I have read the two other books by Ellery Lloyd and devoured them. This book I found slightly higher brow (!) and more complex and intense to read, however it was a book filled with clever plots and twists which come together! I am more of a fan of the lower brow side but this was a good read

This was a great read, definitely exceeded my expectations. A few themes that discussed wasn’t my cup of tea but overall a great story. I’m intrigued to read more from this author. The cover is beautiful!

I went into this book completely blind, so I had no expectations (the title doesn't give anything away) I was excited to find a story about the mirky world or art dealing.

Two art students, must work together to solve the mystery of an artists death and long lost painting. In the triple time line mystery.

This book was very implausible and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot as I read it ... but I loved it and couldn't put it down! The characters are quite over the top and it is often confusing, but I really enjoyed it and it's a great beach read!

A good story, but it was completely ruined for me by all the Americanisms in the book. It is unlikely that British university students would talk like that.

An extremely well plotted story from a husband and wife writing team. Two students investigating a missing painting become involved in series of events which send in tragedy and death. The story is told using various time limes from the 1930’s to the present day and in various locations from Cambridge to Paris and Dubai.The threads of the plot slowly weave together as it reaches its final and shocking reveal. I have enjoyed reading this book very much and can heartily recommend it

Oh, I do love a clever book and this really ticks that box!
A thoroughly good read, flipping between timelines and bringing it all together carefully and cleverly - brilliant.

What a fantastically complex, intriguing mystery. I am in awe at the plotting, the characters and the intricacies. I loved how many mysteries and riddles were wrapped up in it, and I loved both Caroline and Patrick, the main characters trying to unravel everything. I guessed a couple of things, was wildly off with others, but loved every page. So satisfying, a mystery unlike any I’ve read before.

Thank you to the publisher Pan MacMillan.

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby follows multiple timelines; Juliette in Paris in the 30s, Caroline and Patrick in Cambridge in the 90s and present day Dubai.
Juliette was a runaway heiress who died in the fire which also claimed her only known work of art. However, in the present day her masterpiece 'Self Portrait as Sphinx' has been found and the art dealer has been arrested for murder...

Decades worth of intertwining mysteries, unsolved missing persons and murder are explored through this highly engaging, well crafted and fantastically written story.

Though this book started off relatively slowly, it carefully introduces an extensive cast of characters and introduces the threads of various mysteries which will eventually, cleverly wind together. Complex, atmospheric and engaging. Incredibly clever in the conclusion, satisfying in the way everything is brought together and resolved. Highly recommended and I would love to read other books by these authors.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this one! Combining lots of subjects and settings I enjoy: art, mystery, secret societies, historic houses, family secrets, feminism and academia. One blurb suggests “The Secret History meets Saltburn” and whilst I’m not convinced that’s totally spot on, I think if you liked those you’ll also enjoy this (even more so if like me you also have a soft spot for The Thomas Crown Affair).

An interesting flashback story set in the art history world and covering different timelines - present day, Cambridge in the early 1990s and pre-war Paris, where surrealist artist Juliette Willoughby held court with her married artist lover before dying in a fire along with her works of art. Many years later, two students doing some research on her missing masterpiece reveal new information about Juliette and believe the painting still exists. A fast moving story with an intricate and intriguing plot.

Loved everything about this: the lovingly detailed settings (Paris and Cambridge in particular), the toffs behaving badly, the art history intrigue. A perfect summer page turner.

Absolutely breath-taking story that sweeps you along throughout Paris in the 1930's into Dubai as it is today but in between that Cambridge in the 90's and I know that sounds confusing but it is well worth the journey. The story keeps you gripped and it is full of mystery and wonderful characters Totally recommend

This was a very unusual read. It is part Art History , real history and modern day. Very entertaining and worth the read, especially as it’s not the type of book I would usually read. It was entertaining and educational, witty and dark.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers, MacMillan for this ARC.

In Cambridge, two final year students are guided in their dissertation by an eccentric supervisor and they start to uncover details of a lost Surrealist masterpiece. The artist (and her picture) vanished after a Parisian fire but the students discover the painting hidden in the house owned by her estranged family. A curse seems to follow the family, related to egyptology, and fifty years later the last member of the family is found murdered.
Just writing a precis of the book makes it sound completely preposterous and in a way it is. The plot has so much thrown at the wall, it really shouldn't work - but it does. Three timelines weave throughout the narrative, the characters are actually quite well put together and plot is addictive.

This is art with a hint of mystery and intrigue. I would describe it as a bit of a slow burner. I struggled with it at first but a few chapters in, I finally got to grips with the story being told over different timeliness and fr the perspectives of different characters. This turned into a book I couldn't put down and I really enjoyed it as well as learning a lot about art.

This book is set over 3 time lines and also told from 3 people’s perspectives. The story is about art, with a hint of mystery, for me personally I found the story slow paced until after 50% through where it picked up.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been intrigued by thriller writing partnerships: how do writing partners in this case the husband-and-wife team behind the pseudonym Ellery Lloyd, keep the pace, syntax and lexical choices of their thrillers going without written discord, stylistic deviations and the ensuing readerly disbelief? The answer, this book appears to suggest, is to establish several different timelines, each driven by its own unreliable narrator and a different location. In this novel, there are three different points of view and additionally, generous helpings of mystery, mythology, romance and art history are woven into the rich tapestry the novel presents. Readers brave enough to take on this unique thriller have to negotiate various literary scenarios: the death of surrealist artists Juliette and Oskar in what appears to be an arson attack in Paris in 1938, the amateur investigation by two Cambridge University students of Juliette’s death in 1991, and the arrest of a contemporary art dealer for murder. The mélange of all of these details and plot devices create a masterful, fast-paced and at times outrageous murder mystery that richly rewards the patient, observant reader. Highly recommended! My thanks go to NetGalley and to the publishers for gifting me an ARC in anticipation of this honest and unbiased book review.

A surrealist painters, a curse, lost paints: can't miss it. And it was worth the sleep-deprivation-award and the couldn't turn pages faster
There's a lot and more, there're different POVs and timelimes, and there's a sense of mystery that keeps wondering
It's a well researched book and it's an excellent novel as the authors are talented storytellers.
Read it and have fun.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I’m not usually a fan of multiple timelines, but this did give me pause; following the tale of Juliette Willoughby, her painting, and some properly enthusiastic students with some diaries and multiple murders to solve through 1930s Paris, 1990s Oxford and present day Dubai.

Some of the twists were predictable but it was engaging enough to keep me reading! As another reviewer mentioned, the Americanisms in an English setting were a little jarring, but not enough to put me off. Ellery Lloyd (husband-wife author team) obviously did their research as this novel was straining at the seams with historical facts, which at times seemed a little heavy handed (though again, not enough to put me off!)

I was actually given a physical copy before I could review this (it was my birthday, and I love a murder mystery) so my NetGalley stats might be a little funky but to sit in a sunny park and enthrall myself in this mystery was a good way to spend what little summer the U.K. has! Would definitely encourage other readers to do the same!