The Villa, Rachel Hawkins
The Villa, Rachel Hawkins
10 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

The Villa
A Novel

Bestseller

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Narrator: Julia Whelan, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Shiromi Arserio

Unabridged: 8 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/03/2023


Synopsis

"Shiromi Arserio, Julia Whelan, and Kimberly Wetherell are the perfect trio to narrate this thriller about an Italian villa with a haunted past."- AudioFile

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

About Rachel Hawkins

Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, Reckless Girls, The Villa, and The Heiress, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.

About Julia Whelan

Having narrated over 600 audiobooks in all genres, Julia Whelan is, by industry standards, considered one of the top narrators recording today. She’s repeatedly featured on Audiofile's annual Best-Of Lists. She was named Audible’s Narrator of the Year in 2014 and is a Grammy-nominated audiobook director.Julia has acquired multiple Audies and SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts) Awards, including for the performance of her own novel, My Oxford Year. She has won dozens of Earphone Awards, The Audie Award for Best Female Narrator of 2019, and was presented with Audiofile’s Lifetime Achievement Golden Voice Award in 2020.She attributes her distinctive style of narration to her ongoing passion for literature fueled by her decades of acting experience.

About Kimberly M. Wetherell

A 2024 Audie Finalist and multiple Earphones Award-winning narrator, Kimberly M. Wetherell is a kaleidoscopic storyteller with a multifaceted history. Florida-grown and Brooklyn-cured, her journey to engage and inspire, be it as an actor, director, writer, or producer, has taken her around the world, working in a variety of mediums—opera, theatre, film, and literature—giving voice to smart, strong, not-so-silent types.In her work, just as in life, Kimberly refuses to be hemmed in by a single genre. In more than 100 audiobooks to date, her passion for vivid, cinematic storytelling can be heard in the abject terror of a twelve-year-old running from an avalanche, the awkward fumbling of a geeky teen’s first kiss, or the villainous glee of a serial killer that not even Jessica Fletcher saw coming. Her obsession with languages and dialects, combined with her keen musical ear, brings authenticity to characters from Paris, France to Paris, Texas and all points in-between.In short, she’s manic-pixie quirk, slathered in GenX snark, dusted with ebullient bookishness, and boy howdy, does she have a story to tell you.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Baba on August 18, 2023

Serial dater of unobtainable men, and news reporter, Laura, finds herself thrust undercover on no-holds-barred reality show The Villa, set outside of regulatory oversight at a secret location, and relayed solely on the internet. The show promises to break all known boundaries and promises to be a sen......more

Goodreads review by Chrissana on August 17, 2023

Disponible en inglés y francés. Un reality show para encontrar pareja, una isla paradisíaca hasta que uno de los concursantes aparece muerto. Bienvenidos a la villa!! Reglas para los concursantes: Regla número uno: no se deben traer drogas o alcohol a las instalaciones. Regla dos: debes levantarte cada......more

Goodreads review by M.S. on July 06, 2023

4.6 stars The Villa is a pacy, dark and suspenseful read that kept me turning the pages. Definitely a great read! 🍹 Storyline 🍹 Laura is a struggling journalist who dislikes her job working at a trashy celebrity gossip magazine. She's offered an undercover assignment by her boss to star on a popular r......more

Goodreads review by bookishcharli on May 29, 2023

Ummmm, THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. It kept me guessing the entire time as there were so many secrets popping up everywhere that my mind was always working to figure out what was real or if something was fake. Between the dual timelines of the past and present we try to piece it all together to find out ju......more

Goodreads review by The Book Whisperer (aka Boof) on July 01, 2023

Plot idea sounded really promising, but the execution was terrible. Two stars because I ploughed on to the end, and finishing a book but rating it one-star says more about me than it does about the book. If you like massive plot holes and one-dimensional, unlikeable characters, then this is the book......more


Quotes

"Hawkins casts a sharp eye throughout to the way we construct stories about female artists—and the moral ambiguity inherent in creation and fame. The effect lingers like a shadow, or a creature, that endures past the final words. Hawkins manages to achieve the seemingly impossible: A Frankenstein-inspired novel that feels both fresh and unique." Kirkus (starred review)

"Friendship and professional jealousy fuel this nail-biter...Intense characters complement the brisk plot, which shifts smoothly between the present and 1974. Hawkins consistently entertains." Publishers Weekly

"This story’s finely honed interplay of creative ambition and haunting sadness makes it a step above. Hawkins pokes at the darker aspects of both true crime and self-help, and it works beautifully. Hawkins' star is definitely on the rise after two bestsellers, and this one will propel her further into the stratosphere." Booklist, starred review

"In The Villa, Rachel Hawkins brilliantly stitches together past and present, deftly luring readers into a deliciously dark tale filled with twisted secrets, suspect loyalties, and deadly encounters. I tore through this haunting thrill ride at breakneck speed but hated to see it end. Everything about The Villa is pitch-perfect, again proving that Hawkins is the reigning queen of suspense." Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest

"Cleverly-narrated via past and present timelines...The Villa teems with sexual tension, festering tempers, and questionable friendships. Hawkins' latest thriller reminds us that no matter what truths we think we've stumbled upon, writers cannot always be trusted—and certainly not the tales they tell." Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary

"Rachel Hawkins DELIVERS with The Villa. Slick, twisty, and packed full of pop culture references spanning decades, this book is a perfectly delicious read. I devoured it as fast as I could and wanted to read it again immediately. Buy one for yourself and another for your best friend because you’ll want to talk about it for days." —Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author