This was a fun, if a bit commercial mystery book in which past and present pseudo mirror one another when life long best friends (and fellow writers) decide to vacation at the titular villa, where, years past, a famous couple also stayed. Only it ended in murder then.

In the present day the main character is coming to grips with a messy divorce and her deep seated jealousy aimed at her successful self-help guru whose plan and expense this little vacation is planned and executed. When more details surface about the past, we are thrust more explicitly into the past, and what is known about the crime, steeped in sex, drugs, and rock and roll, is reframed by the women brought to the house as hangers on.

It’s a pretty simple story and makes for a quick read. I think a more literary version of this could have really slammed some of the themes home. As it is, the both surprising direction it takes when it looms really close to trite territory, as well as the commercial ending after, makes for a bit of a mixed bag. But it’s very fun and worth reading while managing some more complex female relationships.