The Secret of Villa Alba: The BRAND NEW page-turning novel from NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER Louise Douglas for 2023

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Beautifully written, chillingly atmospheric and utterly compelling, The Secret by the Lake is Louise Douglas at her brilliant best’ Tammy Cohen, author of The Broken

The setting comes alive without slowing down the narrative. The summer heat in Sicily, the architecture, food, people, and especially Villa Alba (a symbol of wealth and power but, in reality, a house barely holding together) are easy to visualize. In the present time, Milo Conti is digging into the family dynamics and promises a full revelation in a few days. Maddalena Borgata writes to April Cobain, who she was acquainted with during her stay in England. April has been an investigator, but is still trying to get over the sorrow of her husband’s demise. Also, the last meeting between Maddalena and April in Bangkok ended badly and they have not been on speaking terms since. After some initial hesitation, April agrees and travel to Italy to investigate what happened to Irene, with help from local law enforcement. I loved The Lost Notebookso much! From the opening lines, I was drawn in to a gripping story, beautifully written and so cleverly orchestrated. I rooted for the main character, I held my breath at the denouement and as for the climax of the book – just wow. Highly recommended.’ Judy Leigh Enzo’s daughter, Maddalena, enlists the help of an estranged best friend, April Cobain, to help find out what happened to Irene all those years ago and to clear her father’s name. He is being ‘accused’ publicly of Irene’s murder by a true crime TV presenter and the stress is making him ill. April is a retired DI and although she fell out with Maddalena, she was always fond of Enzo. With mention of Mafia connections to the family, April has many avenues to follow.

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Overall if you enjoy easy to read but well written fiction, then this book could be right up your street!

April makes a great team with an Italian police inspector called Luca Mazzotta, and together they go through all they find out separately, and deduce from that what could have happened. Louise Douglas excels at writing atmospheric stories. The sense of place is always strong when I read a book by her. Her descriptions of Sicily took me right there. Such vivid details of the country and Villa Alba. The earthquake of 1968 is also featured. The author expertly describes the devastation and impact this had on Sicily and the area. I love a good whodunnit, suspense novel. Full of twists and turns I enjoy mulling them over in my head in between reading sessions. It is fairly difficult though, to get unforeseen plot twists and outcomes past my rather busy, sometimes sceptical, mind! Whilst I did predict the outcome of this story, Louise Douglas succeeds in creating a solid, interesting and unique narrative. 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.The story is divided into two parts. The past is Irene's recollection of the events as they happened. The present ranges from Milo Conti's TV show to April's sleuthing to Enzo's refusal to speak out the truth.