This novel is focused around a painter, Juliette Willoughby, who accidentally perished during a fire back in 1938. However, when a painting that was supposedly destroyed in the fire is found, questions arise involving exactly what has happened.

This story is full of mystery, aided by the multiple pod and time frames providing further narrative strands. I just found it to be, at times, slightly overwhelming and puzzling together the pieces is quite the challenge.

This book is right up my street; three different timelines and perspectives, mysteries within mysteries, and a big old house filled with secrets.

Juliette Willoughby is the daughter of a wealthy MP whose escape to Paris to shack up with a Surrealist painter in the 1930s caused a scandal for her aristocratic family.

In the 1990s, two art students studying the Surrealist art movement discover that Juliette's famous painting, long thought lost, could reveal a secret.

In the present day, an accusation of murder causes- further scandal and mystery.

I really loved this, it"s gripping and clever, full of interesting historical tidbits, and although I guessed some of the reveals, it was a lot of fun to read. I could have done without some of the Americanisms (windshield instead of windscreen, trunk instead of boot), which were a little jarring in a book set in England, but the writing and plotting is so good that I struggled to put it down. Recommended!

Fabulous book! At first, I thought it was a little slow and old-fashioned (I initially thought it was set in the 1950's), but it soon picked up pace and carried me through to the end. Lots of gentle twists and turns, well written and enthralling.

I loved this book so much that as soon as it was released I bought a physical version of it to have on my bookshelf! I have recommended this book to anyone that will listen!

I loved this book - historical fiction and whodunnit rolled into one. Set over 3 time periods - 1930s, 1990s and present day - we are asked to join Caroline and Patrick in their search to find Juliet Willoughby’s only known work, and to discover its meaning. A cracking read - didn’t want to put it down and raced through it. Wasn’t sure how they’d quite unravel the loose ends but in the end it was all done very successfully. Thanks very much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This was a very engaging read, set across three timelines. It centres on the mystery of what might have become of surrealist artist Juliette Willoughby’s iconic work, exhibited for just one day before disappearing from the public eye. Her own death in a fire during the same time period as the exhibition has always been explanation enough, but decades later two Cambridge history of art students are encouraged by their supervisor to follow a breadcrumb trail and see if they can locate it.

There follows a race to reach the truth underlying the painting in order to explain various mysteries and uncover secrets about the Willoughby family which have festered for too long.

A compelling story which I thoroughly recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC to review.

There are plenty of skeletons in the Willoughby family closet and their story unfolds over three time lines from the 1930s ,1990s and present day . Art , History ,Murder and Romance -this novel has it all and leaves you wanting more !

Thrilling

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Firstly thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest opinion .

This story was told through numerous timelines and multiple POV’s. This was a thriller that spanned many counties with some great twists

Would recommend

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby the intoxicating and darkly glamourous mystery by Ellery Lloyd was a breath of fresh air in the genre. Beautifully plotted with an elegant structure, I enjoyed it from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan | Macmillan and the author Ellery Lloyd for this ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Really enjoyed this! A fabulously compelling story that is easy to read but has depth to it too. Loved the characters. A perfect summer read.

This book is set over different eras which I love but for me, this one felt a bit slow and like the author has tried to put too much into it. I found certain in segments hard to read and feel like nothing was really happening. Made it to the end but unfortunately it was a little flat for me

This was the most enjoyable mystery I have read in some time. It follows three timelines/ POVs but these all have distinctive voices so it's easy to keep everything straight. One pov is that of the journal of deceased artist Juliet Willoughby who perished in a tragic fire with all her work in 1920s. Then there's Caroline's pov - an art history student/ art historian who discovers the journal which sets her in the trail to prove that some of Juliet's work survived. And also Patrick, eventual art dealer who falls for Caroline and becomes enmeshed in the mystery from there.

Layer on family secrets thickly, add a murder, a mysterious buyer and a swing between idealistic youth and cynical maturity and you have a art theft thriller that hides a much darker story. This isn't strictly speaking dark academia however there are definite dark academia vibes (it starts in Cambridge for ine thing and a lot of the conflict comes from some having wealth and others not). The characters are intelligently written, the art side of things is fascinating and the story was immersive. This is a superior example of its genre. Highly recommend.

Vividly Depicted..
Cleverly constructed dual timeline suspense where a solid mystery at its heart will be intricately unraveled. Original, glamorous and globe trotting with an engaging narrative that peels back the layers of the story piece by piece. Vividly depicted and detailed and with a well crafted cast of characters that leap from the page as the storyline expands. Deeply imagined.

It was an extraordinary work. Complex. Intricate. Unsettling. A painting you could get lost in, that you could spend a lifetime looking at.
In 1938, Surrealist artist Juliette Willoughby is killed in a tragic fire, along with her lover – a famous painter – and her famous work, 'Self Portrait as Sphinx.'

