her 40s so her husband Cobain died quite young. Why aren't we told what happened?
- How did April and Maddi meet? And how did April spend so much time with Enzo who was like her second father to her when April grew up in England while Maddi in Sicily? Why to mention things and facts without giving the full background of the story and leaving the holes. What happened between April and her parents? (another quick reference left incomplete).

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

Maddalena Borgato’s stepmother Irene disappears in May 1968 and no trace of her is ever found. Her father, Enzo, is suspected of foul play but because of lack of evidence and no body the case is abandoned. In 2003 Maddalena writes to her friend, April Cobain seeking her help as Milo Conti of TV programme “Cold Case“ is investigating and it seems she fears he will frame Enzo for the murder of his wife. April is an ex-detective inspector from the Avon and Somerset police force so is an excellent choice to conduct an investigation. April overcomes her initial reluctance and travels to Sicily and makes her way to the Villa Alba. Can she uncover the truth of Irene’s fate? The story is told our Irene in the 1960s and April in 2003, with a countdown to Conti’s programme. This works extremely well with the storyline flowing seamlessly.

I really enjoy Louise Douglas’ novels as they always ooze atmosphere and this one is no exception. There are some excellent descriptions of beautiful Sicily, the climate, the landscape, the Villa and the impact of the devastating earthquake of 1968, which the author weaves very effectively into the storytelling. The premise is really intriguing and the dual narrative and timescale adds to the building mystery.

This is a very perplexing case as has there even been a crime? Is it possible Irene met with an accident and her body not as yet discovered? As more events of the day that she disappears are uncovered, the bigger the puzzle grows and you feel the families desperation to exonerate Enzo before Conti can stick a knife in.

To describe the arrival of life of lively English woman Irene at the Villa in the 1960s as causing something of a stir is an understatement. The atmosphere in the villa is chock full of tension and toxicity positively bounces off its old walls. Poor Irene! She’s a fish out of water, totally displaced though lovely Enzo does his best to ease her path. All the characterisation is good, many of them are likeable, a few not so much. As the novel progresses, strange behaviour in the earlier timeline adds to the mystery, there are unsettling, creepy and disturbing vibes. One odious character makes certain lives extremely difficult and the plot starts to reach a crescendo. This is where the author cleverly uses earthquake and its impact is doubly felt. Although there are several dramatic scenes throughout the book here there is danger, bravery but also poignancy.

Whilst I can honestly say I really do enjoy this, it’s a four star rating after all, I do have some reservations about the ending which feels a bit convenient but it’s not by any means left field. Overall, though, it’s a really immersive novel.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Boldwood Books for the appreciated arc in return for an honest review.