Who knew art could be so scandalous. An artist who died tragically young becomes the main focus of Caroline Cooper, a university student studying surrealism artists. It quickly becomes questionable how her death arose, a dark cloud hovers over her future family tree. After decades of work around Juliette has Caroline finally found out the secret that should have died with Juliette.

I found myself really enjoying this book, it was quite different from my usual read but it grasped me all the same. Although it was pretty predictable. It was quite a lighthearted despite the tragedies along the way.

I would recommend this book to someone wanting a lightweight murder mystery and certainly enjoyed it myself.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reading copy.

From the synopsis this promised to be an intriguing novel but for me, it just didn’t live up to that. It’s three stories across three timelines, on occasion it it seemed difficult to follow and I found it very slow going and somewhat predictable in places. I know others have loved it, but for me it was sadly lacking. I would rate this book 3 stars as I was compelled to finish it. Thank you to NetGalley, Pan MacMillan and the author for the chance to review.

Twisty, cerebral thriller set in the art world, with skeletons and cupboards a-plenty!

Well. I’m for sure going to want to read more of this husband and wife writing couple. I will admit to prejudices around writers not working alone, thinking there will be awkward joins, but I suppose it might be be an advantage in a book written in several first person voices, as this is, so perhaps each author is responsible for their own first person narrators

Juliette Willoughby is/was an artist with a privileged, though dysfunctional background. Her parents were cold, and she felt, and was, unloved. There was a tragic loss in her childhood. In the late 1930’s Juliette decamps to Paris, involved with a rising Surrealist star. Unfortunately a tragic accident (or was it?) results in the death of the couple and the destruction of Juliette’s only artwork

In the early 1990’s two young Cambridge PhD art history students, Caroline and Patrick, both with somewhat complex and shady pasts romantically connect with each other. Neither is from the kind of hooray Henry background of privilege they begin to move in. As part of their individual projects, their work begins to come together over a mystery around female artists in general, and Juliette in particular, who have been written out of art history, except as the lovers of male artists

Fast forward some decades, into our current world of high tech and social media. Caroline is now a well regarded art historian, with a speciality in Surrealism. Patrick is a gallery owner and art dealer. The two have separated, romantically, quite some time ago, but have remained respectful of each other, and not bitter enemies. Something exceedingly strange appears to be going on as long lost artwork comes to light, and ancient family enmities surface, as well as revelations of shady activities from the 1990’s which the pair, and their fellow students, appear to have been involved in. New setting – Dubai, where a lot becomes considerably darker and more dangerous because of the setting

I took this book as an ARC, despite my needless reservations about a jointly written book, because the blurb suggested it was in the same kind of rather cerebral literary, arts world mould as The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, which I had loved

The comparison in this case, well made. Loved that, loved this. There are SO many twists in this, clever ones, and they seemed pretty plausible. I did have to suspend disbelief a couple of times, but I was happy to

I have read both of Llyod’s previous works and ‘The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby’ is my favourite by far. It feels like their voice and style has developed in all the best ways. Lloyd has always felt fresh and original within the genre of mystery and thriller but this one just feels elevated. There are so many layers that build up the vivid imagery across the three timelines but it weaves through them with ease.
It is a page turner for sure and although I felt the pacing at the beginning was a little slow the novel as a whole made up for it in spades. Glamorous and dark- what more could you want in a good mystery to lose an evening to?