In 1991, two Cambridge students, Patrick and Caroline are doing theses on Surrealist art, with Caroline focusing on Juliette Willoughby, whose been relegated to mere paragraphs in the annals of history. Then, the duo uncovers shocking information that lead them to believe that maybe the fire was no accident. Because Juliette's painting contains details about her family's dark secrets.

In the present day, Caroline is at the auction of 'Self Portrait as Sphinx' at a Dubai gallery. Just as bids are about to start, Patrick is arrested for murder.

These three timelines are woven together, resulting in an interesting historical fiction mystery. I was invested in the search for what really happened to Juliette and why the murder in the present day takes place. The answers are intriguing.

However, I wanted a bit more of an in-depth exploration of Surrealism – I studied History of Art at university, and think the aims of the movement could have been explained further so that readers would understand its significance and how Juliette's painting fits into this. While I really enjoyed Juliette's timeline and her diary entries, I struggled a bit to really connect with Caroline and Patrick. Their relationship also lacked depth and I felt myself not caring whether they are together or not.

If you are interested in art, mysteries and historical fiction, this one's for you.

I not sure why but I sound this hard to get into and she have loved it
Three different eras and times
Good characters
Clever plot
Just somehow I find it too long and if u read a lot of mystery’s u may just get it as has some familiar threads
However is well written and a well done novel

Readers of my blog know that I live nothing better than a good art based thriller. I was super excited to be offered the opportunity by Anne Cater and Pan MacMillan to be part of the blog tour for The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd.

The book has three different timelines, Paris 1937-38, Cambridge 1991 and finally Dubai present day. In 1991 and present day the story is told from the point of view of Caroline and Patrick who first meet whilst studying Art History at Cambridge. It is whilst discussing their dissertaions that they learn about Juliet Willoughby, daugter of MP and artistocract Cyril Willoughby, and artist in her own right. She is known for one painting ‘Self Portrait with Sphinx’ which is believed to have burnt in the fire that took Juliette’s life. It is through a diary that we see Juliette’s story, her time in Paris and the repercussions that ripple throughout the decades.

I loved the relationship between Caroline and Patrick, their romance, but more importantly how they worked together to follow the clues to the truth about Juliette Willoughby. Caroline is more down to earth and from a difficult background. Patrick may not have a lot of money as his parents are divorced, but is friendly with Harry Willoughby and his rich friends which can open doors. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop, and their dogged approach in finding the truth about Juliette’s life and her painting.

Ellery Lloyd has written a thriller that works on so many levels. First is the missing painting and the fact that it may not missing after all. Part of this is the mystery of Juliette’s death in a flat with her lover Oskar Erlich, also an artist, and why she was estranged from her family. If that isn’t enough there is murder in Dubai and a missing person from 1991. These stories are brilliantly woven together, keeping the tension and suspense in each time line, and finally coming together to bring the the story to its conclusion.

The writing and plotting is simply brilliant to the extent that this is a book once picked up is difficult to put down. Ellery Lloyd captures the distinct atmosphere of each time period together; from the Parisian art scene in 1930’s Paris,life to both the rich and glitzy side of Dubai, and the poorer parts and Cambridge University and its clique of the rich students. The suspense and mysteries continue to build, and the author leaves you hanging right until the excitement of the ending. Of course my favourte part was the finding of lost art and the decoding of the symbols; I always like the stories in the news of missing paintings being found hidden away somewhere, any art history student dreams of this scenario.

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby is an immersive and intricately plotted read. Combining a plot of the alusive artist and her painting, a murder and a missing person, there is not a moment in this book that isn’t supercharged. This is a compelling and captivating read that once picked up is impossible to put down.

The book opens with an arrest for murder in present day after the sale of a painting by surrealist artist Juliette Willoughby. Meanwhile back in 1991, Patrick and Caroline are at Cambridge starting their dissertations in surrealism under the tutelage of Alice Long, which eventually led to the paintings discovery. Interspersed are snippets from Juliette’s diary and later just her filling in the gaps that the characters will never get to fill in. We’re led through the murky world of upper class snobbery, secret societies and women forgotten to history, all against the backdrop of multiple unexplained deaths.

The jigsaw puzzle of a mystery is carefully constructed, and although I did guess the twists before they happened, it didn’t stop me from wanting to keep reading to find out if I was right. It’s a fantastic story full of little twists and turns, filled with real people and art that you can go and read about afterwards if you want to. A highly recommended read!

An engaging and well written thriller. Would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love the premise but the plot failed to hold my attention. This would be perfect for readers who love slow-burn plots - it’s got an interesting story, it’s got glamorous locations, it’s got a mystery to be solved. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t for me!

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan for the ARC.

Fantastic premise but the execution failed to hold my interest.

I was not a big fan of the multi-timelines and the whole thing was just too slow and too predictable for my liking.

Not my cup of tea!