I've enjoyed Rachel's books in the past, but this one is definitely my favorite. Much thanks to @netgalley for the gifted audiobook. I really enjoyed how the narrators (especially the amazing Julia Whelan) brought the various characters (some British, some American!) and alternating timelines to life.

In present day, Emily and her frenemy Chess head to a villa in Italy for six weeks of vacation--and work. Both are authors working on their next books, but Emily is also recovering from a mysterious illness, while suffering through a contentious divorce. Although she's happy to get away, she's still suspicious about so much--Chess's real intentions for whisking Em away and the murder that happened in the notorious villa decades ago.

Mari, a young, hopeful writer, spends the summer of 1974 in the villa with her married boyfriend, Pierre; famous rockstar Noel Gordon; and her step-sister Lara. When present-day Em read Mari's very popular novel Lilith Rising and finds hidden pages of Mari's diary, she's propelled to write about the villa, Mari, and the murder. Like Hawkin's The Wife Upstairs, this one is inspired by a literary truth: the summer Mary Shelley spent with Percy Shelley and Lord Bryon writing Frankenstein.

I was on the edge-of-my-seat throughout this book and was genuinely surprised by some of the many twists and turns. The dual timelines keep the story moving at a quick pace, while asides from murder podcasts and biographical info about the 1970s characters add extra fun (especially when performed on audio). All in all this is a fast, fun thriller that has some interesting things to say about friendship, fame, and how female writers and artists.