Three time frames as the description says - 1938 Paris, Cambridge 1991 and Dubai present-day. There's a lot about the day to day lives of the people in these timeframes but all centred around Juliette of 1938. Peter and Caroline are Art History students and have chosen Juliette as their dissertation topics, or maybe had her chosen for them. Juliette had painted her infamous Self Portrait of Sphinx but she, it and her older lover had perished in a fire at the Parisian apartment. Caroline is the brilliant and dedicated student, Peter preferring the drinking/socialising aspects and is certainly in with a flamboyant lot. One of whom disappears during a 21st birthday celebration at the old family home of Juliette. Juliette's diary is found by Caroline, the mystery deepens and there are family machinations and drama, but there are complications. These come to the fore in Dubai, some 30 years later when a second painting comes to auction and Patrick and Caroline are brought together again.. Well written and characters feel of their times, plenty of description, more than sufficient red herrings - these come together to make a good read. The book lost a star because two aspects were too predictable although how they played out were not. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Heiress Juliette Willoughby is remembered as a painter who died a tragic death in a fire in Paris. A footnote in the life of her more famous lover, Oskar. However, Juliette is also known as painter of Self Portrait with a Sphinx, a Surrealist painting of repute which was also thought to be destroyed in the fire.
Our timeline focuses on three periods. Juliette as a young woman, two young art students who discover the painting and believe that it tells a sinister story about the circumstances of her death and the present where a second copy of the painting is discovered and sold.
There are common threads to the three strands - namely the characters and the home belonging to the Willoughby family.
After a fairly slow start things start to come together in a way that slowly reveals the details that are shared by each time period, and offers hints as to the story behind each mystery. This is a process that takes its time, but we are most definitely rewarded for sticking with it!
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.

On the whole I enjoyed this new novel by Ellery Lloyd. There were lots of twists and turns to the story and the characters were brought to life in great way. I knew nothing of the Surrealist movement and by the end of the book I felt I had learned a lot. What let it down for me slightly was the ending. It all felt a bit unreal and contrived. Nevertheless it was a good read.

The Final Act of Juliette Willougby is an epic tale, I devoured it.

Ellery Lloyd are fast becoming favourite authors. Loved their first two books, both very different but great stories and this third outing from them raises the bar again. Complex characters and clever plot twists across decades and continents pulling you deeper into the lies and deception.

Cracking stories within stories. I loved it.

Highly recommend

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd is a mystery thriller intertwined with historical fiction set in the art world across three timelines and locations: Paris, Cambridge, and Dubai.

Dealing with three timelines was quite challenging at times, as it felt like reading multiple books simultaneously. I usually don't mind multiple storylines, but in this case, it was a bit confusing. Around 20% into the book, I decided to read the diary entries separately and then went back to read the other stories, skipping the diary entries.

The story is told from multiple points of view, but the positive aspect is that at the beginning of each section, it clearly states whose point of view it is, the year, and the location, which makes it easier to follow.

The plot revolves around the late surrealist artist Juliette Willoughby and her missing masterpiece "Self Portrait as a Sphinx." Caroline Cooper and Patrick Lambert are on a mission to uncover the truth behind what really happened.

The book contains a lot - dark family drama, passionate art enthusiasts, manipulation, Egyptian history, and a never-ending pursuit, with some intriguing plot twists throughout.

For me, this book would have been a solid 5-star read if the story had spanned from 1938 to the present day. I understand that the structure was designed to create a mystery, but sometimes we just want a straightforward story!

Overall, this book is perfect for art and historical fiction enthusiasts, as well as those who love mystery thrillers.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this copy!

Set over 3 timelines, Paris 1938, Cambridge 1991 and Dubai now, this historical thriller had me gripped.
The painting ‘Self-Portrait as Sphinx’ by Juliette Willoughby is at the centre of the story, which is told by various points of view.
With lots of twist and turns, this was a great read with a nicely tied up ending which was most satisfying!
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest

This is the first Ellery Lloyd book I've read and it didnt disappoint!

I absolutely loved the three timeline aspect and there were quite a few moments where I audibly gasped at what I had just read! It kept me on the edge of my seat and the plot twists were extremely clever without feeling too "out there". Will definitely be leaning towards more Ellery Lloyd books when I'm looking for a fantastic page turner!

Set over 3 time lines of the late 1930’s, 1991 and present day, in Cambridge, Suffolk, Paris and Dubai. An interesting murder mystery, family secrets and the ins and outs of the arts world in Britain and world wide.
Caroline is fascinated by the Surrealist movement which she wants to base her theses on at Cambridge, she is resistant to relationships but can’t help falling for Patrick whose father is a social climbing art dealer.
The characters are quite interesting but I never felt any depth to any of them. Well written, good twists in the story which took me down a Saltburn spiral at one time, but this was dryer and not so entertaining.
Feeling a little left up in the air with this book as the premise never came true for me. The insinuation of darker levels were unfollowed. The characters left cheated.
I was excited to read this for so many reasons but was left feeling meh and a little let down.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for the early read.

This book had me hooked from the start and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. We meet Caroline and Patrick in the current year but we also encounter them as students at Cambridge in the early 90s when they first meet. The story is interspersed with chapters about Juliette, an artist in Paris in the 30s. The characters are well drawn and the story moves at a satisfying pace. I was intrigued to learn a little about Egyptology and also the art world. I was very surprised to learn that this book was written by two people as everything was seemless - so I don’t know which voice was whose, but that really doesn’t matter as the book is a delight to read.

I knew nothing about this book before I started reading but was drawn to the title. I chose a couple to read before it but I’m so glad I didn’t put it off any longer. It’s a truly brilliant novel.

Sitting somewhere between historical fiction, mystery, thriller and romance the book has it all. Set between the Surrealist art world of the late 1930s and the present day Juliette Willoughby’s story is still undiscovered. Caroline Cooper and Patrick are determined to find out the secret behind Self Portrait as Sphinx, a portrait which only recently resurfaced after being thought lost in a fire that killed Juliette.

The book is a twisty thriller that keeps you guessing, a great cast of characters including some I loved to hate, full of drama, hidden secrets and a touch of Egyptology.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, got into it quickly and completely captured me until the very end.

Wow - what a great different read
I have loved other books by Ellery Lloyd but absolutely devoured this one. The story flips back from 1930's to the 90's to present day and goodness does it keep you guessing and wanting to know more and more! There are so many mysteries and a few deaths that gradually link together so well and unlike so many novels or TV shows the ending is fabulous and so needed.
Absolutely recommended gripping read - Can't wait for their next book!

It’s 1938 and surrealist painter Juliette Willoughby, runs away with her married lover and tragically perishes, along with her painting. Years later, in 1991, two art history students from Cambridge, stumble across evidence something sinister was at play with Juliette’s final moments. In the modern day an art dealer is accused of murdering his friend. Is Juliette’s painting the key to unlocking secrets?

From the books I have read by this author, this is definitely my favourite. I found the subject matter around art very compelling and liked the use of the elite settings. The use of different timelines and voices worked well and I found it all easy to distinguish. Ellery Lloyd manages to do a great job in creating a complex slow burn tale that connects together in a clever way. The genre is a mash up of drama, historical and thriller which helped create intrigue and lots of layers. Although I enjoyed the overall story, I did find my interest waning in and out as the story progressed due to the slow pace, however, this is definitely a solid novel with a few surprises thrown in along the way. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Intriguing and different, set in the world of art history and academia with a mystery and different timelines thrown in.

A multi-faceted book. An historical novel, a mystery and thriller all rolled into one and to achieve this the story is in 3 different time lines . Steeped in the art world there is the enigma of a painting and a lost artist from a troubled family . This makes an excellent read

I really enjoyed this mystery by the brilliant writing duo Ellery Lloyd set in a triple time frame between the 1930s England/Paris, 1990s Cambridge, and modern day UAE.

It explores the mystery of the surrealist painter Juliette Willoughby - a female surrealist and heiress whose work did not survive her death in a fire. Caroline and Patrick, art history students and then art professionals, are the duo to uncover what really happened,

I really enjoyed reading this. I feel like I’ve learnt a bit about the art world (and which I know very little), and the elements at Cambridge Uni gave Secret History vibes. The pacing is excellent and the outcome satisfying.

A great read - thank you to netgalley for the advanced readers copy.

I really loved this book - it was a real joy of a reading experience, and I actively missed it for days after finishing.

I'm not usually one for historical fiction, but the dual timeline here worked so brilliantly that I found myself looking forward to both eras equally. I was attracted to this book for the art world setting, which always fascinates me and which was presented brilliantly here. I also loved all of the characters (even the ones I hated!) They were well drawn and their motivations clear. This feels like a career changing book, and it deserves to be. LOVED it. (And the twist/reveal? Ugh. Brilliant.)